Notorious Escapes From the Brooklyn House of Detention

Now that the Brooklyn House of Detention at 275 Atlantic Ave. is about to swing back into full operation after being closed /barely operational for years, (see yesterday's post) we thought it'd be fun to take a walk back in time to the exciting days of yesteryear -- to revisit notorious escapes from the Big House:

- Let's start with society horse-trainer, inn-owner, embezzler and sensational murderer Buddy Jacobson, who escaped from the Brooklyn House of Detention in 1980. The escape was orchestrated by Buddy and carried out by his innkeeper "Tony Two-Suits," a not-very-bright fellow who was wearing two suits into the jail when he visited Buddy -- but only one when Buddy left him behind in his cell. After he escaped, Time Magazine wrote: "The Fox Is On the Run." Full story here and here.

- Then there was Edward White, 27 years old, a vicious murderer who was serving a 25- to 50-year sentence when he escaped in 1991, becoming one of the city's most wanted fugitives. Police re-captured him by accident when they knocked on the door of a Brooklyn apartment and he answered wearing only a  bathrobe. (Full story in the NY Times.) 

- Convicted of sniping a police station, Black Liberationist Kuwasi Balagoon and a fellow traveler escaped from the Brooklyn House of Detention in the early 70s. An outlaw, he escaped prison twice and led units in the "expropriation" of banks, including the infamous Nyack armored car heist in 1983 (an incident that served as a basis for the film Dead Presidents). He also identified as a queer anarchist. More here.

- Joseph James, a Brooklyn House of Detention inmate awaiting trial on robbery and murder charges, mortally wounded an unarmed correction officer, George Motchan during a "precisely planned escape."  Accomplices hid a gun in a Kings County Hospital clinic bathroom and had a car waiting with its motor running at the nearby exit. James-- handcuffed to Motchan for a dental visit -- shot him while in the bathroom. Full details here.

- Henry Brown escaped in a similar manner. In 1973 he was sent under guard to the Kings County Hospital for treatment of an ulcer. His handcuffs were removed for the X-ray. After he returned to the dressing booth, guards heard a door slam. The booth was empty. More here.

Near Misses:

- Melvin Kearney (aka Rema Olugbala), indicted in a holdup with infamous Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur, died in 1975 or 76 from an eight-floor fall while trying to escape from the Brooklyn House of Detention.
In 1979 Shakur herself escaped the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey and is presently enjoying political asylum in Cuba. The FBI has placed a $1 million bounty on her head. Councilman Charles Barron, a former Black Panther, has called for the bounty to be rescinded.

- In 1974, several prisoners overpowered their guards and tried to scale a fence at the Brooklyn House of Detention. A Black Liberation Army prisoner was shot and recaptured. More here.

And Riots:

- In 1970 hundreds of prisoners rioted at the jail, demanding more humane treatment and taking 26 hostages -- as crowds outside cheered them on. No one escaped, but a "number of people" were arrested for throwing missiles from rooftops at police who surrounded the prison. Those were the days! More here. 

Today, the Big Worry is . . . Parking

As the jail prepares to reopen, community leaders today are no so concerned about jailbreaks and riots, but rather about quality of life issues like parking. Democratic District Leader Jo Anne Simon told the Brooklyn Eagle that neighbors were worried about corrections officer parking on the sidewalk on State Street and parking problems caused by court officers, attorneys and others connected with the system.

Photo by MK Metz: The Brooklyn House of Detention has been officially renamed the Brooklyn Detention Complex.

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Brooklyn House of Detention: City To Refill Boerum Hill Jail

Fill 'Er Up:

After lawsuits, rallies, cost overruns and redesigns, a reopened Brooklyn House of Detention is set to start filling up with inmates early next month, city officials told the NY Daily News.

The Boerum Hill jail will “be refilled slowly over a period of several months” starting in early February, eventually filling all 759 beds.

 Since the jail was first opened -- and then shuttered -- the area surrounding it has become increasingly upscale, including expensive condos, hotels, high-end retail and destination restaurants.

Neighbors fear the return of the blight that accompanied the jail when it was last operating at full capacity -- garbage, hypodermic needles and crime.

It could have been worse:

In 2007 the city wanted to "supersize"  the Big House, with a proposed 165,000 expansion and two huge towers of residential or commercial space.

Previous Stories About the Jail:

- Brooklyn House of Detention Contract Rejected by Comptroller Thompson
- Anti-Jail Rally on Brooklyn Courthouse Steps Almost Didn't Happen
- 'Stop the Brooklyn House of Detention' Rally
- Don't Get Your Pants In a Twist Over Brooklyn House of Detention, Says Eagle
- Brooklyn House of Detention, Now With Retail
- Goodbye Supersized, Butt Ugly Brooklyn House of Detention Condos, Hello Bigger Jail
- Brooklyn House of Detention Forum Thursday -- Commissioner Horn Will Answer All Your Questions
- House of Detention Site May Be 'Most Valuable Square Block in Downtown Brooklyn'
- Brooklyn House of Detention Could Get 'Super-sized'


Photo by MK Metz

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Nets HQ at Metrotech; Schools Lose Funds; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- The Nets are relocating their corporate headquarters to Downtown Brooklyn, where the organization is leasing (for 10 years) 35,145 square feet at 15 MetroTech. NY Observer

- A State Supreme Court judge yesterday granted a preliminary injunction barring the city from developing an affordable housing project that would have given priority to Jewish people in Williamsburg to the detriment of their overwhelmingly black neighbors. Failed Messiah

- Sugar Hill Capital Partners -- founded by Ariel Sharon's personal private emissary -- has purchased 50 Orange Street in Brooklyn Heights for $7.1 million from the Jehovah’s Witness. BHB and NY Observer

- 13 struggling Brooklyn schools could lose millions in funding because the city and the teachers union can't come to an agreement on teacher evaluations. Brooklyn Eagle

- City and state agencies are about to allow the test of a green "Sponge Park" that would absorb and manage excess poop, toxins and heavy metals in the Gowanus Canal. Brooklyn Heights Press

- Brooklyn Public Library eBooks: extremely easy and incredibly free. Brokelyn

- Eleven months after opening on Union Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, it appears as if gastropub PSbklyn has closed its doors for good. Here's Park Slope
 
- Comcast provides free roach installation with that cable box. Gawker

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No Pants Subway Ride 2012 Details Exposed

Improv Everywhere has released details about the 11th Annual No Pants Subway Ride. The event will take place at 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 8.

Requirements

1) Willing to take pants off on subway
2) Able to keep a straight face about it

Details

When: Sunday, January 8 at 3:00 PM, Sharp! (Over around 5 PM, afterparty to follow)

Where: Six meeting points spread out all over New York City.

Bring: A backpack/bag and a metro card.

Wear: Normal winter clothes (hat, gloves, etc)

Get full details here.

Photo courtesy of Improv Everywhere's Facebook page.

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Hazardous Weather Outlook: Artic Cold To Hit Brooklyn Tonight

Think it's cold now? You haven't felt anything yet.

The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Brooklyn and all of New York City for late afternoon and tonight.

According to NOAA, an arctic cold front will usher in "the coldest air mass of the season so far." Wind chills should fall to around zero after midnight tonight as temperatures fall into the teens (roughly 14 degrees Fahrenheit) and northwest winds gust as high as 25 mph.

Stay inside if you can, and check on elderly neighbors to make sure they have heat.

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Brooklyn Heights Vet Closes, End of An Era

We were sad to hear that the Brooklyn Heights Veterinary Hospital at 59 Hicks Street has closed, but we weren't surprised. The last three times we took our cats there for shots, etc., the place was nearly deserted.

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UPDATE: An employee at Atlantic Animal Care told the Brooklyn Eagle that Dr. Richard Turoff, owner of the Heights Veterinary Hospital, had decided to retire.

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In years past the clinic would normally be packed on weekends and during after-work hours. But it seems that the somewhat old-fashioned style of veterinary care provided at the Heights office fell out of favor as shiny new (and more expensive) clinics on Atlantic Ave. and Vinegar Hill opened.

Dr. Richard Turoff's associate Dr. Norton left a while back (we hear she does house calls, however), leaving Dr. Turoff and an assistant. (We're not familiar with Dr. Burger, who is listed on several sites as also working from this location.)

According to the Brooklyn Heights Blog, a sign in the window refers pet patients to Dr. Greenberg at 85 Atlantic Avenue, 718-797-0070.

Dr. Wasserman Lived Upstairs

Dr. Turoff bought the business in 1985 from Dr. Bernie Wasserman, who just died this past November, a month after his wife Bernice died.

Dr. Wasserman, who lived upstairs, bought the house in 1957. He gave a fascinating description of the neighborhood at that time to the Brooklyn Eagle. "Fifty-seven Hicks St. at the time I moved into 59 was a disreputable rooming house. One could see men sitting in the windows with their legs dangling down the outside of the building, a bottle of beer or wine in their hands and shouting obscenities."

Sorry To See Them Go

While other pet owners told us they preferred to travel to Cobble Hill or Vinegar Hill for their pet care, we  always experienced kind and knowledgeable care from both Drs. Turoff and Norton -- and before them, Dr. Wasserman -- over the many years we have been bringing our animals to the office.

They were especially compassionate when it came to end-of-life care. I remember one time when Dr. Turoff had to "put to sleep" my sweet, old and very sick best-friend cat as I was crying. When I looked up, bleary-eyed, I saw that Dr. Turoff was also crying, as was his assistant.

Needless to say, I remained a loyal customer.

Photo by Google Streetview

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Antonio's Pizzeria Coming to Court Street, Downtown Brooklyn

We walked by 32 Court Street last night after seeing a movie and noticed that Antonio's Pizzeria is coming in, at Court near Remsen Street in Downtown Brooklyn.

According to DOB, Sal Casaccio was issued a permit on December 12, 2011 to renovate the interior.

Mr. Casaccio owns Tony's Famous Pizzeria at 547 Fulton Street (between Hanover Place and Flatbush Ave.) Reviewers on Yelp give Tony's 3.5 stars (out of 5). Representative comment: "This place is like a pizzeria you'd expect to see in a movie that's set in New York.  It's crowded, kinda dirty, and the servers were berating the customers. . . "

According to The Real Deal, the pizzeria signed a 10-year lease with options.

32 Court was most recently the site of Yofiore Yogurt, which opened in September, 2008 with a lot of music and ceremony, free yogurt and proclamation by BP Marty Markowitz.

Photo by MK Metz

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'The Queens of Montague Street'

NY Times writer Sam Sifton and Brooklyn Heights Blog commenter /Brooklyn Heights resident Teresa Genaro tweeted about a great essay by author Nancy Rommelmann called “The Queens of Montague Street.”

Says BHB: "For St. Ann’s alums of a certain age this serves as a trip down memory lane."

In her essay, Rommelmann describes her messed up life growing up on the rougher side of Brooklyn Heights.

It starts: "By June 1976, after two years spent playing hooky, I was finally 'asked to leave' my progressive private school . . ."

Warning: Once you start, you won't be able to stop till you read it all.

The Queens of Montague Street

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Brooklyn Heights Shooting; Pete's Downtown Closes; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Crazy shooting and car crash on Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights on New Year's Eve. Brooklyn Heights Blog

- Pete's Downtown restaurant at Fulton Ferry closes. Lost their lease. Brooklyn Heights Press

- The first murder of 2012 took place in Brooklyn, naturally. NY Daily News

- A convicted sex creep accused of masquerading as a cop to molest a Brooklyn teen blames his brother. NY Daily News

- Beyonce (still pregnant) and Jay-Z were spotted dining at Buttermilk Channel on New Year's Eve. Food Republic via Popcrush

- Number of "Top Restaurants in NY" from Brooklyn rises to 10. Grubstreet via Brooklyn Eagle

- Now you tell us: What is a hangover? Gizmodo

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It's Still Christmas In Brooklyn

Last night this hand-made Christmas tree was suspended in front of the Saint George student housing on Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights. Kudos to its creator(s).

Photo by MK Metz

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