copters are back

well stated. And I'll soon post photos of the event... happy block party photos as well as over crowded street fair ones

Has there been any progress in this investigation? Suspects, arrests, etc?

In the interest of making info available to those who weren't there, here are about 35 photos that were not taken by me.

The photos were taken by a promotion company, Damnshorty.com.

---They were in the public domain, I've simply reposted them here.---

The photos are small, it seems one needs to be a member to obtain large versions. Additional photos of the event (as well as membership info) can be obtained on their website:
http://www.damnshorty.com/photo1.php?gallary=482.

yes, I would agree. There are at least a 100 photos of the event on the website; I tried to post a representative sample of around 35.

...day event: lots families with cute little kids, BBQing and not as crowded. Kinda looks like every block party throughout the city.

...night event:

I think it's frickin BS that all you hoes are gettin down on Bloc Party wihtout truly understanding their music or message.

Bloc Party saved my life.

Forgive the indiscretion whynot_31 but when I saw your last posting with the photos and link to 'damnshorty.com' I called the precinct again and gave them the address for this blog. The officer at the desk seemed to think that the large photos of the crowd at night might be important/helpful to their investigation. I know I couldn't help but wonder if I was looking at the killer in any of those photos.

Which brings me to a question that has been bothering me - how is it possible that a man who was present at the party, not wearing a mask or costume, who had a public altercation with the dead boys in front of 500 people, then rode a motorcycle with a gun through the crowded street, killed these boys, and rode back through the crowded street - how is it possible that no one knows who he is? Someone knows who he is, and a lot of people know they are one person removed from knowing. Why is he still at large?

lo kee - If there is something that I am failing to understand about 'dj shotta kids' message, please enlighten me. I am of the school that says we'll know the tree by the fruit - and at the moment the fruit of our collective tree, of this block - my community - is murder and silence.

eep wrote: lo kee - If there is something that I am failing to understand about 'dj shotta kids' message, please enlighten me. I am of the school that says we'll know the tree by the fruit - and at the moment the fruit of our collective tree, of this block - my community - is murder and silence.

Whoosh!

http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Alarm-Bloc-Party/dp/B0007NFMDK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1248569593&sr=8-2

Claudia611 wrote: [quote=Asil]. I didn't hear any gunshots but all my windows are closed and my music is turned up because my annoying neighbor was listening to Purple Rain AGAIN (for like the 200th time in the last month).

Ha..Ha... that cracked me up!! I'm really enjoying reading these threads about the comings and goings of things in my old neighborhood......thanks!

It's always funny to read about people being killed. :roll:

snitches get stitches

20yrs+ Resident wrote:
THE SHOOTINGS ARE NOT IN DIRECT RELATIONS WITH THE BLOCK PARTY. The block party had officially ended when the shooting occurred and the DJ who was hired by the block association had ended at 8:00pm. The block party ended at 9:00pm. The other DJ that was located closer to Washington Avenue was playing by his own choice and he has played in this community for years. The Block Association President, Mike Jones, explained to the neighborhood/block DJ that there was not a permit for him to play. However, he has played for many past block parties and decided he wanted to play. THERE WAS NO CHALLENGE/BATTLE OF THE DJs, at least advertised by this block association.

So, the party organizers knew this DJ didn't have a permit and was playing after the party was over (essentially extending the party), but didn't send this guy packing? Or did this guy play in spite of the organizers trying to stop him?

20yrs+ Resident wrote: This annual event draws people from neighboring blocks because it has been so successful and safe in the past.

Yeah, but it also draws people from far away blocks too. I know you can't keep people from outside the neighborhood from walking into a block party, but people came from far away blocks not because the party is safe and successful, but because they were asked to come by the advertisements on the internet saying it was a party they didn't "wanna miss". I hope in the future (if this block party does continue) that the organizers do a better job of keeping this a real block party and not a massive event welcoming the whole borough.

20yrs+ Resident wrote: Yes, I am outraged that there was a shooting; however point the fingers in the direction of the police department.

For now, I'm going to continue to give the vast majority of the blame to the shooter(s).

20yrs+ Resident wrote: The police were informed that there was going to be a block party and they knew what time the block party ended and they should have been there to assure the block party ended, as they have done in the past.

When the police didn't show up to ensure the party ended as they usually do, did any of the party organizers call the police to try to get them to come out and help end the event?

20yrs+ Resident wrote: I'm sure there may be some voices who'd like to cancel the block party but I assure you there are so many more voices that would support the continuation of the event. Better planning, more participation from residents will afford a better block event. I will be sure to call the councilwoman, statesman and police department to express my concern for the lack of police protection. I urge you to do the same.

Whether or not there are future block parties on St Johns shouldn't be decided by a popularity contest; it should be decided based on issues of safety. I don't want to kill the block party, but I want it to be a real block party and not the massive event it turned into during the evening hours this year.

Blaming the police for the shooting is like blaming the Dept of Sanitation for someone who tosses an empty soda can on the sidewalk.

It really is amazing the lengths to which people will go to avoid the concept of personal responsibility.

So here we have Mike Jones Myspace page telling people to bring BYOBB to a kids event.

He's NOT responsible for setting the stage for anything bad happening at the party?

Give me a break. :roll:

Thank God this EVENT will never happen again.

eep wrote: The Saint Johns Place Block Association has scheduled a meeting for August 4th (this Tuesday evening) at 7pm at the church on the corner of Sterling and Underhill

Hope to see you there.

Are non-residents welcome?

I agree with eep - we need to move forward and find ways for the community to come together. We have the power to make change. For example, there have been cuts to the NYC police department because of budgetary woes - and yet, Bloomberg is running for reelection and wants your votes. Well, let's make him answer to US as to why those cuts happened while there's been an increase in gang violence in our neighborhoods. Maybe you save money down the road if you root out gangs or practice community policing rather than indiscriminately slash budgets and refuse to increase taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. Just an idea, but there is power in numbers, especially in an election year. Please, come to the St Johns Block association meeting and make your voice heard. I'm sure a lot of us have great ideas about how to improve our neighborhood.

The short version is:
The block party has been canceled indefinitely.

The long version is:
Where to start? Mike Jones printed out and brought this entire thread with him to the meeting - so, niner, if there has been no response to your query it might in part be due to exasperation with this forum (on Mike and friends part as well as everyone else.)

The conversation during the meeting itself was strained. Letitia James spoke about the 77th's over extended resources, the absurdity of using police resources to address noise complaints/quality of life issues, and the historic low crime level in Prospect heights.

Detective Byrnes from the 77th, the lead homicide investigator on the Delk/Rock murders, talked about how the investigation is at a full stop and expressed his exasperation and confusion that the murders could happen in front of 500 people and there are no witnesses who have come forward. He asked for help in finding the killer.

Mike Jones, the block ass. president, explained how he didn't know that DJ shottakid had advertised Brooklyn wide and that he had done his best to shut the party down at the appointed time.

To be frank about this and not sugar coat it: the question and answer session broke down along race and residence on the block. A white woman early on suggested that the music (meaning specifically on that night, but it was taken to mean in general) was too loud and might have led to the conditions that led to the murders. The comment led to paroxysms of anger and defensiveness on the part of the blacks in the room. Mike Jone's 'enforcer', whose name I didn't catch, explained how 'when you come over to someone's house and they're watching tv, you don't ask them to change the channel.' Others explained how there is a community and traditions that have been in place here on St. Johns place for many years and they need to be respected.

Mike Jones kept quoting from this thread, inflecting it with sarcasm - 'I couldn't help wondering if I was looking at the killer' (meaning in the photos posted above) 'I had a long conversation with. . . ' a tone that was not present - to my reading - in the postings. While there has been anger on this thread directed at Mike, he has taken everything that was said here, unfortunately, as criticism, and reacted defensively to it. So much so that, someone's suggestion in the above thread that a block party gauged toward children would be reasonable, became: 'grandma's homemade cookies is not how we do here on St. Johns'.

The division between white and black became exasperated by the association of the block party itself with the shootings - many many people worked on the block party, brought their families and enjoyed the day. In terms of participation things have, over the last several years, broken down along old and new, black and white, with very few of the new in attendance. Saying that the block party caused the shooting, in many minds (mine included), is the equivalent of saying it was caused by the long term residents - which is categorically false.

In the end the meeting devolved into farce, a daytime t.v. courtroom drama of shouting back and forth about 'noise' issues with Letitia James having to ask everyone to introduce themselves like a grade school classroom. While I met a number of neighbors I hadn't spoken with before, the meeting drove a deeper wedge between many. I hope that can be reversed.

This afternoon I passed through Clinton Hill on Clinton st. and stopped to enjoy the block party between Myrtle and Willoughby. It was a multi-racial, old and young, all mixed up alike experience. There were local vendors set up in tents, many inflatable toys for the children to play in, a small dj system set up with a dance competition getting under way, free food (bbq) - everything was labeled (each family had sign out where their lawn chairs and bbq went, 'free food', 'vendors') and there was a clear sense of community. If there was drinking (this was about 3) I didn't see it. It reminded me that there are healthy ways to have a community come together.

Which brings me to two points about community:
1. This community of anonymous posters has a virtue (this is in response to Mike mocking folks posting criticism here) - I can speak frankly and honestly here in a way that would simply be shouted down (at the moment) at the block association meeting. Despite Mike's defensiveness – and, to be honest, he has been unfairly vilified here (my impression is that he wanted to throw a hell of a good party and the organization and security got away from him) - I hope - in fact, as president of our block association - I expect him to return to these posting with a clearer head and see that there are invested residents with high hopes for the community - and good suggestions.

2. Many of the people at the meeting said, essentially, if you're here to criticize where were you last year when this was being planned? I agree, for all the b.s. and mud slinging that has gone on here the truth is that the organizers, the community, the neighborhood would profit from everyone showing up at the block association meetings. The block party is dead for next year - but the activity of forming a community that the block association is meant to be is not - and the block party will return in the years to come. What shape will it take? Collectively if we all have a vision of what that might look like we need to show up for it - and Mike, don't get angry about this, but I'm seeing grandma's cookies in our collective future.

Finally, I am angry that the meeting never acknowledged the collective grief and sadness that these homicides have brought to our block and to those boys families. We would all do well to remember that we collectively, everyone of us, share in the guilt over those deaths - show up or not show up, black or white, old or young, if you’re not part of the solutions – as the old saw goes – you’re part of the problem, And that problem is no joke.