The past few months have seen a string of random violent attacks against women by the Morgan Avenue L train station. The NYPD arrested the suspect in mid-January. But recently, another violent attack was reported on the L train, this time at the Graham Avenue stop.
At around 4 p.m. on Friday, January 15, Philip Hofmann, a nineteen-year-old security and maintenance employee at St. Nicks Alliance, boarded the L train at the Graham Avenue stop, Hofmann told Greenpointers. He was scrolling through his phone, leaning against the side of the subway door when, “I looked up and a fist just hit me right in the face,” Hofmann said. Hofmann reported that he was knocked to the ground and hit repeatedly. He filed a police report, and no arrests have been made in relation to this attack.
Laura Risi Hofmann, a lifelong Greenpoint resident and Philip’s grandmother was upset by the attack. “When I saw my grandson, I started crying because I realized what a bad beating he got,” she said. She has asked elected officials and community members to come together to talk about ways to handle the violence on and around the L train. “I’m certainly a concerned grandmother and community member,” she said. “I want to feel safe having my grandkids and my children going on the subway.”
Peter Kerre, a Bushwick resident and organizer, is also concerned. After the attacks in Bushwick, Kerre formed a community group called SafeWalks NYC. The group offers people an escort to or from their local subway station. “In the spirit of ‘We Keep Us Safe’, this initiative is all about offering self as an extra presence for security purposes. It is not about vigilante-ism, policing, nor ‘neighborhood-watching,’” their website reads. If you need a walk home or an escort, you can DM their Instagram page to get set up with a volunteer.