By Helen Klein
The good times aren’t exactly rolling at some of Flatbush’s night spots. Rather, residents say that the clubs are a source of problems – everything from noise and litter to occasional outbursts of violence — a conclusion with which the police concur. Indeed, at the February meeting of Community Board 17, which was held at New Hope Christina Fellowship Church, 4615 Church Avenue, board members brought up the issue. “Night clubs are a major problem in the community,” stressed Wellington Sharpe. “When they let out, the patrons are noisy. There’s shooting. At night, people are afraid to go out. You can’t find anywhere to park. They come and block the driveways.” Orlinda McInnis concurred. Near Farragut Road and East 45th Street, she said, “Many people have complained. It seems to be an ongoing problem. It’s a nuisance and shows disrespect for the neighbors. I believe that something should be done.” Inspector Robert Boyce, the commanding officer of the 67th Precinct, said that the precinct was aware of the issue and had been working to combat it. In particular, a club at 48th Street (whose name, C-Pac, was emblazoned on posters displayed by police officers at the meeting) was a problem spot, he said, in large part because it is located in an overwhelmingly residential area, “A bedroom community, very quiet. This is not a commercial area.” The club, Boyce went on, “Draws a lot of people into that community, and we get a lot of complaints, blocked driveways, and it’s more than just the weekends, as you well know. We go down and issue summonses. “Since last year,” he went on, “we’ve had firearm arrests at that club, felony assaults. I’ve had three people stabbed there on January 21st. This past weekend, we had shots fired. What’s happening, the neighborhood businesses, first thing they have to do in the morning is sweep up the mess left by patrons of the club.” The East 48th Street club is not the only problem spot, added Boyce. “There’s another two just off Utica Avenue that are giving us problems as well,” he told the crowd. “We give summonses out. We try to work with the owners. Some we have, some we can’t, because it’s just an overpowering thing. We tow cars every night. We do police roadblocks down there, right in front of the club. It’s the early morning hours that are especially problematic. “At about four o’clock in the morning, you have a deluge of people coming on the street,” Boyce went on. “Everyone who lives there is fast asleep and is woken up by this noise. It’s people urinating in the street, drinking, making noise. Last weekend, I had an 18-year-old girl punched in the face walking out of the place. It’s a big, big problem for us. “Probably my number one job right now is to restore some order back into that corner of the precinct,” Boyce acknowledged. “I meet with the club owner regularly, and I will endeavor to bring that under control.” Boyce said that, in 2005, the precinct had gotten 10 clubs closed down, “Under the nuisance abatement program. We are going to try to get that done as well,” he went on, explaining that he would be meeting shortly with the club owner, and elected officials. “Hopefully, we will come to some solution,” Boyce said. “We will keep at it until we get the problem resolved.”
