From the Queens Gazette:Residents and pianists of Astoria were greeted with a disturbing sight on Saturday, June 26 at Athens Square Park upon the discovery that one of the pianos placed last week by the organization Sing For Hope had been completely destroyed.
“It’s an unfortunate event,” Sing For Hope’s Chris Herbert said. “The piano was removed, however, we hope to be able to bring a replacement to Athens Square Park soon.”
On June 21, the pianos were installed in sixty locations across the five boroughs of New York City. Presented by the nonprofit organization Sing For Hope, the program called, “Play Me, I’m Yours” allows New Yorkers from all walks of life and visitors from around the globe to engage in making music right on the city’s streets. In Western and Central Queens, six pianos were placed in neighborhoods with large and multi-cultural populations. The locations include Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Athens Square Park in Astoria, Rufus King Park in Jamaica, Hoffman Playground in Elmhurst and on 37th Avenue in front of the Jackson Heights Post Office.
The badly vandalized piano at Athens Square Park, 30th Street and 30th Avenue, had all of its keys and part of its inner gears removed.
19 comments:
Its probably those skateboard stoners who think they own the place.
They should buy a lousy camera to capture the scum that did this if they plan to bring a replacement piano.
It's an admirable program but unrealistic.
There are schools who would die to receive a piano - why was that not considered?
The schools are receiving the pianos after the exhibit is finished. Well, except for this one.
What the hell did they think was going to happen?
What a ludicrous idea. The person(s) in Sing For Hope responsible for this idea has their head buried far up their bum.
it's called a security camera. duh.
I could have predicted this, but am still upset it happened.
Yeah, this was a good effort, but the outcome was inevitable. I am surprised, however, that it lasted as long as it did.
I'm not surprised that this has happened, but it still pisses me off.
They really ought to rethink leaving the remaining pianos out - especially with the 4th and fireworks just ahead.
look for the keys and inner works on Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn, they were most likely sold to the burgeoning metal recycling industry.
We call them Crows, the guys who snatch anything of value off the street, for sale by the pound. It's a "green job of the future".
how multi cultural... vandalism, ripping off the metal to raise money for drug use....was there some ugly graffiti on the piano too?
It's ridiculous to offer public pianos to a society that can't keep subways and public restrooms clean. It's like casting pearls before swine.
The genius that thought this was a good idea has a job, while so many others are unemployed. Grand idea.
They clearly went after the ivory keys, brass sustain blocks and pedals.
It also may have had an aged top quality sheet spruce soundboard.
And yep it probably wont be the last, what a stupid idea. You cant leave a piano outside unattended. Kids are going to make a racket messing with it and somebody's going to stomp it out
Remember there are many more of these around the city, there is one in Long Island City near the towers. You don't see that one getting vandalized. I'm not surprised this happened in Astoria. Then they wonder why they can't have nice things.
I am not surprised. Having worked in the parks for many years I have seen so much vandalism. Even in the upscale neighborhoods, there is no respect for community or private property. I remember working in a park in Howard beach 20 years ago, where after school children were pulling out ornamental plants and throwing them about. The parents said nothing. I yelled at the parents. Another time, the neighborhood teens were ripping the bark off the young trees,and breaking the branches. I reprimanded them and they just laughed. I tried to explain that, in the heat of the summer, you are going to need the shade these trees can provide. They ignored me and kept up there destruction. These people are grown now, with kids of there own.
30th Avenue & 30th Street - sounds like a scraggly white dude who moved here from bumble-f*ck middle America trying to make it as some stupid artist ripping apart a piano and making sh*t art from it drinking PBT and wearing leggings
Athens Square has always been a problem place with litter and noise and skaterboarders and ...
but, as is so typical in Astoria, their reality is not dictated by, well, reality, its dictated by the third stringers that run that place.
The skateboarder bashing is gratuitous. It looks deliberately stripped, not vandalized in the way a group of knuckleheaded kids might destroy something.
What a bummer, in any event. But I probably wouldn't replace it; there's just not enough foot traffic around there late at night to deter vandals/thieves.
Post a Comment