Aug. 26, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan is calling on Mayor de Blasio and city and state agencies to create a task force to combat crime and anti-social behavior along the Hunters Point waterfront.
The lawmaker said that people have been flouting the law at Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunters Point South Park this summer and the area has become hazardous for residents and visitors.
Nolan wants the city to convene a task force to address residents’ concerns, adding that action on the problem is long overdue. She is opposed to a plan by a group of residents to hire a private security firm to combat the problem– saying these quality-of-life issues are best left in the hands of city and state agencies.
“I have been in communication with the Mayor’s office over the summer and I am calling on Mayor de Blasio, City and State Parks departments, Community Board 2, the 108th precinct, and the Patrol Borough leadership of Queens North to immediately convene a task force that will ensure coordinated efforts to keep residents and visitors safe and secure,” Nolan said in a statement.
Nolan called on the Hunters Point Park Conservancy, a local volunteer group that oversees the parks, to lead the task force.
Nolan said she has witnessed some of the vandalism first-hand and said she shares residents’ concerns.
“Loud noise at night, along with illegal fireworks is happening far too often,” Nolan said.
“There are many food trucks with no social distancing, all-terrain vehicles riding within the park and on public sidewalks, and broken glass and drug paraphernalia from illegal parties and pop-up after-hours ‘clubs,’” she added.
Empty alcohol bottles and plastic cups left over from a party (Photo provided by Hunters Point South Residents Facebook page)
The call for the task force comes as tension among residents in the area mount.
Some residents have formed a group and hired a private security firm to start patrolling the walkway outside both parks. The security firm will starting patrolling the area Thursday.
The group said that the security will act as a deterrent to crowds gathering at the parks when they close at 10 p.m. They said they have been left with little choice but to hire a security firm because the NYPD isn’t policing the area enough and they feel unsafe.
However, a separate group of residents slammed the move and launched an online petition opposing the private security initiative.The opponents say that the initiative is racist arguing that minorities who come from outside of the area will be targeted.
Nolan said the creation of a task force is a better way to address the problem.
“I recommend this approach before any efforts to secure private security, which I personally would not recommend at this time,” Nolan said.
Advocates of the security initiative have welcomed Nolan’s call for a task force but said it would take time to set up and they are continuing with their plans to bring on a security team Thursday.
“As a community, we are proceeding with security efforts and again, it’s going to be added support to the community to help deter the disruption, encourage constructive activity and encourage the well-being for all,” Yolanda Tristancho, a resident and organizer of the security initiative said.
Tristancho said the security firm’s approach will not be aggressive and her group wants a peaceful solution to the problem.
“We want a safe waterfront for residents and visitors alike,” Tristancho said.
Hunters Point South Residents Facebook page
The Hunters Point Park Conservancy said that it is also concerned about crime at the parks and said that it is committed to working with all stakeholders to rectify the current problems.
“The Conservancy is extremely upset when we see the parks littered with empty liquor bottles, fireworks residue, and the results of fires that have damaged park infrastructure,” the HPPC said in a statement.
“Additionally, we, like many people living in the Hunters Point South neighborhood, have been woken up repeatedly throughout the night by loud music, fireworks and drag racing on Center Boulevard.”
The organization says that it has been in contact with the NYPD 108th Precinct and various agencies throughout the summer looking to address the problem.
“We believe more effective enforcement of park polices are required, especially during the night and on weekends to stem these disruptive problems,” the HPPC said.
“The Conservancy is committed to working with all concerned stakeholders to solve the problems we collectively face.”
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34 Comments
Is Nolan living in a closet?ALL THAT HAS TO BE DONE IS HAVE PDNY and STATE TROOPERS DO THEIR JOB!THERE’S NO MONEY FOR A B.S. COMMISSION
Come on she knows that will never happen. DiBlasio out of touch. Gantry park turning into a dangerous place.
How about the STATE POLICE PROTECT NYS property and ENFORCE STATE PARK RULES and LAWS!Instead of hiring privite security THEY SHOULD BE SUING THE MAYOR and GOVERNOR for NOT DOING THEIR JOBS!It’s just a matter of months before we return TO THE CRIME/MURDER RATES THAT OCCURRED 1975 THRU 1993 which started with NOT ENFORCING/PROSECUTING LOW LEVEL CRIMES.JUST KEEP IN MIND THE CITY ,STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S are ALL BROKE.SO UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO 2200 MURDERS a YEAR WAKE UP
They spend hours protesting every weekend, they don’t have time to police the park
Oh wait, they are. Have they tried enforcing the law here? ?
Wahahhahahahahahhauaua you guys want special treatment hahahahahahhahahah
Those Hennessy bottles answer all your questions.
The security officers will not be the answer they will not risk their life if people pull guns or knives on them.
I believe they will just be there to call the cops on people breaking the law. Kind of like having a guard dog ? that does not bark but crawls into bed with you and wakes you up in case an intruder breaks into to your home.
If the NYPD could clean up city hall last month and get rid of Occupy city hall, the drug addicts, the garbage, the graffiti and homeless then they can do more to protect and clean up our parks.
Why would a police officer risk getting fired and jailed for trying to perform their job? As long as the people in NYC are still supporting these ideas the NYPD is acting rationally. Would you avoid doing a task at your job if it had a high probability of ruining your life? Of course.
The budget should stay the same though ?
We are in the middle of a pandemic. So many people are unemployed, schools are closed, people do not have money to survive and the future is uncertain for so many. Obviously some people are frustrated and have anxiety. The youth is eager to socialize and not everyone can afford outside dining and drinking. If people are not physically hurting themselves or each other just let things be. Garbage can be cleaned and graffiti can be erased. Let people enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine. So many people have been released from prison due to bail reform, covid 19 and overcrowding and here some are complaining about people socializing and partying at the park and want the cops involved. Do they actually think the police can do anything about it without consequences? All the police would do if they showed up is give them a warning and maybe ticket some. Which would lead to some people acting up and fighting with the cops. Unless someone is in danger the police are not going to get involved. If hunters point is going to get a city funded task force then so should every park in NYC. i doubt the city has the money for all this unless people are fine with the middle class paying for all these programs through higher taxes. At this point in time we must pick and choose our battles. I choose to stick around but my sister packed up and left for the suburbs.
Thanks for reminding us we are in a pandemic. Some of us take that very seriously and act accordingly.
Mist of us older folks are careful unless we follow Trump’s examples. But the young need to get out and have fun. Its a part of growing up. I know in my 20’s i was so carefree and hardly worried about my health. I smoked like a chimney and drank every night. Let the young have fun. They have enough on their minds. My mom always said have fun while your young because life is short. Who knows if we will ever find a vaccine.
You and I probably didn’t grow up during a pandemic.
You’re right, we may never find a vaccine. Even if we do, a sizable chunk of people won’t take it.
Still no vaccine for HIV/Aids either.
Great!..invite them over to your apartment and enjoy!..I need to get some sleep to go to work and church the next day.
Pandemic?! The survival rate is 99.94%. The average age of Covid death in the US is 78. Unless one has co-morbidities, one has virtually nothing to worry about vis a vis Covid. If I were to be eaten by a shark while swimming off the Long Island shore, my death would be attributed to Covid. There is NO “Pandemic.” There IS a great deal of social control and usurpation of power and Constitutional rights. Turn off the damn televisions.
Denial of the pandemic won’t make it go away. You’re seriously wrong on your alternate “facts.”
No, dear one, it is your “facts” that are wrong.
According to liberal ABC news, the CDC itself says that 94% of “Covid deaths” had underlying conditions.
“Coronavirus latest: 94% of COVID deaths in US had underlying conditions, CDC says.”
Sorry.
Ronald Reagan observed, “It isn’t that our Democratic friends are wrong; it’s that they believe so much that isn’t true.”
The CDC classifies COVID-19 as a pandemic because the epidemic that started in Wuhan spread across several countries. It has now affected over 24 million people worldwide. So by definition, it IS a pandemic.
It affects kids as well as the elderly, and can have long-lasting effects throughout the body, even if it doesn’t kill you or me. Big mistake early on was assuming only the elderly can die from it.
We’re learning more about this disease every day, so stay informed. Maybe you should speak to your doctor or a health care worker directly to get your facts straight, rather than falling for fake conspiracy theories. I recently visited someone in a hospital on Long Island, and hospitals rightly are taking take this disease very seriously.
Covid-19 doesn’t care about politics. It affects us all, and many people have co-morbidities. Wear a mask, wash your hands and practice social distancing. How hard is that, my fellow American?
demic
[panˈdemik]
ADJECTIVE
pandemic (adjective)
(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.
synonyms:
widespread · prevalent · pervasive · rife · rampant · epidemic · universal · global
NOUN
pandemic (noun) · pandemics (plural noun)
an outbreak of a pandemic disease.
“the results may have been skewed by an influenza pandemic”
The key word is, “prevalent.” It isn’t prevalent. The numbers simply aren’t there. Covid19 deaths statistics pale in comparison to 1968’s Hong Kong Flu; and, are made positively puny compared to the Spanish Flu of 1917-1919. The CDC reported that, out of 168,000+ deaths attributed to Covid between 1-1-2020 and 8-30-2020, in a country of 330 million, only 9,401 were because of Covid and nothing else. All of these deaths were tragic to the families involved; but, were they justification enough to murder a $225 trillion economy? I don’t think so. How many millions have died, and will die, as a result of this rapid and endless destruction of the status quo? How many deaths from suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence, increased crime, civil unrest, people untreated–or those afraid to be treated–for other illnesses, and hunger? How many lives ruined from lost businesses, lost savings, lost investments, and the psychological torture of not being able to make a living, see family or friends, or move forward with one’s life in any way remotely similar to what one has always known? You might want to compare the destruction that the response to Covid has wrought to Covid itself: A relatively severe flu year versus the destruction of the world as we knew it. I have spoken to my doctor. Actually, doctors. 7 0f 9 (various specialties) say that Covid, and the response to it, is a lot of nonsense. Five spoke about our rights being trampled in the US specifically without my asking.
Look, you can believe whatever you want. John Kerry said that, “In America, people have the right to be stupid.” And, he ought to know. Call me a “conspiracy theorist if it makes you feel better about your world view. While I respect you as a fellow child of God, American, and neighbor, I don’t respect your politics and I don’t know you; so, you can’t inflict an insult that wounds. I would just say to you, my annoyingly certain liberal friend, that you might want to broaden your sources of information. Perhaps the ground you stand on isn’t as firm as you think it is.
[panˈdemik]
ADJECTIVE
pandemic (adjective)
(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.
synonyms:
widespread · prevalent · pervasive · rife · rampant · epidemic · universal · global
NOUN
pandemic (noun) · pandemics (plural noun)
an outbreak of a pandemic disease.
“the results may have been skewed by an influenza pandemic”
The key words is, “pervasive.” It isn’t pervasive or prevalent. It sure as heck ain’t rife or rampant. The numbers simply aren’t there. Covid19 deaths statistics pale in comparison to 1968’s Hong Kong Flu; and, are made positively puny compared to the Spanish Flu of 1917-1919. The CDC reported that, out of 168,000+ deaths attributed to Covid between 1-1-2020 and 8-30-2020, in a country of 330 million, only 9,401 were because of Covid and nothing else. All of these deaths were tragic to the families involved; but, were they justification enough to murder a $225 trillion economy? I don’t think so. How many millions have died, and will die, as a result of this rapid and endless destruction of the status quo? How many deaths from suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence, increased crime, civil unrest, people untreated–or those afraid to be treated–for other illnesses, and hunger? How many lives ruined from lost businesses, lost savings, lost investments, and the psychological torture of not being able to make a living, see family or friends, or move forward with one’s life in any way remotely similar to what one has always known? You might want to compare the destruction that the response to Covid has wrought to Covid itself: A relatively severe flu year versus the destruction of the world as we knew it. I have spoken to my doctor. Actually, doctors. 7 0f 9 (various specialties) say that Covid, and the response to it, is a lot of nonsense. Five spoke about our rights being trampled in the US specifically without my asking.
Look, you can believe whatever you want. John Kerry said that, “In America, people have the right to be stupid.” And, he ought to know. Call me a “conspiracy theorist if it makes you feel better about your world view. While I respect you as a fellow child of God, American, and neighbor, I don’t respect your politics and I don’t know you; so, you can’t inflict an insult that wounds. I would just say to you, my annoyingly certain liberal friend, that you might want to broaden your sources of information. Perhaps the ground you stand on isn’t as firm as you think it is.
Dueling plans to do nothing.
Deblasio? Quality of life? I don’t see the connection.
Gantry Park is a state park and falls under the jurisdiction State Parks Police, where are they ?
Guarding comrade Cuomo .
Trump lovers don’t really do subtlety
It’s truly a great mystery that the police do not want to get involved. Really baffles my mind.
just hunterspoint!? this craps all over western queens thanks to your hotels turned homeless shelters filled with people who dont give a sh$t about society. Our politicians suck, this headline shines light on the problem.
Task force to help some of the most expensive real estate in NYC while other are left to fend for themselves. Dems are so soft in crime w their bail BS, I am forced to vote republican this year because dems have no damn backbone.
A formation of a task force is a good suggestion from Nolan, getting the city and the state agencies and the community involved to fix this. Putting out a public statement and engaging with the press is better than a string of tweets and hiding out. But I worry about anything that requires the Mayor’s hand, since his are full with school opening issues and Covid.
Unfortunately it took the threat of hiring a private security firm to get attention.
Don’t need a task force. Just let the cops do their jobs and put an end to that bail “reform.”
Gantry is a state park. Need clarification on who can enforce the laws of the park. See posts on LIC post — seems especially creepy after dark.