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West Village Residents Demanding More Police Presence To Control Troublemakers

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Residents in the West Village say their neighborhood is being overrun with drug dealers and other young people looking for trouble.

"Especially from the outer boroughs and New Jersey," said David Poster, who has lived there for 33 years. "They are just creating havoc down here and nobody wants to touch it."

LISTEN: WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reports

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Residents marched on Sunday afternoon to call attention to the violence and other nefarious activities terrorizing their neighborhood. Some say they need more police to patrol the streets.

"It's outrageous. I'm seeing a copy right next to me here, which is an absolute shock. I usually never see them," one woman told WCBS 880. "Except when they're going in to get their free pizza at Baker Street Pizza."

One NYPD source told WCBS 880 that arrests in the Christopher Street area are actually the highest they've been in a long time.

Residents don't seem to notice, however.

"We seem to not be able to get through to the local politicians," another woman told WCBS 880.

A letter was circulating at the march from council speaker Christine Quinn calling on the commissioner to think about upping staff levels here in her district.

"It's a shame that people have to live like this," Poster added.

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