The area along East 14th Street, between First Avenue and Avenue A, was a dangerous eyesore even before the broad-daylight stabbing on Sunday that left one person dead and two others wounded, according to residents.
“It’s a s–thole. It’s horrid,” Barbara N., who has lived in the neighborhood since the 1980s, told The Post on Monday. “It has gotten so bad.”Alejandro Piedra, 30, was charged with murder in the stabbing that left Clemson Coxfield, 38, fatally wounded — an incident erupting from a fight between homeless people at the corner of East 14th Street and Avenue A , police said.
He’s also charged with two counts of attempted murder for slashing two other homeless people, a 51-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man, during the tussle, which broke out around 5:45 p.m., law enforcement sources said.
Locals said the stretch running along the southern edge of Stuy Town has been plagued by regular, open drug use, problems with unlicensed street vendors, and urine and feces befouling the sidewalks.
Alejandro Piedra, 30, was charged with murder in the stabbing.
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Kirsten Theodos, a former East Village resident, told The Post that the area started to change about 2019, when she noticed the local CVS started locking up deodorant and ice cream.
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Homeless people started to camp near her building, “heroin needles” proliferated and locals began calling one sidewalk the “Thieves’ Corner,” Theodos said.
“I moved out because the conditions on 14th and First are unbearable,” the mother of two said.
Locals who still call the area home told The Post similar stories.
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“This particular block is the worst I’ve ever seen it in my life,” one neighborhood resident said. “And I’ve lived in this neighborhood my whole life.”
“The electeds don’t do anything,” the resident added. “They come and do photo ops.”
The stretch of 14th Street straddles the districts of council members Keith Powers and Carlina Rivera, who both issued statements after the stabbing that highlighted their longstanding concerns.
Piedra has he’s taken from the NYPD’s 9th Precinct on Monday. Kevin C Downs for New York Post
Powers called the situation “out of control,” while Rivera blamed underinvestment in mental health.
Even disgraced Democratic pol and selfie enthusiast Anthony Weiner whipped out some unsolicited advice.
He tweeted that the NYPD should move cops posted in a vehicle near Target to a foot patrol.
“I refer you to the beat cop of yore,” he wrote.
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Cops said nearly every crime in the area is down, despite recent high-profile violence. Kevin C Downs for New York Post
Weiner inserting himself into the matter wasn’t taken well by law enforcement sources who spoke with The Post.
One said the local police precinct didn’t have a fixed post by Target. Another swiped at Weiner’s sex offender status .
“The solution is so obvious, even sex offenders know what needs to be done,” the source scoffed.
The area has seen a spate of high-profile crimes, including a vagrant accused of viciously slashing the neck of a church caretaker who warned him to stop urinating on a car.
Workers power-washed the bloodstained sidewalk Monday where the stabbings took place barely a day before. Few homeless people or illicit vendors were out, likely because of NYPD officers stationed along the street.
Despite the headlines, crime is actually down 30% over the past year in the NYPD’s 9th Precinct, which covers the stretch of 14th Street near First Avenue and Avenue A, police data show.
“Every single index crime is even or down,” a law enforcement source told The Post. “So we’re doing the work.”
Another law enforcement source said cops can’t arrest homeless people for being homeless.
“Unless you want a unit assigned there permanently doing only that until the end of time, this will just keep happening,” the source said.
An NYPD spokesperson said police officers assigned to the precinct “have diligently worked to reduce crime and address all community concerns,” while highlighting the dip in crime so far this year.
“Specifically along 14th Street, personnel from the 9th Precinct conduct weekly operations — including on Sunday, June 23rd — to address homeless encampments, vendors, and persons in need of assistance,” the spokesperson said. “There will be a dedicated foot post to address quality of life issues and maintain a visible presence along 14th Street.”
Some residents of the East Village refer to a section of the neighborhood as a “s–thole” because of open-air heroin use, mentally ill homeless individuals, human waste, and unsettling violent outbursts.
Residents claim that even before the broad daylight stabbing on Sunday that left one person dead and two others injured, the neighborhood along East 14th Street, between First Avenue and Avenue A, was a dangerous eyesore.
It’s a complete shithole. Living in the neighborhood since the 1980s, Barbara N. told The Post on Monday that it’s terrible.
After a dispute broke out between homeless persons at the intersection of East 14th Street and Avenue A, Alejandro Piedra, 30, was charged with murder in connection with the stabbing that fatally stabbed Clemson Coxfield, 38.
According to law enforcement officials, he is also accused of two charges of attempted murder for slashing two other homeless individuals, a 31-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman, during the altercation that started at approximately 5:45 p.m.
Residents claimed that regular, open drug use, issues with unlicensed street sellers, and dog poop and urine fouling the sidewalks plagued the area running along Stuy Town’s southern boundary.
In connection with the incident, Alejandro Piedra, 30, was accused with murder. The NYC building where Jimi Hendrix and Allman Brothers performed has lost their Fillmore East plaque, which Kevin C. Downs for the New York Post describes as a riddle in rock & roll.
Retired East Village resident Kirsten Theodos told The Post that the neighborhood began to alter in 2019 when she observed the neighborhood CVS began to lock up ice cream and deodorant.
Theodos reported that “heroin needles” multiplied, homeless individuals set up camp close to her building, and neighbors dubbed one area “Thieves’ Corner.”
“I left because I could not stand the conditions on 14th and First,” the mother of two stated.
The Post was given similar stories by locals who still reside in the region.
According to a local, “this specific block is the worst I’ve ever seen it in my life.” Furthermore, I have spent my entire life in this area.
The householder went on, “Electors don’t do anything.” “They visit and pose for pictures.”
A 38-year-old man was stabbed to death and two people were injured in broad daylight on a “out-of-control” NYC street, according to police.
The 14th Street section crosses the districts of Keith Powers and Carlina Rivera, two council members whose long-standing concerns were brought to light by statements they released following the attack.
On Monday, Piedra was removed from the NYPD’s 9th Precinct. Rivera attributed the situation to underfunding in mental health, while Kevin C. Downs of New York Post Powers described it as “out of control.”
Even Anthony Weiner, the notorious Democratic lawmaker and selfie enthusiast, offered some unwanted counsel.
He stated that the NYPD ought to switch from having officers stationed in a car close to Target to foot patrol.
“I suggest you contact the old beat cop,” he wrote.
Police report that, in spite of some high-profile violence recently, almost all crimes in the area are down. Police sources that spoke with The Post expressed disapproval of Weiner’s intervention, as reported by Kevin C. Downs for The New York Post.
There was no permanent presence by Target at the local police precinct, according to one. Weiner’s position as a sexual offender was ridiculed.
“Even sexual offenders understand what needs to be done—the solution is so obvious,” the source mocked.
A vagabond is suspected of savagely slicing the neck of a church caretaker who warned him to stop peeing on a car, among other high-profile crimes committed in the neighborhood.
The bloodstained pavement where the stabbings occurred just a day earlier was power-washed on Monday by workers. Due in part to the NYPD cops stationed along the street, there weren’t many homeless individuals or illegal sellers out.
In spite of the headlines, crime has decreased by 30% in the last year in the NYPD’s 9th Precinct, which includes the area of 14th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A, according to police data.
A law enforcement source told The Post, “Every single index crime is even or down.” Consequently, we are working.
Police are not allowed to arrest homeless persons only for being homeless, according to a second law enforcement source.
The source stated, “This will just keep happening unless you want a unit assigned there permanently doing only that until the end of time.”
A representative for the New York Police Department stated that the precinct’s police officers “have diligently worked to reduce crime and address all community concerns,” emphasizing the decline in crime thus far this year.
“Weekly operations, including this Sunday, June 23, are carried out by personnel from the 9th Precinct, specifically along 14th Street, to address homeless encampments, vendors, and individuals in need of assistance,” the spokesperson stated. “A specific foot post to address quality of life issues and maintain a visible presence along 14th Street will be installed.”