Police Lock Down Harlem Street for Weeks After Shooting

Police say gun violence in the area has prompted the move

Police have locked town a two-block stretch of West 129th Street for weeks, in part because they fear violent retaliation in response to the shooting death of a young father on a basketball court, according to a report.

The New York Post says barricades have gone up on the street between Fifth Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard between dusk and dawn. Residents must show ID to get in, and have to meet their visitors at the barricades, the Post says.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told the paper it was about residents' safety.

“We understand it doesn’t make everybody happy,’’ he said. “We understand people are inconvenienced by showing identification. But what we’re trying to do is save young lives.”

The Post said police fear a retaliation for the shooting of Ackeem Green on June 3. Those who knew him say he was a bystander caught in a gang feud.

Police have not said how long the barricades will be up.

"Why do I need an ID to go home?" resident John Barnes told the Post. "When did this become a gated community?"

Another resident said the checkpoints make her feel safer.

"If you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, it shouldn't be a problem," said the woman.

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