WEST VILLAGE — A group of local residents and business owners concerned with the recent violence in their neighborhood plan a Sunday march that will end at the 6th precinct.
After gathering more than 1,100 signatures this summer asking for police to crack down on West Village violence, the West Village Coalition, led by Christopher Street bar owner Robert Ziegler, will march through the neighborhood with the same demand.
The group hopes for as many as 200 people to gather at 12:30 p.m Sunday at St. Johns Lutheran Church at 81 Christopher St. The plan is to march to the 6th Precinct station, at 233 W. 10th St., with signs reading "Help save the Village" and "We demand more police," Ziegler said Friday afternoon.
Robbery, assault, noise and other of quality-of-life issues are ongoing concerns for many Village residents and business owners, Ziegler said.
"We want more police down here and a crackdown on all of the crime down here," he said. "We want our leaders — [Councilmember Christine] Quinn and [State Senator Tom] Duane — to show up in our neighborhood and address crime."
Sixth Precinct Commanding Officer Brandon del Pozo pointed out that officers are allocated to the city's police precincts based on "the big picture citywide."
"We appreciate the community's strong support of the police here in the 6th, and we'll make the most of however many officers the city decides to assign here," he said.
Neighborhood concerns about Village crime ran high this year after a rampage by two dozen youth in the 75 Christopher St. Dunkin' Donuts on May 16 and an attack in the 136 W. 3rd St. McDonald's on Oct. 13.
