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 These are the Marcy Houses, 27 brick H-block buildings, each six
stories high, that are home to nearly 4,300 people, many of whom are
black or Latino. The rapper Jay-Z, who grew up in the complex,
described Marcy as "a block away from hell," the place where "news
cameras never come," in a song called "Where I'm From."
In recent years, Marcy has had a group of very reliable visitors:
the police, who patrol on foot and in cars as part of a
controversial "broken windows" strategy that focuses on cracking
down on small crimes to prevent bigger ones. Until three weeks ago,
they had been an ever-present, highly visible presence in Marcy
Houses.
Now, the police have all but disappeared, raising safety concerns
among some residents while pleasing others who view the police
strategy as oppressive. A reporter saw only one police car on a
visit on Thursday.
The shooting of two police officers in their patrol car a block away
from the development on Dec. 20 has widened a rift between the
police unions and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who they accuse of
making anti-police statements and fuelling a hostile environment for
police, allegations he denies.
Police department data shows the number of arrests and court
summonses has plunged across the city since the shooting. But it is
in higher crime areas like Marcy Houses, and neighborhoods such as
Mott Haven in the Bronx, that the lower police profile may be of
most concern.
No court summonses were issued in the 79th police precinct, which
includes Marcy Houses, in the week following the murder of the two
policemen, compared to 401 summonses in the same period in 2013,
according to police data. There were only 10 summonses issued last
week, compared to 405 a year earlier.
New York Police Commissioner William Bratton confirmed for the first
time on Friday that there has been a widespread work slowdown by
police officers. Police unions deny orchestrating any slowdown.
SPOT THE COP
Marcy Houses resident Nisaa, a 22-year-old black woman who declined
to give her last name, pointed to a nearby street corner and said
that until a few weeks ago, there was always a patrol car parked
there.
She thought the decrease in police presence was a good thing because
so many of Marcy's residents feared confrontations with the cops.
"It actually makes people feel better," she said.
Before the December shooting, patrol cars could be seen parked in
regular spots along the perimeter of the eight-block compound.
Police officers were often seen on the rooftops of the buildings and
on foot throughout the complex, according to residents.
On Thursday, there were no marked police cars parked in the spots
some residents said were their normal posts. One NYPD patrol car
circled the complex but did not stop.
"I drive my husband to work every morning at 3 a.m. and when I would
come back they would be there," said Luz Delia, 34, pointing to a
parking spot along the edge of the complex. She said she liked
parking her car and going back into her apartment knowing they were
there. "I used to feel more safe."
 There was no immediate comment from the NYPD.
The president of the Police Benevolent Association Patrick Lynch has
said the union has not initiated or supported a slowdown, but
experts say officers do have discretion in how they choose to
enforce some infractions.
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If police officers are engaged in a slowdown, it could backfire if
it continues, said Robert Snyder, an associate professor at Rutgers
University who has written about police and community relations.
"Police officers are not going to look good if they put on their
uniform on and don't fight crime," Snyder said.
TOO AFRAID TO GO OUT
More than 11 miles from Marcy Houses lies Mott Haven in the South
Bronx. The shops that line the main street of this poor
neighborhood, population 91,000, are rarely the name-brand national
chains, while music in Spanish spills out onto the streets from
small stores.
Take the No. 6 train from Manhattan and into the Bronx, and the cars
slowly become less white. The Bronx area that includes Mott Haven is
almost exclusively black or Latino, according to a Census survey.
Just a few minutes of conversation with residents in the
neighborhood is enough to draw out stories of shootings, stabbings,
murder, or other violent crime, either experienced personally or
witnessed. Police stops are considered a normal part of life, just
another every day occurrence.
Yahaira Quinones, 37, said her building was normally patrolled by
police under the Clean Halls crime prevention program but "I haven't
seen that in a while."
She has also noticed fewer police officers in her neighborhood
lately. In the past, if she needed to send her teenage daughter to
the corner store, she would wait until she saw a cop on the street.
Now, she doesn't feel safe sending her daughter out alone any more.
While crime in the Bronx has plummeted in recent years, residents in
Mott Haven remain wary. Some of those interviewed said they simply
try to socialize elsewhere and keep themselves and their children
off the streets.
Not everyone sees a change in the police presence, and some of those
that do are glad that there are fewer officers on the streets
because they perceive police stops as demeaning.
Marissa Rivadeneira, 22, said she has definitely noticed fewer
police around Mott Haven. She is now afraid when she walks home late
at night from the subway station.
Rivadeneira used to call her mother on her way home, but now does
not want to pull out her cellphone. When asked if her mother worries
about her, Rivadeneira said, "Yeah, she does."
(Additional reporting by Samantha Sunne and Mica Rosenberg; Editing
by Ross Colvin and Tiffany Wu)
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