Concerned Greenpoint residents recently took to the social media app Nextdoor to swap stories about a local man, Christopher Boissard, who has been accused of harassing and assaulting various members of the community. Boissard is a 29-year-old Deaf man who has previously spent time in Rikers Island for a 2017 case of felony sex abuse. Though he was away from the neighborhood for some time, he appears to be back in his native Greenpoint.
Boissard, who usually sticks close to the more northern part of the neighborhood off Manhattan Avenue and Franklin Street and above Greenpoint Avenue, has multiple assault allegations against him. He has been arrested multiple times for groping, harassment, and violating orders of protection against victims. According to DNAInfo, he attacked and stalked a local mom in the winter of 2017, leading to his arrest on charges of violation of the active order protection that the woman had been awarded against Boissard (the article also claims he has been arrested more than 30 times).
These attacks have even extended to his own family members. “[I]n 2014, Boissard pleaded guilty to criminal contempt and third-degree assault charges stemming from a 2012 attack on his father,” DNAInfo states.
Within the past few weeks, Boissard has been accused of randomly punching a woman in the face in a bodega on the corner of Manhattan Avenue and Freeman Street. According to a Nextdoor user, the victim was in the bodega when all of a sudden “a man approached her without saying anything and punched her in the face” after which Boissard allegedly ran away. He was chased by the woman’s boyfriend, though “he escaped inside his apartment.”
“They called the police and when they arrived and after relating the story to them, the police said that they knew the man and he had done this at least 2 other times against different women,” the account continues, “They also mentioned that he had been diagnosed with a mental condition, and because of that and the fact that he ran to his apartment, they couldn’t do anything about it.”
In an email to Greenpointers, a local corroborates the seeming inaction on the part of the NYPD. “One person reported today a few hours ago seeing him bothering a woman on the corner of Eagle and Franklin, but when the witness called the precinct replied they ‘can’t do third party complaints.’” Other neighbor accounts claim that Boissard allegedly assaulted a postal worker as well. Someone who lives on Eagle Street says they can frequently hear Boissard screaming at all hours of the day. Others have seen him drinking in public and hanging around Transmitter Park where he apparently is not allowed due to his status as a sex offender.
In a statement to Greenpointers, Captain Kathleen Fahey of the 94th Precinct says: “The 94 Precinct is well aware of Mr. Boissard and the recent changes to the previously issued Order of Protection. The 94 Precinct has been working closely with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, elected officials and concerned community members in order to ensure the safety of Greenpoint and to uphold the constitutional rights of all. We encourage everyone to promptly report criminal incidents directly to the NYPD, so that a thorough and complete investigation can be conducted.”
It is important to note that multiple parties have mentioned Boissard’s mental health issues, and his status as a Deaf person can affect his ability to communicate. Furthermore, at some point in his incarceration, Boissard’s lawyer claims that he did not have access to a sign language interpreter. It is also unsurprising that Boissard’s experience being incarcerated in Rikers would not have prompted a change in behavior, considering the violent and inhumane conditions that inmates face there usually only begets more violence.
“According to Prof. Deborah Koetzle of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 68 percent of those released from U.S. prisons are rearrested within three years. On Rikers, the recidivism problem is even worse: close to half return to jail within a year” says a 2019 article from the New York Times.
As the New York City Council recently voted to shut down Rikers Island by 2026, New Yorkers must consider community alternatives to incarceration. This can take many forms. In light of recent anti-Asian attacks, candidate for Manhattan Borough President Lindsey Boylan has called for New Yorkers to receive “bystander training” to empower folks to take action against racist violence. The same concept applies to gender-based violence and harassment as well. The national organization Hollaback! offers bystander training through a program called Step Up, which has earned the support of the NYC Commission on Gender Equity and the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. For a more local organization, People’s School of Conflict, a community initiative in partnership with North Brooklyn Mutual Aid, facilitates workshops on de-escalation strategies in McCarren Park and their Instagram page features great resources and tips to help keep you and your neighbors safe while minimizing contact with the police.
There also appears to be more behind the scenes work concerning Boissard’s case that is not publicly available information. While some of this concerns Boissard’s right to privacy, many community members would obviously like to know what steps local institutions are taking to keep us safe.
Though Boissard’s case might not require a carceral approach, the NYPD could be more transparent about informing the community about what kinds of resources are available to people dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues. One Nextdoor account mentioned calling 311 on Boissard instead, but said that “they were of little help.” 311 encompasses so many resources that while it might be a more humane option than 911, it simply cannot operate at the scale that the city needs in addressing its myriad concerns. The NYC 311 website also states to call 911 in cases of harassment.
If currently neither 911 or 311 can effectively address our community’s needs, where does that leave us? This past November, Mayor de Blasio announced the creation of a pilot program of new teams staffed by EMS health workers and mental health professionals who will be dispatched to respond to mental health crises in place of police officers. However, police officers will still be involved as a backup option “in cases where a subject has a weapon or is threatening violence” reports CNN. CNN also cites “more than 170,000 mental health calls to the city’s 911 call center [in 2019.]”
Police involvement in mental health situations often turns a situation deadly. Even with recent developments in training NYPD officers in de-escalation tactics, “at least 17 New Yorkers with mental health issues have been killed or critically injured by police” in the five years since the trainings began, says local group Correct Crisis Intervention Today – NYC. The pilot program announced by the de Blasio administration would still operate through 911, though some activists call for the creation of a standalone number. As a pilot program, implementation of these teams commenced just this past February, and it is not yet available to all precincts, but it’s a promising concept that hopefully one day soon we will see in North Brooklyn.
While community awareness of serial abusers is a good thing, vigilantism is not an effective strategy. If you feel safe enough to intervene when you see someone being harassed, that can go a long way in making neighbors feel safe. However, simply calling the cops on Boissard because you happen to see him on the street or ganging up on him with a group of your friends likely won’t end well for anyone. Boissard’s actions are unacceptable, and he clearly needs help that he is not getting. We can hold both things true and keep in contact with local authorities and elected officials to pressure them to keep us safe.
If you have more information about Boissard, you’re encouraged to call NYPD Officer David Molina at 718-383-5298.
This young man mr. Christopher Boissard is a Greenpoiter. He was born here and this is his home-place! Greenpoiters know him from his childhood and know how talk to him.
Maybe instead of trying to put him to jail or psychiatric institution same one willing to help him to learn sign language and adjust him to new neighbors.
People like you are why nyc is a hellhole.
I wonder, just learning of Boissard just now, what is his family like, specifically his parents ? Was he raised in an abusive environment? He sounds untreatable, as far as living as an outpatient goes- he needs to be permanently surrendered over to a well run, mental health facility that is residential. Not Rikers Island, or those other places. What if he kills someone? He has an apartment, so he’s not homeless. For others’ safety,and his own, he must be sentenced to a mental institution.
The 94th precinct does not respond to community complaints. I wonder if he is the guy who was in the ladies bathroom in Milton Park playground a week from last Sunday, when I called the 94th three times over the period of an hour. Was told the first two times they were sending a car. Third time I get someone else and find out the first guy didn’t even make a report of my phone calls. Anyway, after telling them that I had to leave and could no longer stop little girls from going into the bathroom where this man had been for an hour, they still never sent anyone. In my over 60 years in this neighborhood, I have never had a satisfactory interaction with the 94th. There may be some good guys there. I just haven’t met any.
Obviously, this guy is mentally ill, so maybe it’s good they didn’t come. They would have f’d it up anyway. I hope Mr. Boissard gets the help he needs.
Astonishing that the 94th Precinct isn’t serious about people loitering in bathrooms in public places !! C.B. could have attacked a child,what would be said then ?? You know, it sounds like the police want a high crime rates,in order to justify massive budgets, and to use surveillance on innocent people, while letting aggressive criminals so pretty much what they want. They serve a ” purpose” no doubt. They are the reason why there are cameras on every corner, assaults on buses and trains, with zero plans to actually fix the issue. Corruption, straight up! Just like with the permanent housing shortage that caused homelessness around 1980- 1981. Apartments stopped getting built that same year,but the population growth continues from that time. Eric Adams needs to be either recalled or fired outright. People will need to do a search of residential facilities themselves,and tell local officials to pick up Boissard and place him in one of those institutions.
Write to Stephen Levin, the city councilman for the area. [email protected]
This is a complicated issue. Christopher does harass people and can be dangerous. However, he is also the victim of an ableist, racist, society. He has not had support for either his deafness nor his mental health issues. It is TRUE that he did not have access to ASL at Rikers- this is common. (also for the writer of this article D with a capitol D means something other than deaf). I feel bad for everyone in this situation. If people call the cops on Christopher, he will eventually get killed by them — as black men do. However, people also have a right to be safe. When I see him, I simply cross the street.
I spotted him this afternoon and crossed the street. He’s followed me many times in the past and as a fellow Greenpointer, I know his history. (For reference, I am a 100 lb woman who knows sign language. I am also not trying to talk sense into anyone who is piss drunk with a history of violent assault). He snuck behind me and attacked me. I did not have enough time to grab my pepper spray, so I screamed as loud as I could and was able to sprint away. It was broad daylight and there were tons of people around and his mom was there and he was rushed inside his home. A bystander called for an EMT but a bunch of cops showed up.
HE NEEDS MEDICAL HELP!! WHY ISNT HE GETTING MEDICAL HELP? He should not be in prison and it would be naive to think that’s not where he’s going to end up based on the way violent offenders are treated in this country. He needs to get medically detoxed off the booze and medicated. He is mentally ill and needs help. We’re not doing him any favors by enabling this behavior. I’m ok but I’m lucky. He’s a ticking time bomb.
We’re better than this, Greenpoint. Let’s do better as a community to get this man treated before he hurts himself or someone else again.
Can you please delete my first comment. I accidentally posted this twice because I thought my first comment didn’t go through but now I realize it is just awaiting moderation and I definitely don’t want to post the same thing twice because I don’t want to lead people to believe there were two separate incidents of assault today when there was actually only one. Thanks
Why does this article explain the issues with the police, and then, tell people to call the police at the end?
The only way that the police can possibly help this person Boissard, is to take him to a residential facility that is a mental health institution. His parents are no help,they obviously have their own issues. At least he’s not homeless,that’s all he has going for him. If you want to help this Boissard, please lobby your City Council, and State Legislature to create facilities people like him need to live in. It’s only a matter of time before he gets attacked by a civilian who fights back, or the police decide to simply shoot him.
Despite the authors comment, NO ONE should try to intervene with this man. I have lived in Greenpoint for 27 years and witnessed several of his incidents- it’s very frightening AND sad; he can be very violent and disturbed. Best left to professionals so the public doesn’t get hurt. I can’t imagine what he has endured on the inside of his mind- he so needs help but he also needs to be treated appropriately and consistently and not sent to jail and then just let out to return home and restart the cycle again. Nothing changes that way. He needs meds and care which is not what he is getting now in his home.
94th precinct is on vacation. Talk about the worst time for this guy to be back in the neighborhood.
My fiancé and I ran into Mr. Boissard this evening on the corner of Manhattan Ave. / Eagle at the bodega. He approached us yelling and motioning (as if with a shank) to his neck in a stabbing pattern. He got VERY close and we then hurried across the street. He then stood around for a bit on the corner but did not chase us, then he went back to sitting on the metal fencing around the tree in front of the bodega. Please be careful if you run into him. Still has his afro and was last seen in shorts with a lime green polo-style short sleeve shirt.
I was attacked by this man today in broad daylight. I was walking down the street and when I spotted him in the distance I casually turned to cross the street. He followed me, snuck up behind me, assaulted me, and threatened to kill me. I am an 100 lb., 5’3 woman and I know the only reason I am ok is because I screamed bloody murder and all of the people on the street scared him off.
A bystander called an EMT as it was happening and instead a ton of cops showed up. They all know him and his history. I spoke to them and to his mother and asked if they would take him to Bellevue so he could be medically detoxed and medicated, but everyone was flippant.
I know who he is. I know his history. I live in Greenpoint. He’s stalked me on the street multiple times. It’s terrifying but I’ve always been able to dodge him. Until today.
I know how to sign. But I am also not trying to talk sense into someone who is saturated in alcohol with a history of violence and sexual assault. I could smell the booze on him today. But regardless, I’m 12 years sober and work in the recovery field. I know what an intoxicated person looks like. Every single time I have seen him on the street over the past year he has been wasted. Is he also mentally ill? Yes. Comorbidities exist. But he is also sadistic. (Don’t believe me about any of this? His instagram (@cbossarddom) has photos of K2, booze, and the Joker.) He targets women. Today he made it clear that he wanted to dominate me and kill me because I am a woman.
Something needs to be done here. I spoke to his mother and she tried to explain to me why he can’t go to Bellevue which was a load of BS. She is clearly not well and likely a victim of abuse as well, as she is enabling his drug and alcohol abuse and not getting her son treatment. I asked if she was his medical proxy, but could not get a clear answer.
Look, it would be naive to think that this is going away. He is either going to kill someone else or get himself killed. He should not be back in prison. He needs to be dried out, medicated, and monitored BEFORE he kills me, himself, or someone else. To those in our community who know his family, please be of service and let’s hold them accountable until he is properly treated. Let’s remind them that he is in danger just as much as our sisters in Greenpoint.
It sure sounds like Boissard has an enabling, possibly abusive family that helped to make him the person he’s been for at least 10 years,now. And that he is capable of stalking, and planning attacks, nothing is random or spontaneous here. The laws that prevent mental hospitals that are residential in nature must be reversed. There have been too many people either living on the street, or regularly living in a home, that aren’t able to live among others safely. Boissard is one of them- and locals, both at the city and state levels, must lodge complaints, the only way the police will be of help is if they take him to a mental institution and make sure he stays there! Usually,this would wind up as a just another police shooting eventually, that’s not the answer either. This situation is beyond just ” racist,ableist,fill- in- label here.” Have your legislature create humane,well run facilities for mental patients. It’s cheaper than prisons and police shootings and lawsuits!
Agreed, JS, that Boissard is indeed a misogynist with sadistic urges. He seems to know how to plan attacks, and the retreat to his parents’ apartment. It looks very strategic. This is why he needs to be placed in a mental institution with high security, with permanent custody of him. Nothing else will work. I’m sorry that happened to you, no one should fear being out in their own neighborhood. I heard about Boissard on the radio,in Los Angeles,CA., by the way. Some of this is Eric Adams’ fault. His priorities are skewed. Both homeless people and others who are mentally ill,need real assistance, instead he’s been giving many benefits to illegal immigrants instead.
I witnessed this man punch a woman today, in broad daylight, on the corner of Manhattan Ave and India Street as the woman was about to enter the subway. The assault happened really fast and the attacker disappeared quickly. I didn’t know this guy was a serial abuser until my girlfriend later told me about his history. Sure enough, this is the guy. I will be extra vigilant going forward knowing he’s around. Please be safe.