Castle Hill Public Safety Dinner/Meeting

(L - R) Ms. Roxanne Reid (Tenant Leader Castle Hill Houses). NCO Officer Torres, NCO Officer Sullivan, Activist Oswald Dennis, Sheik Musa Drummond (editor Parkchester Times), Castle Hill/Parkchester District Leader John Perez, and Marion (Tiny) Frampton of the Black Spades 

It started out with a few people, but by the end of last Friday's Public Safety Dinner/meeting in the Castle Hill Senior Center there were over forty people in the room. 

The meeting was called as the NYPD had recognized the 43rd Precinct as one of four precincts citywide where there appears to be a spike in crime, while everywhere else crime is still decreasing. 

Marion (Tiny) Frampton once a gang member has brought back a couple of his gang members to try to teach children that becoming a gang member is not the answer to what is bothering you. The former gang now community organization is called 'The Black Spades.'

They go around trying to stop gang violence and crime before it can start. It is hard to do Frampton said when gangs are now recruiting children as young as eleven and twelve to rob the elderly.

John Perez the District Leader from the Castle Hill/Parkchester area (and former U.S. Army Sergeant said that he is representing Councilman Diaz Sr., and that he will give a full report of the meeting to the councilman. DL Perez mentioned that any problems need to be addressed quickly as was the case when he found out about the lack of heat and hot water to most residents of the Castle Hill Houses during the cold snap in January. That was fixed after DL Perez led camera crews into a few apartments, and he spoke to one of the NYCHA on site supervisors. He also spoke of a new resiliency program that he has for the community. 

NYPD Housing NCO Officer Sullivan said that the new commanding officer of the 43rd Precinct grew up in the Castle Hill area, and wants to make sure that today's residents of the area feel as safe as he did when he was growing up.

Above - Castle Hill/Parkchester District Leader John Perez speaks about solutions to some of the area problems.

Below- A group photo after the Diner/Meeting ended.