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| Jay "Rocket" Ruiz of BPP |
As was mentioned in an earlier blog post, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, (MTA) will be suspending service of its southbound F and G trains at the 15th Street-Prospect Park and the Forth Hamilton stations. Service was curtailed on November 14th, and will continue until May of next year.
The closing down of service at these stations means that people will have to get off the train either before or after the closed stations, lengthening their travel time above ground, where several attacks on women have taken place, spreading fear in the neighborhood.
Augmenting the increase in police patrols in the neighborhood is the Brooklyn Bike Patrol, whose president Jay “Rocket” Ruiz has stated that his volunteer organization will be at the F/G Seventh Avenue Station beginning last Monday night to make sure women will get home safe.
Before the suspension of service began Ruiz stated, “We are going to be out here tonight, we will be out here all week,” Ruiz said on Monday, explaining that BBP will be paying close attention to the F/G suspension.
“We will actually be out here all year long, until service is resumed at these stations.”
Beginning at 8pm each evening, Ruiz and 11 additional volunteers will be there on their bikes to escort women safely home. Women can call for an escort or they can contact BPP using e-mail, Facebook or Twitter and get volunteer to accompany her home from any of 25 different subway stations in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Park Slope, Kensington, Sunset Park, Carroll Gardens, Prospect Heights, and now, Fort Greene-Clinton Hill.
Keep these numbers handy:
• Tel: 718-744-7592
• E-mail: brooklynbikepatrol@gmail.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/BROOKLYNBIKEPATROL
• Twitter: @BKbikepatrol
• Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 8 p.m. to midnight
• Friday through Saturday, 8 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.
