Greenpoint Residents To March For Street Safety

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN — Greenpoint mother Shannon Clare says the neighborhood is not as safe as it used to be, so she's organizing the Community March for Safe Streets in Greenpoint on Saturday, March 4.

Clare was attacked and stalked near her home by a man in Greenpoint who was charged with groping women in three separate instances in a five-month period, court records show. It took these three alleged attacks for the suspect, Christopher Boissard, to be charged with a sex abuse felony and held in custody on $10,000 bail, according to court records.

Clare wants the march to be a statement that Greenpointers like her will not succumb to feeling unsafe in their own community, she said. The march is a family friendly, peaceful, all inclusive event for community members to speak out about safety in their neighborhood, she said.

It's not just Boissard that concerns Clare, she told Patch. She is fearful that homeless shelters BRC and 66 Clay house sex offenders and people with open warrants. "Even people born and raised here talk about how it's become less safe since the shelters opened, particularly 66 Clay," she said.

The crime rate in the 94th precinct has declined 11.61 percent in the past two years, according to NYPD statistics. However sex crime demeanors have skyrocketed 200 percent in the same time frame.

"It's a shame because this is a vibrant community filled with wonderful people," Clare said. "I think the 94th is working hard to get things back in order, and if we come together as a community and make our voices heard on the fourth, I think it will send a clear message that this neighborhood is not full of targets."

Photo via NYC Parks Department