Greenwich Village Block Associations NewsAn Occasional Publication from the Greenwich Village Block Associations & An Open Community Forum |
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PROSTITUTION & UNRULY STREET BEHAVIOR Task Forceby David PosterWhen Times Square was cleaned up, porn shops, prostitutes and drug dealers migrated south and opened up shop in the Village ('Times Square South'). We have about a dozen porn shops and dozens of street prostitutes loitering on Village streets, doorsteps, and in apartment lobbies. Streets are strewn with used condoms, crack vials, and human feces. Visitors come with an 'anything goes' attitude and no respect for the community. Residents are targets of verbal and physical abuse. The 6th Precinct has been short-handed; until recently elected officials showed little concern; Community Board 2 has made no difference. Due to calls from residents frustrated by the lack of response to their cries for help, the GVBA created a task force last November to research problems associated with street prostitution and unruly street behavior and to look for ways to ease the problem. We put together a group of Villagers who witnessed the deterioration of their neighborhood and identified 5 objectives:
We identified measures to accomplish these objectives, including obtaining additional police support. We wrote to Commissioner Raymond Kelly requesting more uniformed police. (This request was emphasized at each meeting the task force had with the Police). It was gratifying that on March 27 the 6th Precinct received 23 new police officers. This is a great community victory! We established a good working relationship with the 6th Precinct and with our elected officials. We met with Dep. Inspector Fitzgerald and his staff to share ideas and offer assistance. We attended a meeting with NYPD chiefs, a meeting with the DA's office, and another with the Port Authority Police, all sponsored by Councilmember Christine Quinn. A task force member has spoken at each 6th Precinct Community Council meeting since January. We are working to bring public attention to the plight of Villagers; the media is covering Village problems. Interviews with task force members have resulted in articles in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and The Villager. NBC Late Night News covered our concerns, specifically mentioning the GVBA Task Force. The Village dilemma was even noted in Vanity Fair. We were instrumental in sending a strong community delegation to the February 12 Community Board 2 Forum on 'quality of life' by distributing flyers alerting residents to the forum. These flyers apparently made a big difference; community attendance was strong. We have designed communication vehicles to educate the community about the Quality of Life Hotline magnets, which look great. (See Page One) We are examining laws, which could curtail the prostitution and unruly street behaviors exhibited by many visitors. Current laws on prostitution, drug dealing etc. are weak, especially for repeat offenders, who face no serious penalty, if they continue as violators. We are writing to State Senators and Assemblymembers on the Judiciary Committee for support in changing or creating laws to improve the situation. We are reaching out to the gay and lesbian community to locate an organization that can help the trans-gender and homosexual youths, who claim they have no place but the streets to 'do their business'. Gay and lesbian leaders have been invited to address the task force. Van and street outreach programs will be evaluated to determine whether or not they exacerbate the problem. We intend to measure distances to determine the proximity of the porn shops to our schools and churches. The task force has contacted the DA's office to explore avenues of redress. Efforts will continue to find ways to close down these establishments and/or to relocate them. How can you help? Support the Quality of Life Hotline project! Commissioner Kelly plans to use the Compstat program to track 'quality of life' complaints. Based on these statistics, the NYPD can deploy manpower where it is needed. If we show that more manpower is needed in the Village, we hope that we will be given that help. The GVBA is grateful for the hard work and dedication of this task force, which has a 'full plate' before it; the task force is grateful that the GVBA provides an opportunity to improve the 'quality of life' in Greenwich Village. We have accomplished a lot in a brief period of time and will continue trying to make a difference. |