Halloween is always a special time in Gerritsen Beach, the insular blue collar neighborhood near Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay. Like many other places in America, the local youths have a tradition of throwing eggs and generally creating mischief. But last year, you'll recall, things got a little out of hand when local teens bragged on Facebook about throwing rocks and hammers at cars and buses. Many grownups in the community were outraged—not by the violence, mind you, but because one local blogger dared to write about it. more ›

On Friday, we shared Sheepshead Bites' entertaining video of a raucous Gerritsen Beach property owners' meeting, during which residents screamed at local blogger Daniel Cavanagh for posting photos and incriminating Facebook comments from teenagers who allegedly threw eggs, potatoes, rocks and a hammer at cars on Halloween. Cavanagh had written about the annual "bombing" incident on his site GerritsenBeach.net, and criticized the NYPD for not doing anything about it. But at the community meeting, locals tried their best to kill the messenger, with one parent suggesting that Cavanagh is a pedophile because he photographed the teens. This morning we spoke with Cavanagh about the insane backlash—on Saturday night his house was vandalized—to his reportage. more ›

Set aside ten minutes today (or a half hour this weekend) to watch this 3-part video from Tuesday night's Gerritsen Beach property owners' meeting; it's riveting theater! The locals are infuriated that GerritsenBeach.net blogger Daniel Cavanagh published photos (and incriminating Facebook comments) of teens throwing eggs, potatoes and (allegedly) rocks at drivers on Halloween. What really burns is that their kids' conduct in public and on the Internet is now exposed to people outside their tight-knit community. And it's all the fault of Cavanagh, whom they call a pedophile drop-out who needs to get "a real job." Their precious children, who broke a bus window and allegedly targeted Jews, were just being a little mischievous. more ›

The local youths out in Gerritsen Beach celebrated Halloween like most other teens in America: by pelting drivers and pedestrians with eggs, potatoes, rocks, shaving cream cans, and a hammer. It seems that this year they were even more out of control than usual, and Daniel Cavanagh at the Gerritsen Beach blog was on the scene documenting the pandemonium, and bemoaning a near-total lack of police response. He even recognized some of the teens participating in the "bombing," and posted screen shots of their Facebook pages. How DARE he?! more ›

UPDATE BELOW: An NYPD officer shot a man who might have "pulled out a toy gun" and "pointed it at police," according to police scanner dispatches. Details are still coming in, but multiple sources report that an officer opened fire at around 3:10 p.m. and struck a man at corner of Knapp Street and Avenue W, near P.S. 194 in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn. more ›

A young Brooklyn woman is in critical condition after being slammed into by a van driven by a drunk driver while she was walking out of work Thursday night. 22-year-old Ukranian immigrant Olga Skibina suffered severe brain, facial and lung injuries after being struck by the van while walking from the medical office she works as a receptionist at in Sheepshead Bay, walking along Avenue Z to her home in Gerritsen Beach. more ›

It's another one for the "weird smell file"...okay, maybe we know what that funny smelling cigarette odor is—but where is it coming from?! All signs point to Gerritsen Beach, where last month "10 marijuana summonses were written in one night." The Village Voice reports that "the locals told the cops 'pot dealing & smoking goes on all the time' there, and the problem was discussed until the property owners decided that 'a list of names will be gathered and handed over to the 61st precinct of the problem kids.'" Given the small community vibe, it might be a good idea to make some industrial strength blow tubes and keep it inside, kids. more ›

Police are investigating an attack on a Brooklyn-bound Q train as a possible hate crime. A group of people (WNBC says they were on their way home from Hanukkah celebrations) were called anti-Semitic phrases and then beaten up by another group of ten people at Canal Street. The Post has some more details: Apparently one of the attackers "made anti-Semitic remarks about Jews killing Jesus, saying, 'This is a Christian country.'" But the father of... more ›

A 62-year-old woman was attacked in her Gerritsen Beach home when two masked men pushed their way in. WNBC 4 reports that the woman's husband ran downstairs to help fight off the attackers, who fled and left the scene in a black Jeep. more ›

GerritsenBeach.net had been tracking the young life of a new bus shelter at Gerritsen and Cyrus in Brooklyn. Shortly after it was completed, someone tagged it and then shattered much of the glass. Then GerritsenBeach.net reported:

Today we found it with a note on it. Asking parents to ask their kids, who and why! We agree. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bicyclist was struck on 72nd St. and Park Ave. in Manhattan, shots were fired on Halsey St. in Brooklyn, and there was a suspicious death at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Queens.
• A dozing violinist awoke to jump onto an arriving subway train at the Clark St. station, but left his valuable "Scarampella" violin on the platform in Brooklyn. Have you seen it? UPDATE: the violin was turned into the MTA's lost and found. It's a July 4th miracle!
• The nocturnal cat-eating New Jersey chupacabra. Pet owners beware!
• The Gowanus Lounge notes the quick vandalism and destruction of a new bus shelter in Gerritsen Beach.
• The next time a developer decides to renovate a brownstone or an apartment building, we hope they can spare some time to do something like Houston's Tunnel House.
• A guide to Community Supported Agriculture in NYC, connecting farmers with New York residents.
• The city will cut the number of pedicabs allowed on New York's streets from 500 to 325 this fall.

Yesterday evening, a 19-year-old was fatally shot on a northbound Q train. According to witnesses, Trevell Belton was shot as the train pulled into the Avenue U stop. Belton collapsed on the platform, while the shooter and his friend ran away. more ›

The city's attempt to increase its East Side park space has hit a boulder. A boulder in the shape of a swank Sutton Place co-op with rich and powerful residents who don't want their green backyard to become public park area! One Sutton Place South filed a lawsuit to stop the city from turning part of the building's half-acre backyard into a park, claiming that any action "violates the easement and constitutes an unlawful trespass." Sigh, this is what happens when the city takes land from a building to build the FDR - if only the time machine could bring everyone back to 1939 to write a better contract! more ›

Police are investigating whether a black man was hit by a car because he was trying to get away from assailants. The incident occured in Sheepshead Bay-Gerritsen Beach area. WABC 7 reports that two white men were "seen fleeing the man's body on the Belt Parkway after he was struck by a car" - and the car didn't stop. Police believe the victim and the two men got into a fight; since the man was hit at the west end of Plum Beach (which is a gay cruising spot), detectives "were trying to determine if either race or sexual orientation was the motive for the attack." more ›