The Jackson Heights neighborhood seems quiet by residents worry about crime. Photo by Samin Jabir.
“Usually when I come home from work, I see a bunch of them hiding underneath a tree, just kind of rummaging about each other,” said Edwin Jimenez, a Jackson Heights resident. “And then sometimes I get a glimpse of what they’re doing. And it usually involves needles and just passing it around.”
Jimenez and his neighbors worry about the drug addicts that congregate near his building at 95th Street and 35th Avenue in Jackson Heights. Overall crime has gone down in the neighborhood of the 115th Precinct during the past year by 2.33% according to the NYPD. But residents in Jimenez’s building say they still feel “uncomfortable” walking around at morning and night.
“They’re there around 9 or 10 a.m. and then again around midnight,” said Jimenez. “One of their favorite hiding spots is the bottom of the stairwell next to my apartment. They come in, go down to the corner, and just do whatever they want like doing their dirty drugs. Sometimes they piss and shit there, so I just get a giant whiff of it.”
For other residents, the uncomfortable feeling goes beyond what happens inside their buildings. Aaron Tavarez, another Jackson Heights resident, said he carries a small switchblade at night for protection. He said he often sees “crackheads” hanging around near the corner of 96th Street and 34th Road.
Tavarez, who grew up in Jackson Heights, said crime has increased since he was a kid. “There’s a lot of robbery now,” he said. “My headset package got stolen just last week. I even have a video of the guy taking it from the lobby.” He also said someone recently had their car stolen near 94th Street and 34th Road.
Visitors have noticed the changes too. Jonathan Adames, who no longer lives in Jackson Heights but visits every week, said he still sees the same problems when he returns. “It’s calm but spicy,” he described the neighborhood. “I like the people here, but some of them are a bad influence. A lot of people are stealing, doing drugs, or just acting aggressive.”
Adames recalled a night outside a bar near 95th Street and 35th Avenue when he saw a woman crying after her boyfriend took her phone. He went inside the bar to talk to the boyfriend to get the phone back. “When I came back, another man was with her, her shirt sleeve was ripped, and her arm was bleeding,” Adames said. “I had to step in and knock the guy out.”
For residents and visitors of Jackson Heights, the 2.33% decrease in overall crime does little to ease the tension on the streets.
Series: Community
