About Us

The St.Johns Community (SJCA) strives to develop a caring community dedicated to the well-being of its neighborhood residents by providing the advocacy, assistance, or improvements necessary for a safe, healthy, and enjoyable living environment.

In October 2010, a group of concerned residents from St. Johns Place, spearheaded by Randy Gresl, Nicolas Rossier, and Miriam Klein, convened at St. Episcopal Church to address safety concerns, rising traffic, and other community issues. A significant problem for residents was that St. John's (between 6th and 7th Ave) had become a shortcut for commercial vehicles following the completion of the Barclays Center. Our organization gathered over 100 signatures from residents and received support from various local entities, including St. John's Park Slope church, a kindergarten, Park Slope Neighbors, and our city and state representatives. In 2015, our petition succeeded, resulting in the installation of speed bumps on our street. However, our peace was short-lived as preparatory work for the BED798 Water Main construction began less than a year later, leading to mismanagement and numerous safety and health concerns voiced by Parklope residents. In the Fall of 2019, the SJCA hosted a Town Hall meeting attended by over 200 neighbors to discuss disruptions caused by the project, with Councilman Brad Lander and relevant agencies in attendance to address residents' concerns. Since then, SJCA has participated in over 30 special task forces with the DDC and other city agencies to address issues arising from construction sites. We have since led other efforts, from saving our local library to addressing pedestrian and traffic safety concerns. Additionally, our association has launched the annual "Clean Our Blocks" initiative.