The Work of the Block Association • Letter II
Public Safety & Security
How the Block Association helps keep the neighborhood safe — and the partnerships that make it possible
Dear Neighbors,
In our first letter, we promised to return to each area of the Block Association’s work, one at a time — beginning with public safety. It is the right place to start. Safety has been at the heart of our mission since our founding in 1994, and it rests on a simple conviction: a neighborhood is safest when its residents are organized, informed, and connected to the people sworn to protect them.
Our Partnership with the NYPD
The Block Association’s closest working relationship is with the NYPD’s 13th Precinct and Emergency Service Truck 1, whose officers watch over these blocks every day. We are proud to serve as the designated Community Partner of the precinct’s Neighborhood Coordination Officers — the NCOs who act as the everyday link between the police and the community, and who know our blocks, our building staff, and many of our residents by name. When a neighbor brings us a concern — an incident on the block, a suspicious pattern, a problem that will not resolve itself — we make sure it reaches the right officer, the right agency, and the right desk, quickly. And when the precinct needs to reach the neighborhood, we help carry the message home for them.
Keeping Neighbors Informed
Just as important as our relationships is our communication network. When something happens that neighbors need to know about, we act quickly. As recently as last month, when checks were being stolen from a mailbox at Lexington Avenue and 21st Street and other neighborhood mailboxes, we reached out to the police precinct immediately and to the community within hours, with practical guidance. An informed neighborhood is a protected one, and our email alerts have helped neighbors avoid scams, recover losses, and assist the police in their work.
A Record Built Over More Than 30 Years
The proof of this approach came early. In 1994, our founding year, the Kenmore Hotel on East 23rd Street had become one of the most dangerous buildings in Manhattan — until it was seized by the federal government in the largest-ever asset forfeiture of a residential building to that date, built on years of evidence gathered by one dedicated 13th Precinct officer. The Block Association rallied residential support for the nonprofit that took over the building, which was fully renovated and reborn as Kenmore Hall — decent, safe housing where there had been an open-air drug market. I was honored to serve as chair of its Community Advisory Board, and to this day the Block Association remains a supporter of the Kenmore, whose residents include the formerly homeless, the chronically ill, the frail elderly, people living with HIV/AIDS, and homeless veterans.
Honoring Those Who Serve
This partnership runs in both directions. After September 11th, kindergarten schoolchildren from across the street planted a Remembrance Garden in front of the 13th Precinct; the Block Association has tended and replanted it ever since, season after season, beneath a plaque that reads “NYPD You Make Us Proud.” We led efforts to memorialize Police Officer Anthony Sanchez and other police officers killed in the line of duty over the years. On the first Tuesday in August, our community joins with the precinct for National Night Out Against Crime, and we have long supported the Law Enforcement Explorers, which introduces young people to careers in law enforcement.
Our Role
The Block Association does not replace the NYPD, emergency services, building security, or government agencies. Our role is to bring the neighborhood together — to identify concerns, strengthen communication, and advocate for prompt and effective action.
Through vigilance, cooperation, and trusted relationships, the Block Association remains committed to protecting the safety, security, historic character, and quality of life of the Gramercy Park neighborhood.
Warm regards,
Arlene
Arlene Harrison
President, Gramercy Park Block Association
Support the Work of the GPBA
The Block Association’s safety work — our alerts, our precinct partnership, and everything you have just read about — is made possible by the generosity of neighbors like you. Donations are 100% tax-deductible.
Donate Now