61st Escorts a Group of Kids out of the Neighborhood.
“Keep Moving, Keep Moving” blared on Gerritsen Avenue.
Yesterday, Tuesday June 15th, I saw a police car from the 61st Precinct pull up to Seba Avenue Park and two officers proceeded to kick out about seven Black and Hispanic kids from the park and the neighborhood – for what seems to be no apparent reason.
The police pulled up and were overheard telling the kids to get out of the park and “to go get arrested somewhere else.”
The park was never closed. The dozen or so people who remained in the park after the incident who were not kicked out – all of whom were white – had no idea why this happened. One skater half-jokingly told me, “I’m not complaining that they’re gone…but that was messed up.” referring to how the police booted these kids.
If that weren’t enough, the officers then followed the youths down Gerritsen Avenue in their police car to make sure that they rode out of the neighborhood. The police followed them all the way down Gerritsen Avenue and down opposite way on Burnett Street to Avenue U where the 61st and 63rd share a border.
I only briefly got a chance to speak with the booted kids before the police got over the loudspeaker with “Keep Moving, Keep Moving” mantra. As expected, the kids had said they did nothing wrong and did not know why the police had kicked them out. One did say that someone may have of accused them of stealing bikes, which they, of course, denied.
After further inquiry on the scene, the police officers never gave a reason for booting them out.
There seems like there should be more to this story that meets the eye. However, the 61st precinct did not return calls for comment or explanation of the incident.
Update: Commenter c.robb came forward and said that:….”one kid said to my son give me that bike so my husband said to the kid let me see you take his bike. and we saw the cops riding down the ave. so i stop them to tell what just happen that the kid just went to take my son’s bike and i am very glad that the cops where around to assist us”. Thanks, now we all know of a possible threat! Thanks to you readers for getting to the bottom of this.
this is a good thing because when they try robbing people and get beat up there wont be another “hate crime” and we dont have to hear every black person and there fathers and the biggest ape of all Al sharpton complaining and giving the neighborhood a bad name
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They should have been ticketed for riding their bikes on the sidewalk. I know of kids down here who have been.
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If the cops wanted them riding in the street they would have told them so. Remember, they were following orders to leave the neighborhood.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Why do you assume they were being escorted out because of the color of their skin? If they were white kids you would probably think they were up to no good. Give the police their due & assume they used good judgement. 25 years ago you should have moved somewhere else. Perhaps Brownsville or Bed Stuy. Maybe you should have stayed in your own town that was “changing”.
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The reporter’s accounting was biased and prejudiced. I have every confidence the police officers knew what they were doing. Enough of this liberal bullshit!
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Jeez, is everything scrutinized? You can’t sneeze the wrong way in this freakin city…
Hot debate. What do you think?
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About 15 years ago when I first started coming around Gerritsen Beach black kids didn’t come into this neighborhood at all. And what is wrong with that??? Nothing if you ask me. Nobody feels comfortable being the white person walking round a all black neighborhood. Neighborhood park is for neighborhood kids.
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Wake up! As I have found in the past they are coming from other neighborhoods to rob and plunder. Just the fact that they were followed that far means they came from somewhere else altogether and were not residents. Why else would come that far.
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Great job by the PD, thats why they get the big bucks, to deter crime. So they were in Skate Park, did any of them have skates or a skateboard, NO. They had bikes and guess what, not all of them had a bike or a ride. Also guess what, they weren’t from anywhere near here which was obsvious when they walked to Marine Park, lets see maybe Georgetown, Crown Heights, no where near here.
Also how does anyone know if the cops didn’t get a complaint or a call. I know its a public park but its also a community park and they obsviously weren’t from any community near that park.
STOP looking for reasons to bash the cops, one minute you’re crying they don’t do enough and then the next you’re screaming they’re picking on people.
BTW who are you to question anyone, never mind the police as to why they are or did something. Maybe they should have detained you for while or issued some summons.
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I would advise residents to watch what you write on here in response to straight up rabble rousing. No one knows exactly what happen, including Dan that seems to be inflicted with some type of anti-authoritarian attitude. Surprised you didn’t “personally thank the police” this time.
I don’t trust writers that use phrases such as “what seems to be,” and “more to this story that meets the eye. ”
It’s like fishing with dynamite. Don’t open yourself up to knee-jerk emotion. Your being baited for the sake of Google Analytics ( web hits ) than the sake of doing anyone any good.
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Nick I agree people should watch what they write. I disagree with the attitude you picked up.. I didn’t pick up an attitude. I think this is a good story.
I used to write stories and those phrases i used those phrases to protect myself because as I read this…it’s a first hand report not a factual report backuped with confirmations.
I’m going to try and see if i get can get kicked out of Marine Park this week!
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I agree….GET YOUR STORY STRAIGHT!
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Seems like the author knew that he didn’t have all the facts and he didn’t bash anyone. He also didn’t draw any conclusions for us, the readers.
That’s a nice job of reporting only what he saw and heard.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Nick is absolutely right!
Danny’s agenda is to get as many web hits as possible not report facts, that is why he reported the story with sensationalist implications that would imply racial motives on the part of the police instead of striaght facts, which he clearly had little of. The story as reported makes the communtiy and the 61st look bad while there may very well have been legit reasons for the way that the police handled the situation. Instead of looking into that or simply reporting the story as it happened Danny put his own spin on the story.
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For the record there were no more “hits” on the site this week than any other week.
To clarify Danny, do you get revenue based on that amount of hits you get on your website?
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This is so stupid, how do we know the cops haven’t dealt with these same kids in the recent past? They may know these kids from a prior incident. Stop assuming people, if anything I’m giving the benefit of the doubt to the officers who are out there patrolling not just neighborhood but also the surrounding area. Again, they may have run into these guys before and KNOW they’re up to no good. As opposed to us who are only guessing.
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THIS IS NOT A GOOD STORY FOR GERRITTSEN ! WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE GOOD STORIES? DO YOU HAVE ALL THE FACTS? IF NOT …WHY HURT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A STORY LIKE THIS?
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it appears you shoot your self in the foot on this one dan.facts first,then report.
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Sadly, I agree. This is Dan’s second attempt at race baiting this week. The other was the story on Manhattan Beach. Why? I have defended this website and tried to put the blame when things go bad on it on the posters, but this article is clearly an attempt to stir up trouble. Good people are good people. Crimminals, whatever color, are crimminals. Thats what we pay cops to figure out. They can separate kids enjoying the park from those looking for trouble. Mike Taylor was right. You are just looking to make trouble where there isn’t any. I am done.
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I very much hope this article is not a case of “let me do a little race baiting to get the ‘mainstream media’ out here and have them credit the ‘story’ to my website” kind of thing. The deafult position should always be to give the benefit of the doubt to the trained officers and get all the facts.
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I didn’t know Mr. Taylor was out telling people his feelings about the website and me personally. Thank you for the insight.
I’ve re-read the article and think you did report exactly what you saw. In my opinion, you could have stressed a bit more that all the facts are still unknown. You did attempt to say this with “There seems like there should be more to this story that meets the eye.” You also did state that the kids themselves said someone “may have of accused them of stealing bikes, which they, of course, denied.” Also, not sure if you identified yourself as a reporter, perhaps the police may have given you a little more details.
In any case, my apologies. I did say I hope race baiting wasn’t the case – it appears it wasn’t with a thorough reading. In terms of leasson learned here, maybe a clearer, more explicit, caution in the artilce that all the facts are still unknown is warranted given some of the (I think unfair) perceptions of this community.
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Race baiting? Hardly.
This article was an attempt to find out facts of an occurrence that would have gone unreported. Simple as that.
If anything, I think Dan went out of his way NOT to blame the police, and report what he saw and heard. And thank goodness he did, because we now know to be on the lookout for these kids. And we know that the precinct is doing a good job.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Hey walker….what race baiting????? I read a story that the auther of, appears to go to great length in stating that not all facts are in yet, as it turns out the cops were notified of an attempted crime…….
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First of all the kids who got so called out of the beach was because my son was riding his bike about 5 to 10 feet in front of us. and these kids did not know he was with his parents we were walking and the one kid said to my son give me that bike so my husband said to the kid let me see you take his bike. and we saw the cops riding down the ave. so i stop them to tell what just happen that the kid just went to take my son’s bike and i am very glad that the cops where around to assist us.
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Seems to be An apparent reason.
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to C Robb,
I am so glad that you went on the website to clear up any misunderstanding of what really happened. See we are not
always wrong i didn’t think the police would for no reason tell these
kids to move on out of the beach without something to back it up.
this has been an on going problem of bikes being stolen or told to hand them over. enough said.
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See people seem to miss this part!! I thank the officers for doing their job and keeping us safe. However it may have been better if these people were arrested for Attempted Robbery, let the ADA throw it out but it will still show that they were not escorted out for race. When our kids do something wrong they get brought in, summonsed, or arrested _ what made these kids any different. Why should our children be scared?
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Thank You c.robb for steping foward, to comment on the true nature of this incident. Dan sometimes, in an effort to be an investigative reporter, trips over his own feet.. “For no apparent reason” seems to be the key here. Without a bit of evidence, he finds something wrong with the police action and runs his “story” I remember one thing about journalism read between the lines ,and not assume anything. It tends to make an ass out of you and me. ASS_U_ME get it !!!!
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What are you talking about?
“For no apparent reason” means that at the time he saw the situation, there was no reason for the action. It wasn’t obvious to everyone else out there that day.
He investigated as best he could and shared what he saw.
And now, thanks to the commenter, we have a reason, and a good one at that!
Plus, we all know about a possible neighborhood danger to the kids here and we can warn them to be aware. If Dan stayed quiet, we’d might never have known about it.
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The greater danger is the polarization of this neighborhood by digitally published half guessed assumptions.
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IMO, Dan didn’t make assumptions. Readers did.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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“two officers proceeded to kick out about seven Black and Hispanic kids from the park and the neighborhood – for what seems to be NO APPARENT reason.”
-He assumed there was no REASON the cops were kicking them out of THE PARK!!!! after stating what race they were!!! are we to think they could have been thrown out by the way they were dressed??? Theres no mention of their CLOTHES!!!!
“If that WEREN’T enough,( <—-that being kicked out was bad to begin with , but if that wasn't enough..!.) the officers then followed the youths down Gerritsen Avenue in their police car to make sure that they rode out of the neighborhood.
So please tell ME WHERE and WHAT kind of ASSUMPTIONS was made by the READER.
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if you quote the article, that’s fine. but you then want to know what the reader did? the argument does not make sense
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Its not about staying quiet but about choosing your words carefully as a reporter.
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This websight is HARDLY investigavtive reporting. With investigative reporting there is a level of accountability and responibility to report factuall evidence and to leave biased opinons out of it. Just ask the now umeployeed Dan Rather. Clearly this line has been blurred my even the mainstream media but this website has never been anything more than a sophmoric blog with little or no regard for the difference to internet social websights. And for those of you who no not see Nick’s points, then go back to reading The Post and good luck finishing “See Spot Run”.
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Gotta go, gotta go.
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I think everyone needs to relax and re-read, or learn to read.
I wrote the post not bashing the cops, I did not bash the police in any way.
The incident itself was very apparent nothing was wrong and a lot of people in the park felt the same way.
Because of a commenter we all know now we know there was something going on.
To suggest race baiting for the manhattan beach post and this one is wrong. These were two incidents that actually happened, and im not hiding them. The Manhattan Beach story nothing happened and the police were well prepared. This story actually happened, it seemed that there was no reason for the action the police did, now we know there was a reason.
Cuz, your style of “reporting” opens itself up to this type of criticism. With my own eyes have read you “declare wars,” post videos of police mishandling photographers, and time after time have problems with ANYBODY that might ask/tell you “No”, or “Stop.”
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Nick I love the criticism it makes me better understand what everyone expects and I will be better for it. I appreciate every bit of it.
Declared war? I think I only declared war on jemal after he attacked the website.
As for the videos, I post them on my facebook because they represent a real problem in law enforcement, and the super cop mentality. This incident has nothing to do that or your perceived assumption that i have a problem with authority.
No one has asked me not to take photos of them. If they asked, depending on the situation I may yield to their request. However, GBCares has a blanket request asking me not to take pictures of their events or their volunteers.
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Dan I like what you do, just simply think that with more experience you will understand that it is how you do it. Certain things need not to be said or recorded cause it can give a leading opinion, where as the media is not supposed to be leading or opinionated..just simply state the facts…..ie: 7 people escorted out of the park for trying to take another kids bike. The reason the 61 fails to take police action quite often is because of the negative feedback. Sometimes they may do things just to prevent a crime from happening. Let NYPD do their job!
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Anyone think that Maybe the po po were protecting the kids from the neighborhood
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Dan That was exactly my point. I never doubted that this happened. What I questioned was how valid what you wrote was. I think as usual ,you have put the cart before the horse . You have a tendency to do this. I think you should find out the facts of ANYTHING you write here before leaping into a controversey you know nothing about.As far as race baiting you do discribe those removed by race, and those that were allowed to remain as another race. Why? Even newspapers and television don’t report the race of victims or perpertrators. Yet you for some strange reason seem to revel in revealing the race. Why? I question your motives, or maybe you are much to immature to realize the consequences of your action here. Why not go to the Gulf and clean the oil from birds or some other worth while human endevor.
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The police did not call me back.
Newspapers and tv absolutly report on race.
Most times race is only reported when non-whites were the victim of an incident caused by whites.
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The media NEVER reports the race of “alleged” criminals unless they happen to be white. Please!
This website can be a great resource. But when you talk about prejudice, seems to apply only in the sense that you prejudged some cops responding to a potential robbery without the facts, assuming the cops were in the wrong. The job of police officer is hard enough without media know nothings questioning their actions without any basis other than such a bias. Don’t be such a know nothing.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Dan I think you are wrong on what newspapers and television report regarding race. Listen closely next time. It is a rare occassion, if ever ,that it is even mentioned. Be that as it may I still question your motives for reporting a “story” without knowing what really happened. It is irresponsible on your part to write anythig without being objective and getting to the bottom of your story. I think most of the readers of your posting would agree. Sometimes what you do here is tantamount to yelling “FIRE” in a crowded theater…
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This is the most irresponsible reporting to appear on this blog in ages… No responsible reporter publishes a story without having checked all of the facts. Another day or two would have made this a beneficial story about the crime preventative measures taken by the police. A potential crime was prevented in the first place when the parents saw their child approached and threatened to have his bike stolen from him. Fortunately, there was a police presence nearby.
Both the parents and the NYPD acted with restraint. There was a time, when prevention of crime was the best deterrent, and that was proved again.
The Police officer to whom a message was left, was not in the office for the day. He telephoned me today, and confirmed what the parents of the boy wrote about the threat. Just about the time this website seems to have taken on “legs” of value to the community, the publisher assumes he is important enough to warrant information from the NYPD that had not even been communicated internally.
Our streets and the park are open to all, regardless of race, color or creed. Nowhere in our Constitution does it read criminal acts are a right.
Patience is a virtue, and facts are essential to becoming a bona fide reporter.
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From the outside looking in…
I thought the story showed restraint. There was no “hatchet job” done on the NYPD. And this was no glorified piece painting the ousted minors as victims.
He observed and he reported. Simple as that.
How often are we told to say something if we see something. Dan saw it, and said something. And that prompted others to contribute what they knew.
Had he not published the story, we would not have seen (1) your neighborhood look after one another, and (2) the response of all principals involved. This article – and the thread of comments – showed the Gerritsen Beach community at its finest. Be thankful for such an intimate community resource.
Hindsight is always 20/20. While it’s easy and convenient to do, I wouldn’t presume to Monday-morning quarterback what Dan did here.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I think that Dan should when he sees something before publishing it talk to someone with some experience like “George” so that he may have a greater understanding of what he is saying or doing. No offense but this is a better way of gaining experience. No, he does not have to do what anyone says but just listen to reasoning and experience then make his own judgement.
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ANd whats Georges experience?? ( No disrespect George)
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Well George certainly knows how to speak and how to put things in perspective and in the interest of our neighborhood! Dan does not have to listen or do what George says to do, just get some feedback on what he is interested on writing about, then formulate his journalistic “fact”. This could prevent premature reporting and/or opinionated reporting!
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George, I agree with you and was glad to see the parents step up and tell what really happened. The beach gets a bad enough rap. With that said I think Dan does do a good reporting job just maybe jumped to fast to report this. When I first read this I thought to myself why? I knew there had to be more to this then reported.
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Seems to me that
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Hit the send button accidentally.
It seems to me that what Dan reported was what we call first-person journalism. It was what he observed, it was the answers, or lack of answers, to questions he asked. He stated that there was more going on than what he was able to ascertain. There’s nothing to challenge here. He did not claim absolute knowledge of the events or their significance. The “Get out of Dodge” angle was indeed pretty much the tone of this event.
Put aside the racial context and read the story again. Then consider that subsequent information is consistent with what Dan reported. The fact that the police officers were asked to deal with an attempt at taking a bicycle makes sense and has validation in what was originally written.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Who are “we” anyway? To call this First -person journalism? Just cause you know how to set up a word press account and post stories about things you like and dislike doesn’t make you Walter Cronkite!! This site at times is more parallel to an open teenage Diary not the freaking New York Times!!! This is not an established news organization and there should be no similarities made.
Danny is a short hair away from doing the absolute right thing with this site, and would probably have more praise than he could carry if he could some how be mature enough to find some level headed judgement on how he goes about throwing this stuff out there. It’s allllllll fever pitch. “More hits I WIN!” It’s a game, and it’s sad. This site isn’t just his. I mean sure he controls it, but it’s not about his dog, or pet cat, it’s about where we live, and there are ALOT of people that also share this space with him. He is writing about peoples homes about peoples lives. You can defend his course of actions till your blue in the face, your observing this from a completely different perspective by not actually living here.
If he is trying to become a journalist great. All the best. Maybe start by double checking the grammatical and spelling errors ? I think they frown on that in the varsity league. Also I don’t think in the history of the free press have I read what my rights are more than I have on this site. I get it. You/We are free to do what ever You/We want. Maybe just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean you should. If for any reason at all, possibly out of a little consideration for the people he shares this place with. The place that he writes about. A place a grand majority call our home!
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“We” are the people. As in the first line of our constitution.
This is how journalism began. I guarantee that no one came to Benny Franklin or Harry Greeley and said “Hey, what gives you kids the right to call yourself journalists”? Now I know that there are some people that spend a number of years in journalism schools learning how to dot their i’s and parse their sentences, but journalism has always been a tradition of getting the news, and those who have that instinct are the ones that succeed. No doubt Dan has that instinct. He gets the stories.
Back in the day freedom of the press was a hard fought prize that journalists and the public could NOT take for granted. Nowadays we consider it to our right to be informed without intervention or repression. It is, however, also a right for the readership to call the publisher/editor/writer a boob. In fact, its a longstanding tradition to do so. In the past some editors wouldn’t take too kindly to that, an early NY editor by the name of James Webb had a habit of challenging people to duels when they implied that he lacked the skills of proper grammar or syntax. We’ve come a long way since then. Most editors will merely slay you with words if you annoy them too much. Dan, in contrast handles criticism most graciously; he’s one of the more even tempered people you find in journalism today.
If you think that other journalists are not constantly vigilant regarding their right to publish you haven’t been following media that closely. The difference is that their stories aren’t usually as close to you physically. You’re just paying more attention.
In the end, the saying “No prophet is without honor, save in his own land” is quite apropos here. Dan has been praised for the content and form of this site by numerous members of the traditional media, who certainly know far better than you or I what constitutes excellent journalism. And for all that, he remains humble, it’s one of the things I find most impressive about him. He is certainly not a “look at what I’ve done” person. He is serious about what he does, and committed to the principles that motivated the Franklins and Greeleys of the past. The most important of those principles, to him, as it should be for us, is that a free press is one that reports the news without fear, and without any bias. He exercises that principle even when he knows that there will be some that will find fault merely because he does.
Dan has earned the right to call himself a journalist. A journalist reports what he knows. That is what Dan does, and he does it well.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Lisanne as much as I appreciate the history lesson I will agree to disagree with you. Throwing paint at a wall and seeing what sticks, to me doesn’t make you Jackson Pollack. I really do wish Dan the best. I hope he is able to get that praise you speak of from his work from the inside out, not the other way around. Speaking personally, I think I try and be more vocal of the good things he does on here, rather than only piping up when the sugar goes to ish. You see good stories. I see anxious neighbors. Keep rockn in the free world that is sheapshead bay.
… And God Bless America.
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Actually Lisanne unless you’re an accredited member of the associated press who are you to decide who is and isn’t a journalist? Journalists report what they investigate not what will draw the most hits. The article as posted by Danny contained nothing but bias. This is not an agruement of Freedom of Press it is an arguement of Integrity of the Press.
No one is denying Danny’s right to publish himself but putting his own spin on stories rather than holding out for the facts is reckless at best. If he had any principles he would have waited for a statement from the 61 before running his story. I can only assume that the rush to get this sensationalist version of the incident up on his BLOG a.s.a.p. was to temping to wait for verification of data. And this is not the first time that he has done so. Let us not get started on freedom of press for this webpage as Danny deletes comments at will.
A year ago Danny ran a story about a graffiti vandal who’s tag was SUM. This person had defaced P.S. 277. Another graffiti vandal by the same tag was P.E.#1 in Queens and in East New York for 210 counts of graffiti. Danny recklessly presumed that the two where one in the same. This put a seven year old girl in jeporady as the Queens vandal’s daughter attended P.S. 277. With in 12 hours I was able to confirm that the two where not the same person yet no follow up nor retraction was ever posted dispite me reaching out to him via the websight.
Danny this website has helped this community is many instances, it rallied everyone in to fight the unjustice of the HLA and kept us all informed on Jamal’s devolpements. It has helped spread the word of various community fund raisers and honestly helps everyone one in the neighborhood keep in touch and express I deals, but it hasn’t done anything that a Facebook page couldn’t replace you with. You really need to decide what you want this site to be. If you want as many hits as possible then keep running senationalist edge stories and keep throwing the neighborhood under the bus. If you want to make this page more than that you really need to start taking some accountablilty and responsibility for what you post. Don’y hold your breath for the Nixon Peabody award.
Nick if you want to start a new page, you know where to find me. I’m going back to reading The Onion, at least their B.S. is funny.
Lastly to the 61st. I have been critial of you due to my own past expereances, in this case. GOOD JOB!
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Who are “we” anyway? To call this First -person journalism? Just cause you know how to set up a word press account and post stories about things you like and dislike doesn’t make you Walter Cronkite!! This site at times is more parallel to an open teenage Diary not the freaking New York Times!!! This is not an established news organization and there should be no similarities made.
Danny is a short hair away from doing the absolute right thing with this site, and would probably have more praise than he could carry if he could some how be mature enough to find some level headed judgement on how he goes about throwing this stuff out there. It’s allllllll fever pitch. “More hits I WIN!” It’s a game, and it’s sad. This site isn’t just his. I mean sure he controls it, but it’s not about his dog, or pet cat, it’s about where we live, and there are ALOT of people that also share this space with him. He is writing about peoples homes about peoples lives. You can defend his course of actions till your blue in the face, your observing this from a completely different perspective by not actually living here.
If he is trying to become a journalist great. All the best. Maybe start by double checking the grammatical and spelling errors ? I think they frown on that in the varsity league. Also I don’t think in the history of the free press have I read what my rights are more than I have on this site. I get it. You/We are free to do what ever You/We want. Maybe just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean you should. If for any reason at all, possibly out of a little consideration for the people he shares this place with. The place that he writes about. A place a grand majority call our home!
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George – I think Dan did simply report what he saw accurately, but you make a good point. If he waited a bit for a call back from the police, he may have been able to publish the story in one complete article that may not have appeared slanted a bit like a race issue. I think he should get in the habit of calling the police for further info so they can better prepare quicker responses. This IS our community newsite like it or not.
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In the news field they call this “breaking news”. Quite often the particulars of a breaking story are misleading as they are minimal. Dan got more initial information than many others do when covering “breaking news”.
The race issue is there, regardless of the outcome. It’s in people’s attitudes.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Danny is not a reporter. Runs a blog, like millions of teenagers, nothing more.
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Then go to the precinct rather than waiting for a call
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Kudos to George Broadhead. He had the patience to get the true story and write his post. Not as he saw it ,but as the facts proved it. As we used to say in the Navy, Dan you stepped on your crank this time, or put another way you dropped the ball. I hope you will learn from this, and not ever again post a story when you are totally ignorant of the facts.I know you can do better just stay calm and stop charging windmills like Don Quixote on a fools errand
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you seem to have had enough time to follow the cops who were Chasing these innocent harmless young children out of te skate park for no reason but did not have time to ask the cops what was going on.
And you didn’t see me talking to the cops in front of st. james church and pointing out the kid who said what he said to my son. Didn’t your parents ever tell not to do things half ass or if your not going to do it right then don’t do it at all? If not now you did and you should think about that before you do your next story. And to those who say “thats not right times are changing” I say if they aren’t ghanging why should we.
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This is horrible reporting. For those that argue that there is no race baiting I quote the following from the artice:
“The park was never closed. The dozen or so people who remained in the park after the incident who were not kicked out – all of whom were white – had no idea why this happened”
“All of whom were white” has no place in this article and is race baiting plain and simple.
Dan you take the time to try to talk to the booted kids, but not once mention that you attempted to talk to the cops themselves. You make mention of an inquiry, but never state if the cops refused to talk or was it from a third party.
There are three sides to to every story…Side 1, side 2 and the truth, you seemed to report Side 1, next time just give us the truth.
Maybe having the article proofed by an outside party will avoid this next time.
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Just wondering…..If the boy was threatened (for his bike)…this sounds like att. robbery to me….and if the police were “on the scene” they chased th e kids….why was an arrest not effected??????????
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Just another story with half ass facts without any true reporting or true information Stick to writing about the new trees
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The way I understood the story ,it seems to me that the author felt these people were being singled out because of there race, it seems that some people feel they are ALWAYS being picked on because of color, not because of there actions…. I know myself and quite a few others are getting tired of this type garbage. I am wondering if this is the same night I saw a large group coming out of the skate park way after dark….and Yes they were NOT from the neighborhood
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If it were neighborhood kids they probably would have been arrested. We as a community are scaring the police from arresting anyone other than a white kid, being in fear of racial critisism.
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Years ago when the feds were giving us money to fix up the baseball/soccer fields one of the concerns raised at property owner meetings was the opening to the fields to “others”. Many at these meetings did not want to have federal funds if it meant opening up the fields to outsiders.
We live in a multi cultural, multi national society where, wether we like it or not, people who do not live in this neighborhood are free to come and go as they please as long as they are not breaking any law.
This is not private property nor a gated community. That does not mean we can’t watch out for our neighbors by keeping an eye on people we know don’t live here.
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Most of you know I have regularly criticized our editor for enjoying controverssy too much, his “Heraldo Rivera” style. Not this time. Without this site few of us would have known about this event, especially this quickly. Was the reporting perfect…. no; but much better than the major media 4 years ago covering the “lost innocents”. Thanks to the parents coming foward the truth is out. This site has proven a very valuable resource this time, again thanks to the parents.
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Obviously, I disagree with Gene B. I think he overlooked an ethical obligation on the part of the author, who knew he did not have all of the facts, and also knew full well his interpretation of what was happening might create incendiary problems for this community. Is it better to have “hits”?
As for Ray Schaefer’s comments, I wonder if Ray feels the same way about the “wood chip story” published on this website. Without this site, few of us
would have known about…. Where is the happy ending to that story?
He lucked out on this one. Or, should I say, our community did.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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they investigate, he called and waited
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No, ethical reporting does not stir anything. It reports the facts as is. If people want to take it from there that is on them, not the reporter. Watch the BBC news on PBS at 6 P.M. if you want to see profesional journalism in leu of the garbage that gets tainted on American news chanels.
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I try to tune into that program as often as possible and you’re right about the professional level of objective reporting.
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I agree with george here “Dan got lucky here” because had it been something else then he would have got his claim to fame and GB would have been bashed as well as the police
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Gerritsenbeach.net, you suck!! So quick to play the race card!! You race baiting lib.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Is seeking the truth an unreasonable standard? Gene may be right. It may not fit the definition of modern journalism.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I’m sorry, please point out the lies in the story. I must’ve missed them.
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While the city is expanding Seba Avenue Park I think they should bulldoze over the skate park area of the park. It seems to cause nothing but problems.
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Once again Skate park does not much for the neighborhood it only invites outsiders who do not know the history of our beloved community. We can control our own but not others! We asked for a park for our young growing community so that our children may have a place to play, socialize and grow. We got a park that only invites trouble. The key is a toddler park with telescopes that are too high for a toddler to reach but a slide and swings for a toddler. Then I still question the paved area with lines that I have never seen before Anywhere! Anyone?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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annonymous is correct “Invites trouble” is unfortunately right, eventually there will be problems at that skate park it is just a matter of time and than everyone will realize that the stupid park was just a big mistake when Sharpton starts marching down the Avenue,,, I could be wrong but as the groups of teens grow in size there will no doubt be disputes among them… and as I wrote in an earlier post there are kids NOT only from our neighborhood in there after dark but kids from other neighborhoods also…
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Again,, the park should be secured & lighted after hours.
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Just Wondering, how come when in the past when I commented on how the police do their job the lazy way, cast a wide web and grab everybody in site, everybody declared me paranoid .
Hot debate. What do you think?
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well, everyone complains the police don’t do enough, so don’t complain about them doing something, you never know if someone call or being there has been a string of car break ins and bicycles stolen out of yards here, you don’t know if they fit the decsription and obviously they were kicked out for a reason and the person below the picture came forward!
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Thank you K.Robb for coming forward and speaking the truth!! Had you not come forward this journalism would have been a mess. To Bad others could not just stand up and not be afraid to tell the truth
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I say keep them all out, if you don’t live here, then you don’t belong here!
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Well i just read on facebook where bikes are being stolen out of yards, trucks and cars being broken into with a( descp of the lady) and someone walking into houses trying to rob them and advising keep your doors locked!!!!!
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There has been a report about a break-in (through an unlocked door) on Bevy Ct. Since one of the residents–a beloved lady of Gerritsen Beach–has been in and out of the hospital, there is concern about how it was the house was robbed shortly after her return to the hospital?
Supposedly, someone saw a person in a car (waiting?) outside of the house. The description of the person in the car was given to the NYPD, and conjecture on this website is not necessarily called for without confirmation. Unless an outsider would like to guess at the description of the person (possible accessory to the crime). Also, maybe the person seen in the car had nothing to do with the crime.
As for theft from the yards in the beach, metal seems to be the object of preference, with bikes a close 2nd.
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Now is this reporting facts that aren’t been verified or is this news? Kinda hypocritical, dontcha think?
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To Frank: The editor/publisher, had telephoned me from the location of the NYPD action, while it was occurring, and I advised him to call our contact at NYPD, as a cautionary and reasonable pursuit of his story. That officer was not in the office, and rather than wait until he could confirm what was taking place, he published what he did. It was his prerogative, but I still maintain, it was put out there without concern for our community.
To Poppa Joe: My experience covers over 50 years in publishing. After the Marine Corps (where I had articles published as far back as 1952) and my first job in publishing, out of college, on an editorial training program at McGraw-Hill, on Coal Age and Engineering & Mining Journal; to Billboard Publications (published in both American Artist magazine and Billboard) in New York and Nashville; The Los Angeles Herald Examiner; the NY Post (Ntl. & Retail food advertising mgr.); West Coast Mgr. of Newhouse Newspapers, until I retired. That isn’t complete, but it speaks to my credentials re: professional journalism.
Granted, this differs from the point of view of a lawyer, but I wonder how many readers would agree that lawyers are the best judges of what would have been the “high road” in reporting this incident?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Actually George, the readers may do well to listen to this particular lawyer, who also happens to be a publisher, and would know a great deal about journalistic standards.
Having acted as Publisher and part-owner of both a start-up publication named best new sports magazine by Amazon.com in 2005 and and currently as part-owner of Baseball Digest Magazine’s online entity, I know a great deal about the technical and stylistic aspects of journalism, both print and broadcast (our company also just signed an agreement with Sirius XM), having edited and managed a who’s-who of sports media.
But enough throwing our resumes around. :-)
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Gene B., you are a tool.
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Refer you to “Beware Break-ins” for more details…
For those who may misunderstand my harsh criticism of the publisher on some of his reporting of matters affecting our community, you may not be aware, I have also been his most staunch defender when it comes to “freedom of the press”.
Attend a GBPOA meeting and you will learn first hand, there are those who would shut this website down, given the opportunity. I am not one of them. I believe the publisher should be held to a higher standard, not driven out of circulation.
I also believe, he will be very successful in his endeavor. It is a matter of time and maturity (I leave it to your vivid imagination, as to whether I mean his or the websites’ maturity).
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Stop being so polital and stand behind what you said. Why are you kissing his but, did you have a secret meeting and create a secret handshake to identify each other. “Hey Dan, I am going to be mean to you this week, send me $20 when the site gets hits and I can get back into the Reporting World” Or Maybe I will Spray paint something to create more controversy and I can talk about it on this site? Eneough already, without the BS this site sucks.
Make everyone identify themselves, register and identify themselves and people be more serious. How do we knwo that this is you Geoerge as the Title says from George? Are you him or Me or Dan or Bill or Ray or Anon? who know?
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this is how it starts,crimes being commited and the bleeding hearts say its about race,bullshit,its all about race,I know trouble when I see it.I was squeezed out of my home for 25 years like a tube of toohpaste by the neighborhood accepting bullshit ,then it becomes a race thing and nobody wants to call a spade a spade,{a pun }.if you accecpt it ,they will come.{crime}Im amazed that with homes 6in next to each other nobody sees a thing,yet every one knows the other guys underware size.
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the classic double standard,they can come down here at will,cause trouble,be their obnoxious selves and we have to bite our tongues because you will be branded a racist if you take a stand but if there were a bunch of white kids using a park in east new york and got jumped(which i’m certain would be the case)then the tune changes to “well,they shouldn’t have been down there”
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Did anyone hear about a kid at the skate park this afternoon being told to give up his cell phone to 5 kids one who had a gun in his waist band? Heard he called the cops and they were looking for the kids ( who apparently were not from from the beach!!)
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confirmed attemptted robbery with a gun by skate park, I wonder if the so called reporter who started this posting puts some effort into reporting the attemptted robbery and the full description of the perpetrators.
If there are photos or video of this great media posting maybe , jus maybe there’s a chance it can help in identifying the armed perpetrators
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Ya know what good, let them be escorted out of the neighborhood… They are up to no good and they need to go, They intimidate the kids that belong here and they are trouble.. They steal bikes, they fight with our kids and they destroy property… Im sorry but I grew up here and we never had this before and now all of a sudden, people are allowing it.. The fields are used by every organization and left a mess for us to clean up and then we are dealing with what others bring in.. Its not fair and its not right
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why do people read you site?? u would be the first person to call the cops for anything but when the cops are doing there jobs u get in the way and give them shit stay off the police they are doing a great job around here, so next time just report whats going on and leave out the shit u know if the cops were not around the kid from GB would have gotting robbed and your ass would have watched
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