I’m a real estate agent based in Brooklyn. My work is centered around homes, but more than that, it’s about the people who live in them and what it means to feel safe where you are.
This morning, while walking my dog Pearl, I came across a situation on a residential block that broke my heart. A man in his 30s/40s was berating an elderly woman outside her building. She was clearly distressed.
I stepped in and let him know that it wasn't OK to be speaking to her like that. It turned out to be about parking.
She places traffic cones in front of her apartment to keep a spot open. She uses two canes to walk and has a lift to access her first-floor unit. While she does have a handicap placard, it doesn’t reserve a space directly outside her home. Without that nearby spot, getting inside safely is extremely difficult for her.
The man, a neighbor, was even threatening to throw away her cones.
I walked her to her door and she struggled to get there even with help. She cried at the door and told me how frightened she had been.
Everyone deserves to feel safe and supported where they live.
I’m putting this together to do a few practical things for her:
- Create a simple, respectful sign she can place with her cones asking neighbors nicely to leave the spot for her
- Provide a few prepared meals that are easy for her to heat and eat, along with healthy groceries
- Arrange a professional deep cleaning of her apartment to make her space more comfortable and manageable
If there are additional funds, they will go directly to her in the form of cash.
I’ll keep this fully transparent and share updates along the way.
If you’d like to contribute, thank you. If not, take this as a reminder that real New Yorkers look out for the people on their block.
It matters more than we think.
** Cover Photo is of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where we both live. Her home is not pictured to protect her identity. **