The New York City Police Department’s Sixth Precinct last month held their now infamous meeting to address issues at Washington Square Park. It was heated and contentious and broke the norm for how issues related to this iconic Greenwich Village park have been handled over the last decade.
Washington Square Park Blog found the fact that the NYPD was taking lead on any issues at the park out of character to how previous issues had been handled. It was concerning, to say the least. Community Board 2 previously held jurisdiction, always. Why this flipped to the NYPD remains curious.
In the 13 years this blog has covered Washington Square Park, the NYPD has never taken lead this way.
WSP Blog has been critical at times regarding the manner the Community Board has addressed issues related to the park; there have, at times, been political factors which come into play. Nonetheless, it’s a process. Bypassing this reflects the scuttling of civilian mechanisms for deriving policy decisions. It leads to the “policing” of a public space.
Community Board Parks Committee Meeting Set for July 21st
Now, a month following that mid-June meeting – which seemed set up to intentionally provoke and inflame matters – the Community Board is stepping up and has scheduled a meeting on Wednesday, July 21st to discuss “the latest plans for enforcing the rules at Washington Square Park and the results to date.”
PARKS/WATERFRONT Rich Caccappolo, Chair
Wed., 7/21 @ 6:30 PM – MS 297, 75 Morton Street, Cafeteria
*Discussion on the latest plans for enforcing the rules at Washington Square Park and the results to date.
Location is 75 Morton Street between Hudson Street and Greenwich Street, Manhattan.
NYPD Previous Meeting Announcements
The manner in which the announcements for last month’s NYPD Sixth Precinct meeting were framed:
Previously at Washington Square Park Blog:
A Note from Washington Square Park Blog on the NYPD “Community” meeting June 17, 2021
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Are you people serious or just stupid.
How the hell are you or NYPD making anything better. Explain to me why there is a protected area for Crack sellers to still be in the park operating with immunity and in the same space Crack smokers are free to light up. I guess they love having these people having a safe haven.
The problem is they have been allowed to get so comfortable they have set up gang control of the area, their safe haven given to them by NYPD, NYU and your community board. You all treated the Marijuana sellers in the past ten times worst than you are now treating these hard drug dealers, isn’t cocain illegal anymore and why are they allowed to sell in the park. If you want to keep it going so bad you have to allow them to do it anywhere but in the park. Make the penalty so severe they will never even consider it. That’s if you really want to stop it.
I say that to say this, you have given them so much freedom to sell their Crack, they are evolving and looking at you all as dummies. It’s a small handful that call themselves bloods. They are into selecting victims of their terror as they please mostly people looking like tourist and other people competing for the many Crack smokers lucrative almost legal business, thanks to you people who are claiming victory. You have basically two maybe three groups who are allowed by the Crack dealers to be in the area. You have the card players, they don’t trouble people or deal drugs, most of them are older working men just hanging out playing cards with old friends. Then you have the different dealers occupying the chest tables. They control the area not the police or the park rangers. They arrange and carry out the robbing, the gun butting and beatings, who can and can’t come into the park. Then you have the customers the Crack heads.
I have to wonder if the police really want to clear these people out from the public space knowing they are doing these things. I am sure that they want to keep them selling drugs while they watch. These is no way you can see a stone Crack head come into the area go to people or sit down 2 to 5 minutes then leave and you don’t know that they bought Crack, this goes on all day. So they know and the Crack sellers know that they know. The Crack sellers call them idiots, stupid ass holes while they sell and rob and extort innocent people who might want to chill out and relax in the park and not know they are in a place reserved for Crack selling and Crack sellers. Why, why.
The is these sellers are from different boroughs and are in the park relaxed and comfortable intimidating other tax paying citizens, by scaring them by performing violent beat downs in their presence or scaring them to leave the area. If you want them to stay and continue plying their ware,Crack. At least let them work earn the money. They should be walking around when serving their customers not in the comfort of the park often times protected by the police watching them but doing nothing.
Like I said the solution is
1. Allow no Crack selling anywhere in the park.
2. The punishment is, on the first offense you will be banned for 6 months. Second time you are banned for life.
3. If you are affiliated with any gang and caught selling Crack in the park you are banned for life.
4. At changes in shifs the new shif gets the tablet with the data base of all the banned people and those warned or with violations, so everyone knows who is who.
It’s simple if you’re interested in making changes and sorting out the mess. If not you let it continue like it is with the criminals doing what they want while calling you all idiots.
I have heard regular citizens who have been victimized talking about how to end these Crack dealers reign of terror over them and their neighbors because the police and nyu don’t seem to care anymore. Maybe July or August, I just heard a part of their conversation before the moved to another location.
I just wanted you to know that it’s about time you guys helped the law abiding tax payers not the law breaking Crack sellers.
Fed up.
Concerned
Worried
Need help
Regular everyday guy begging for your help by doing something anything to get these criminal Crack sellers from operating with immunity from inside the park. It’s only happening in the area that the police gave them as a safe haven and a red light area for them to operate without fear of prosecution. Which is ridiculous, now they are more powerful than the police. They have guns close by if they are beating and gun butting people on a regular basics.
Hell yeah you’re exactly right but who’s making the money who is making the sick money