From the Daily News:Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is an alluring destination for Queens residents seeking carefree summer fun.
But the lack of security officers patrolling the borough's largest park has some advocates and parkgoers worried, especially with the number of serious crimes reported there climbing in recent years.
The problem is more acute during the summer, advocates say, because Parks Enforcement Patrol officers must also cover the borough's beaches and pools.
But even during other times of the year, no PEP officers are assigned full-time to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, said Geoff Croft of NYC Park Advocates.
Croft and other community members said the lack of officers there leaves the 1,255-acre park vulnerable to crime.
Out of the Parks Department's 139 PEP officers in Queens, Croft said, only eight were available to patrol all of the borough's parks on any given day this June.
...Police Department figures show that felonies reported in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park have increased 88% in the last three years, from 16 in 2006 to 30 in 2008.
"It's worse than it was years ago," [Joseph Puleo, vice president of Local 983 of District Council 37] said about the crime and how much of it goes unreported.
Puleo, who regularly meets with union members, said workers have come across people in the park who are injured or who appear to have been in a scuffle and yet decline medical attention, or shy away from reporting a problem to authorities.
For example, "if there's gang violence, they don't want to provoke retaliation," said Puleo.
The growing population of undocumented immigrants in the community is also a contributing factor, he said. Crime victims fear drawing attention to themselves and risking deportation.
Having fewer PEP officers in such a huge space only worsens the situation, he said.
Cheryl Huber, director of research at New Yorkers for Parks, a group that monitors crimes in parks, said Flushing Meadows-Corona Park doesn't get as much attention because it doesn't have as many private organizations funding security measures. For example, the Central Park Conservancy foots the bill for additional patrols there.
"That's a civil rights issue," Croft said. "You have certain parks in wealthier neighborhoods that are able to buy city services."
Geoffrey Croft also wrote an Op-Ed on the subject.
11 comments:
Stay away after sundown, nearly half the lights are out.But visit the area near the tennis center.Must be about 25 diesel/ emergency lighting modules spewing noxious fumes...........nice.
There are a number of reasons here:
1. 311 is a placebo which gives the naive an outlet and the crafty a way to play with statistics
2. big contrast in this city between rich and poor, and if you confine yourself to your community and your work place, and never get to the other boros, you will be clueless
3. (undocumented) immigrants
4. stupidity coupled with an absolute refusal to hold your local council person responsible for anything.
For example, to tie these points together, look at this pathetic thread on Astorians.com where they discuss the trash problem in the emgerging ghetto of Astoria, careful not to mention certain groups and mindful to tidy up after they have been there:
http://www.astorians.com/community/index.php?topic=15915.0
You want see an officer get assigned until someone gets raped
I think much crime in immigrant areas remains unreported.
Look at Monsterrat and how he all but is getting off the hook, and he is a high profile case.
If you plan on visiting FMCP after sundown, for some insane reason, be sure to BYOG (bring your own gun)!
Forget about Bela Lugosi's fantastical vampire minions biting you on the neck.
But certainly beware of those very earthly "colorful, vibrant," 3rd world loiterers who might be intent on preying upon late night strollers.
Anyone remember the woman who was abducted (and I think raped)...then about to be murdered by a bunch of Latino men living in a shack near the LIRR tracks?
If it weren't for the quick intervention of her mate who brought the police her throat would have been cut!
Si bueno...another contribution of illegal, undocumented aliens.
Great photo of a "PEP"py officer!
All personnel are at the High Line! What a dirty shame.
astorias.comNOT !--thanks for that link/website--oooooh the humanity ! where do THEY come from ? and which is worse ? yuptardians or illegals ?
Flushing Meadows is summer home of makeshift tarp and tent homes for illegal immigrant families. Many of these illegals are men who drink heavily and are threathening to the average legal residents who on off days seek out cool areas of the park to escape the heat. Unfortunately the park is poorly protected and I advise any park-goer her to be within eye and ear shot of only the busyiest areas - Hall of Science, zoo and fountains. If you are female do not - even in groups of females enter this park for you personal safety. Young boys should not enter this park with bicycles or skate boards - you will be beaten and robbed. This SOP in this park and has been for the last 30 years.
I donin no wha ya tooken abou. Thees place, it good place to take de checkas an hav a goo time.
Mucho better then my coontri.
astorias.comNOT !--thanks for that link/website--oooooh the humanity ! where do THEY come from ? and which is worse ? yuptardians or illegals ?
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I think the website is run by machine hack wannabes or real estate types - every time there is a serious discussion, they drive the person from the board or make fun of them.
Then they either start comparing the community to Manhattan or start to speculate about the new gay bar that opened (and discuss in depth the merits of calling it such)
http://www.astorians.com/community/index.php?topic=16032.0
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