Benches, tables removed from Betances Houses courtyard amid uptick in crime
Long-time resident Kesha Peppers also misses the community having space to sit outside together.
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Alba Lugo, who has arthritis in both knees, needs a walker to stand in line for food donations at her apartment complex.
Mobility issues are just one reason she’s upset that more than a dozen benches and four tables were removed from the Betances Houses courtyard at 510 East 146th Street two weeks ago.
Long-time resident Kesha Peppers also misses the community having space to sit outside together.
Residents do have access to a park in the complex that does have benches, but they say that management locks it with a chain when they go home for the day at 5 p.m.
This measure is in line with why Wavecrest Management and NYCHA say they removed the seating areas - to keep residents safe with a recent uptick in crime. Bullet holes are still in the front of the management office, directly across from a day care center.
Wavecrest Management said in a statement:
“Due to the recent increase in crimes on-site, the courtyard benches were removed as of April 12 for the safety of our residents, their families, and the children and workers at Headstart Day Care, located on the Betances campus. We’ll continue to work closely with residents and the Tenant Association to ensure the continued safety of the people who call Betances home.”
NYCHA said in a statement:
"In response to recent violent crimes in the vicinity, NYCHA's PACT partner, Wavecrest Management, removed a seating area as a preventative safety measure to protect residents and staff members.“
Some residents said off camera that they see both sides and hope the drug usage, trash and violence in the area go down.
