Our current malaise has many throwbacks to previous eras of economic hardship: restaurant recession specials, increased crime in trendy 'hoods and, of course, rats taking over the streets. Then there are the squatters, the lawless nomads laying claim to abandoned spaces, and potentially the owners of the co-ops of tomorrow! According to one Curbed tipster with a camera that makes us a bit seasick, the squatters have Williamsburg—with its many corpses left behind by the real estate boom—in their sights:
I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in a condo I bought one year ago. Warehouses around my area have been sold for development and since abandoned and ignored by both the owner/developers and the police due to the financial downfall. These structures have now become dumping grounds and squatter homes. I have called 311 and 911 about these issues, totally ignored.
The street with the most problems is North 9th street between Driggs and Roebling on the south side of the street. I mean, it's awful. All these nice shops a block away, condos full of baby strollers, and there is piles of garbage, junkie needles and squatters right around the corner. PLEASE HELP GIVE THIS ATTENTION! We have been ignored by 311, police, buildings dept, local representatives.
Has the situation on North 9th Street gotten as squatty as our tipster claims, or does the neighborhood newbie just not know how to identify the latest Williamsburg fashion trends? Northsiders, let your voices on this matter be heard.
