Was it my imagination, but I had thought that the street hoodlums that hang out on the corners had abandoned Bloomingdale last spring... until just the past few weeks. It was such a nice spring and summer: no bullets flying, no loitering drug dealers on the corners -- a great community. I thought that we had turned a corner and that those guys had given up on the drug markets in this community and had moved on.
However, in the past, literally, 3 weeks they've all returned.
Drug dealers hanging out in the old haunts, shootings in the same places...the helicopters...it's all back. What happened? Anyone know what the word on the street is? Did the police release a bunch back of the crew back into the community? Did some gangs just decide to retake the corners? It's like night and day.
It was a nice preview of what Bloomingdale can look without these street thugs plying their trade here. I'm a bit disappointed to see them back.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
the drug dealers are back in Bloomingdale
See this 10/27/2009 message from Bloomingdale resident Todd Crosby:
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14 comments:
They were gone? The guys near 144 W NW in the alley have been going non stop.
Is that what that thug house is up to all the time? I live near by, and I know that whole area would be a lot quieter with out that house. Feel sorry for the immediate neighbors.
Last night on way home noticed a couple squad cars with their lights on at the corner of 2nd/W it looked like. Curious if it was related to the shootings the other day or not.
Seems like activity is up across the city...
NO Anonymous posts! Name and neighborhood name! Or I delete your post!
Pay attention and follow the rules.
Thanks.
-- Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale
Just wondering has anyone actually ever seen these "thugs" selling drugs. Only asking because people make those comments but if you are calling them drug dealers then you must have seen them selling. If you did then hopefully you all called the police.
I had heard a lot about this issue at Florida and N Capitol in the triangular park, but for the first time witnessed my first drug sale there. It was brazen too- broad daylight at rush hour, cash up front, the dealer didn't even put down his bag.
No, I didn't call the cops. They already know, given the numerous arrests in this area every week for PWID. Do you think they haven't been paying attention?
Max, it is people like you that contribute to the dealers selling there.
If this happened on your street hopefully we can count on all our neighbors to take appropriate action and call the cops.
Oh and by the way welcome to America.
C.C. 100 block W st.
AB, Flagler Place
Yes, we see drug deals out in the open even during the day and 144 W and the corner of V and 2nd also are huge problems for this. It isnt as simple as calling the police to solve the problem although I cant tell you exactly why this is the case. The police know all about it- we call all the time and honestly they seem to do very little if anything. These drugs have been selling since we got here nonstop and I have seen no change even though the police patrol around. I personally know of three different neighbors who have reported these houses for drug dealing. Not sure what it takes to get some of these people busted. It has become a bit of a mystery to me. It doesnt appear that reporting them to the police has done much good but then again, that wont stop me from calling either.
M, Flagler Place
The "thugs" at 144 W deal all the time. Often they walk back into the alley behind the garage, but sometimes right out in the open.
The main guy seems to be a large guy usually wearing a football jersey (I think Atlanta Falcons) and I believe he actually lives on 2nd, but hangs at 144 all the time.
Much like AB, we call the police often and have seen little result. We'll keep doing it.
Another "hot spot" is near or around 34 Adams St NW (I think it's 34 --- it's the house with the lawn jockey in the front yard). There are two people to watch for. One is a skinny white guy with grey hair that looks like someone's grandfather who rides a bicycle. The other is "Creedy" or "Butch", a skinny older African-American guy who often wears an old school Pittsburgh Pirates hat.
We have called the police often and finally there is a new lieu who called back and got a detailed description from my wife and talked for a good 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, we have taken pictures. One idea is to take a picture of the guys at 144 and distribute those as well. You can keep anonymous but continue to harass the dealers. Call the police for even the slightest perceived infraction. I've taken to calling for things like noise, "apparent" drug deals, etc. just to keep as much of a police presence as possible.
2200 block of North Capitol
Bloomingdale
C.C., it's people like you who give community discussions a bad name. As testified above by numerous others, calling the police has changed nothing.
One definition of insanity is performing the same action repeatedly and expecting a different result every time. I see what other people are getting at with the perspective that more calls may increase police presence, and that's a reasonable argument.
In contrast, accusing me of promoting drug dealers for recognizing futility is outrageous. I can't help but be offended by your "welcome to America" ad hominem attack. Even if I hadn't lived here all my life, how would that influence the validity of my opinion?
So much for an elevated level of discourse in the community...
In conclu
Whoops, cut off at the end. I hate copyediting in a box. Anyway thanks to those of you who are being helpful and reasonable, it's a shame when loud idiots dominate the discourse.
My apologies for posting as Anonymous earlier, but I am a Flagler Pl resident.
Is there a particular # that one should call to contact the police to report drug activity? Is it just 911? I have witnessed in the past some drug trafficking across the street from my residence, but those tenants have since moved.
Thanks
Flagler Pl resident.
perhaps we need to go back to what we did in the 90s during the crack epidemic which was to organize orange hat patrols and a whole group of peope would get together and stand at the drug dealling corners and basically break up the market. this would be done for 2-3 hour shifts on some Fridays and some Saturday eveings or whenever the dealing seemed most intense.
Adams Street resident
Adams resident ---
I really like the idea of an orange hat patrol. Maybe we can organize something to tackle near Flagler Market, 144 Adams and other hot spots. However, it's getting chilly which means the drug activity will drop down a lot. Ghetto don't like cold.
2200 block of N Capitol
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