Angry parents attend civic forum meeting

The monthly Howard Beach Civic Forum meeting held at St. Barnabas Church on November 28, turned into a shouting match as neighbors argued over a recent police crack-down on the large crowds of teenagers who routinely prowl the neighborhood on weekends and often leave mischief in their wake, according to some.
The raucous debate arose as a handful of angry mothers confronted Police Officer Arden during his presentation to meeting attendees on recent incidents within the 106th Precinct. After mentioning the November 10 arrest of 15 neighborhood youths for disorderly conduct and vandalism, a mother erupted in an angry barrage of rhetorical questions that sparked a 35-minute cacophony of contention between neighbors.
&#8220Did they need to be handcuffed? Did they need to be frisked?” she shouted, questioning the rationale for the arrests.
&#8220They’re picking on little kids, they’re intimidating little kids and they shouldn’t be doing that,” said another mother who later complained that Howard Beach youth have few options but to hang out on the street for lack of other entertainment or recreation. &#8220There’s no place for them to go.”
Arden explained that the charge of disorderly conduct covers numerous activities including blocking traffic, fighting and causing public annoyance and alarm. &#8220We know they’re not criminals,” Arden said, &#8220They’re good kids, I understand that.” But even good kids can become emboldened to act inappropriately when in a large group, ultimately disturbing or even intimidating local residents at times, he said.
&#8220You know I live 60 miles from here, they’re not bothering me, they’re bothering other people in the neighborhood,” Arden said, explaining that the arrests were not made to single out specific kids but to send a message to all loitering teens.
Indeed, a number of angry complaints at the precinct’s most recent community council meeting, as reported earlier in The Courier Sun, spurred the police action. At that time a number of affected residents pleaded with the police to intervene.
One intersection in particular was named, 159th Avenue and 92nd Street in Howard Beach, where unsupervised youths allegedly threw pumpkins at passing cars. Additionally, one resident alleged that two homes under construction on 134th Road and 95th Place had been vandalized by marauding teens.
At that time, the precinct’s commanding officer, Deputy Inspector John Doherty, and Lt. Michael Coyle assured residents that they would move to remedy the situation.
&#8220I understand how the parents feel,” boomed Betty Braton, Chairperson of Community Board 10, over the bedlam that the Civic Forum had become. But, &#8220At the precinct council meeting last month, there were many more [people] than who’s sitting here, not only from the Howard Beach Area - there was another group that was complaining about disorderly kids - it happens on a regular basis.”