Floyd Smith, 65, and fellow members of the Concerned Citizens for the Rockaways spent a dozen weekends collecting well over 1,000 signatures on a petition requesting more lifeguards, extended hours for the rest rooms and a moratorium on raising the fee for parking at the federally run beach. There were good weekends, such as the one before the Memorial Day weekend when the group collected some 300 signatures. Others, like the first weekend in August when they got only 26 signatures, were not so good.
"Quite a number of the weekends were rainy, so we really couldn't operate," said Smith, who'd also like to see the boathouse restored to its past grandeur when it had showers and lockers available for beachgoers.
"It was originally a place where you could go and rent a locker for a quarter or half dollar or whatever, leave your clothes, take a shower and go to the beach and then, before you leave, take a shower and then go home," he said.
Concerned Citizens for the Rockaways draws attention to Jacob Riis Park
16 comments:
You aren't getting shit when you only have homeless people, junkies, prostitutes and garbage coming to your beaches!
"It was originally a place where you could go and rent a locker for a quarter or half dollar or whatever, leave your clothes, take a shower and go to the beach and then, before you leave, take a shower and then go home," he said."
Yeah 40 some years ago. Now that locker would be broken into and you would be mugged and possibly raped in the showers.
Also who would want to go to those beaches when the surrounding development in the Rockaways aside from anything West of Marine Parkway Bridge and anything gated looks like the Bronx did in the 70's.
I have been to Jacob Riis park with my dogs from time to time and if the residents don't care the city doesn't care. I saw abandoned cars, lots of garbage, people whom I would be walking the other way from.
Clean up the rest of the surrounding neighborhood and the beaches will follow.
Huh? I'm sure the residents of Neponsit and Belle Harbor - upscale neighborhoods both - would be astonished to learn that they live in a Bronx is Burning hellhole. Do you know the difference between Riis Park and the city beaches that stretch out to Far Rockaway (which, admittedly, are rougher but hardly 1977 rough)? And why do you even mention the city not caring? Riis is run the NATIONAL Park Service. You really have no idea, not even one, about what you're talking about, do you?
I did a bit of recreational bike riding around Riis and Fort Tilden in the past few weeks, and some swimming, too. I personally saw exactly no obviously homeless people, or junkies, or hookers, or "garbage." (How would you define that last, anyway?) The place did seem a little run down, though so I hope Floyd Smith is successful in his campaign. Also, wouldn't it be cool to extend the A shuttle out there. Apparently, Robert Moses in his infinite wisdom, wanted it to be accessible only to people with cars...
Whatever RW you are still an IA in my book.
I do know what I am talking about.
Thank you and have a nice day.
Faster340: Whatever RW you are still an IA in my book.
I do know what I am talking about.
By "IA" I take it you mean "Illegal Alien." Which, if I'm right, is yet another thing that you're wrong about and yet more evidence that you're bereft of all clues. (And your “book,” I'm sure, is full of colorful pictures, really big type, and really small words.) You know what you're talking about? Congratulations. I look forward to seeing slightest bit of evidence of that.
(Or course, if by "IA" you actually mean “Illuminating Archangel” then thank you and my apologies.)
"And why do you even mention the city not caring? Riis is run the NATIONAL Park Service."
Yeah, and if the city gave a shit, they would clean it up the surrounding neighborhoods to prevent the National Park from being turned into a sewer like Faster340 said. He talked about people you would walk away from, not "homeless people," which just shows Ridgewoodian's narrow-minded, knee-jerk thinking. The beaches owned by the city are not separated from those owned by the feds. It's all the same.
Hey RW I meant "Intellectual Asshole!" Wow you are so F@#$ed up and arrogant.
I said Rockaways, not Neponsit and Belle Harbor.
I am surprised your boyfriend Wade hasn't shown up to quibble with you. Whenever you make comments he's not far behind you and vice versa. Have you two gotten a room yet and consummated your relationship?
Oh thank you Anonymous #1 for clearing up the other items.
ANONYMOUS …if the city gave a shit, they would clean it up the surrounding neighborhoods to prevent the National Park from being turned into a sewer like Faster340 said.
Seriously, you guys should go out there before you start typing. The neighborhoods that border Jacob Riis Park – Neponsit and Belle Harbor – don’t really need a whole lot of cleanup. They’re pretty upscale. Personally, I don’t think the Rockaways start getting particularly sketchy until you get to the Cross Bay Bridge. And even then, I’ve hiked around Far Rockaway with no trouble and just today I biked from Beach 67th Street to the gates of Breezy Point and very little of it was notably scary. And this whole Arverne-by-the-Sea development might smooth out whatever rough edges remain. (Or go belly up and, one or the other.)
ANONYMOUS: The beaches owned by the city are not separated from those owned by the feds. It's all the same.
Actually, the boardwalk that runs along the city beaches ends a good twenty blocks or so before Riis Park. (Once again, I know this from personal experience – I rode it today.)
On the beach itself there’s a rather large fence that separates the city beach from Riis Park. You can see a picture of it HERE.
So, you’re wrong.
FASTER340: I said Rockaways, not Neponsit and Belle Harbor.
Well, the original story was about Jacob Riis Park and you did write:
I have been to Jacob Riis park with my dogs from time to time and if the residents don't care the city doesn't care. I saw abandoned cars, lots of garbage, people whom I would be walking the other way from.
Clean up the rest of the surrounding neighborhood and the beaches will follow.
So silly me for thinking you were talking about the area around Riis Park. What neighborhoods in the Rockaways ARE you talking about?
ANONYMOUS: He talked about people you would walk away from, not "homeless people," which just shows Ridgewoodian's narrow-minded, knee-jerk thinking.
Yeah, except his VERY FIRST sentence was, “You aren't getting shit when you only have homeless people, junkies, prostitutes and garbage coming to your beaches!” [Emphasis Added.] That’s what I was responding to.
FASTER340: I am surprised your boyfriend Wade hasn't shown up to quibble with you. Whenever you make comments he's not far behind you and vice versa. Have you two gotten a room yet and consummated your relationship?
Wade’s my stalker, I’m not his.
FASTER340: Hey RW I meant "Intellectual Asshole!"
AH! Well, I’d sure rather be an intellectual asshole than a dumbass asshole. And at least when I spew bullshit it’s bullshit based on facts.
"dumbass asshole"
Did you google that or come up with it yourself Mr. IA?
My "opinion" on this topic still stands. I am not changing it because you say otherwise.
Thank you.
Oh and by the way moron IA someone you would "walk away from" tried to mug me in broad daylight near Riis Park so you still think it's an upstanding area? Luckily my dogs barking scared the crackhead away. You really should STFU yourself. I also lived on this sliver of land for a number of years as well. So I DO have some experience in that neck of the woods.
Since Ridgewoodian has been there, he must know that these parks are all connected by a continuous street, that there is a huge parking area at Riis where the undesirables congregate and that the skels who shoot up at the abandoned nursing home at the end of the stretch don't have to hop the fence.
Instead he was up at 3am finding photos of fences on Wikipedia. What a fucking loser. I think he needs to take his medication because his ADHD seems to be in overdrive.
He knows everything about this place because...
"I did a bit of recreational bike riding around Riis and Fort Tilden in the past few weeks, and some swimming, too."
FASTER340: My "opinion" on this topic still stands. I am not changing it because you say otherwise.
You’re entitled to your opinion – this is the great American democracy after all. If you want to say that the sky is pink or the Masons run the world, I’m not going to stop you. What you’re not entitled to, though, is the least bit of respect from me when your opinion seems to have no particular relation to the observable facts of the world. And especially not when it seem to be more or less founded on a choking hatred of those whom you so blithely call “garbage.” So I’m going to go with the evidence of my own eyes and my own experience (no, I’m not a resident or a native of the Rockaways but I’ve become reasonably familiar with the areas around Riis Park over the last few years) until you can convince me through reasoned arguments – how about some crime statistics, say – that I’m wrong.
As for your little incident – if you’re as huge a cock in the park as you are online you probably deserve to get rolled. But let’s not blame the victim. You’re probably just an incredible pussy who can’t take care of himself in the big bad city.
Whatever, keep dreaming. Have a nice day...
You are still an IA... More like an A from the tone of your last comment.
I just want to know if the pitch & putt is open today 2/11/09.Called four different numbers,wiih no success. They should have times of operation on answering system.
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