Cyclists Beware Teenagers Throwing Bricks
 

http://gothamist.com/2011/08/31/broo...flying_bri.php

A Park Slope computer programmer says he was biking home from work earlier this month when a group of teenagers threw a brick at him in broad daylight from a pedestrian overpass at Navy Street in Fort Greene. The bike lane cuts right through the sprawling Whitman-Ingersoll housing projects, and it seems teenagers have for some time used the so-called "Fleet Walkway" as the perfect spot to throw things at cyclists. Stephen Arthur, 44, is their latest victim, and he's lucky to be alive. Here's video taken moments after the assault:


Arthur filed a police report, but no arrests were made. "The police showed up about 15 minutes after I got hit, and they just stood around," he tells us over the phone. "Why weren't they going out and interviewing people in the neighborhood?" He was only contacted once by the NYPD, receiving a call from an officer three days later. The caller didn't leave his name or phone number.

"He told me the 84th precinct was handling it," Arthur recalls. "So I went there in person and they said, 'Actually, it's the 88th.' So then I called the 88th and they said it was the 84th. Finally I called Letitia James, and her office told me it was in fact the 88th. But there hasn't been any follow-up or any investigation. I don't think it's a priority to try and catch these people, but I'm more interested in the city doing some road improvement."

I've been hearing stories all summer about teens throwing water balloons and various objects on Navy Street. Now this. It hard to believe it's gone on for so long and police have done nothing.

What could be worse is that if the cyclist veered to one side or lost attention to the traffic while dodging the bricks, he may well be hit by an upcoming vehicle.

I recently started using that route on my way home as an alternative to going around on Vanderbilt via Flushing. My first thought is to reconsider, but then I would hate to retreat in the face of some stupid teens and an ignorant police department...

Cyclists are treated as second class citizens.
If a brick hit a police car there wuold be a mojor investigation!

Quite true. They'd be going door-to-door violating everyone's rights until they found someone to pin it on. Maybe expecting police to apprehend the ones responsible is asking too much but they could, at least, put some fencing on the bridge, station a cop in the area, or close the pedestrian bridge to stop this activity.

I've been contemplating a trip to the Brooklyn Museum and Ride The City recommended I go straight up Navy Street and under this bridge. Of course now I'm having second and third thoughts and will probably use a different route. Unlike zepphead80 I'm not as willing to risk life and limb to a bunch of stupid teens and lazy police.

I used to live in Ft Greene, and recommend Flushing to Vanderbilt because of traffic, not rock-throwers.

I agree about if it were a cop car. Id suggest cameras but I doubt the city would be motivated enough to install them considering the lack of revenue potential of catching teens in the projects.

This is straight up assult with a deadly weapon and could easily have been manslaughter.
The only reason they wont look for the offender is because No one in that "neighborhood" will talk to them.

I'm sure the kids that did it, however, will end up in prison for something else unrelated.

Guess I'll avoid riding that way in the future.

Can happen anywhere. Couple of years ago I was riding north on the west side Greenway, about 100 yards behind another cyclist. Where the trail runs under the highway, some kids on the other side of the fence started throwing cans of soda at the other cyclist (all missed). Lucky for me, they were out of cans when I rode by, and didn't think to pick up rocks.

I've been hit with cans, and some teenagers were balling up some snow but I zipped by before they got me. Now I get to watch out for bricks, too.

Wonderful :notamused: