Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on October 18, 2009 at 9:36pm

Good for you Marcie, and you can join PAC TAC by calling Kristin Runyon at the NSC office on Genesee St. She is one of the best CPO's --- and I walk along with a number of other 19th Warders each month. Please join us.
Mark

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Fasolo on October 19, 2009 at 2:10am

I love a good picket. Let's picket!

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Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on October 18, 2009 at 10:59pm

I do not know where this place is, and no, suburban drug customers are not coming in to the city to buy. They know people in their own neighborhoods ... so this is a dumb theory. They do not have to step out of their homes and someone will deliver it.

Second point: too tolerant too long etc. And in denial. Refuse etc. What of those who do admit there are problems, and what do you see as positive moves forward, and solutions?

Mark

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Fasolo on October 19, 2009 at 2:12am

I agree with you... I drive pass Gregorio's on my way to work on the weekends. Usually around 9ish and that place is hopping. It's prime time to pick up whatever you are going to pick up for amped up night out.

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Permalink Reply by Shane Bertou on October 19, 2009 at 9:58am

Nine times out of ten, if you go into the "restaurant" side of LJ's anytime other than a Saturday night there won't be anyone there. It serves mostly as a bar on the weekends. The vast majority of their business takes place on the takeout side. They don't even really have a wait staff during most open hours, just the kitchen staff taking orders and making food. So if you got strange looks, it might be because people were just confused about why you were on that side of the restaurant. And if no one waited on you ... it's possible they were understaffed or didn't even know you were over there.

My interactions w/ LJ's have been very positive and the people who work there seem pretty nice. Their curried goat is fantastic!

I get a little nervous when I hear people talking about picketing businesses in the neighborhood. Especially when the words "shut down" get mentioned. Let's try to remember that this shooting DIDN'T HAPPEN at LJ's. And just because that corner (which, again, is not the corner where the shooting took place) has become a hangout and some drug activity has been seen, doesn't mean LJ's is involved.

Picketing LJ's because a kid got shot a block away seems like the wrong reaction to me. Reaching out to that restaurant and inviting them to be a part of some of our discussions and meetings seems like it might be a better approach.

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Permalink Reply by Shawn on October 19, 2009 at 10:10am

The picketing was in reference to Gregorio's convenience store on Chili Ave, not LJ's. I know you talked with the police about what happened yesterday, but most of the news stories were reporting that it happened at Milton, and Thurston. Which really doesn't matter. What matters is stopping it from happening in the first place.

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Permalink Reply by Marcy Lloyd on October 19, 2009 at 10:26am

Discussions would be my first choice - if they can eliminate the negative perceptions and respond positively to people's concerns then it would be a boost to their business, which is supposedly why they opened in the first place.

The picketing/march we did in the 90's was at Star (White Star?) Market on Congress and Two Brothers (I think) on Chili. We had people speaking about the problem and attempting to engage some of the other people around there. I believe there may have even been a spokesperson talking to the owners at the time asking them to reconsider their choices. It is a useful option for recalcitrant businesses.

As for businesses selling to minors, if you see it you can call 311 and tell them about the problem and perhaps they can do a sting or a bust, or perhaps someone can bring a hidden camera and then post the video here (is that possible?), and/or send it to the police or news, whichever can be determined to get the quickest and effective response.

BTW, is anyone in the RPD a member so they can follow the discussions and act on the info? Also any of the news stations?

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Permalink Reply by Shane Bertou on October 19, 2009 at 10:17am

I'm seeing this now. Thanks for clarifying. I missed Ang's comment, so I thought the conversation hadn't moved off of LJ's.

All that to say ... give LJ's a second chance. Just go in the "right" side of the building next time. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Ang on October 19, 2009 at 10:21am

re: suburban drug buyers and dealers. It most certainly isn't a major problem, but many of them do in fact come into the city to buy. Maybe not in our neighborhood, but in other neighborhoods it's a bigger problem. The difference is that they will come to the city and visit "weed spots". Some reasons why this happens is because minors will loot cars then bring anything everything they loot to trade for weed. People from the suburbs are more likely to deal only in cash. They will also get more hardcore drugs from their own areas.

I was mainly referring to businesses that attract loiterers and the wrong type of customers by not only not creating a positive presence to help the community but by also engaging in illegal activities. I find these corner stores to be problematic because they simply do not care. They're here to make a quick buck. They draw in cash any way they can, send the money back to their homeland, then close up shop when things start to go south. I wish a lot more would model themselves after the corner store on Thurston and Anthony. They follow the law and don't put up with any crap outside of their store (although it took quite a few shootings on that corner for them to get tougher about it). They are just the nicest people in there. I <3 them lol.

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Fasolo on October 19, 2009 at 1:13pm

Below seems to be the description of the perps and event that took place yesterday as copied from the article at the WHAM site.

How fashionable of these thugs to have gone the extra mile to have secured matching "silver" guns. It must be all the rage on the thug must have list. Makes me very ill.


Thurston Road, Sunday Afternoon
Police say Kyiell Cowart, 19, of Rochester, was shot in the leg while standing in front of 338 Thurston Rd. around 1:45 p.m. Sunday. He then ran to 360 Thurston Road, where he collapsed.

Police say Cowart did not know why he was shot. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.

The suspects are described as two black males in their late teens, six feet tall, wearing dark bandanas. One has a thin build, a black hoodie with yellow, pink, and red designs. The other has muscular build, black hat and a blue hoodie. Both carried silver guns.

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Permalink Reply by Shawn on October 19, 2009 at 1:26pm

Sounds like gang activity to me. Considering it was so obvious and right in the middle of the day. These guys were sending the message that "these are our streets, and we can do what the f*ck we want".

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Permalink Reply by Marcy Lloyd on October 21, 2009 at 11:36pm

Kyiell lives on our street and is the kind of kid who doesn't start trouble, but he does tend to try to defend people if he believes the other people are being wrong or unfair and got himself hurt earlier this year for defending someone else, but I don't know how he actually goes about that kind of thing.

I heard some talk today that Kyiell was supposedly (verbally?) defending one (or two?) white kids he knows (but it wasn't clear if they were actually there, or he was just defending their behavior or trying to prevent the attackers from planning an assault on the one or both of the white boys). These two boys have been around here a while, but one of them has been trying to behave like a street hood (I have heard his trash talk), with all the attitude and swaggering, and I was told that the attackers were offended by his put on attitude, considering him fake. Kyiell would likely have tried to cool things down. Whether he actually knew the attackers by name is another matter. If I hear more that is useful I will mention it.

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