Monday, May 15, 2023

Mayor Adams visits Tompkins Square Park

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

On Friday morning, Mayor Adams toured Tompkins Square Park, where he met with several local elected officials, community leaders and business owners to discuss various issues, including the state of Tompkins Square Park.

It was part of the Mayor's "Get Stuff Done" campaign (there's a podcast titled that too). While this was not an official media event, EVG contributor Stacie Joy was in the Park and shared these photos of the Mayor's tour...
During the walk-through, which lasted nearly 45 minutes, the Mayor fielded questions about the former P.S. 64/CHARAS at 605 E. Ninth St. ... and drug use, homelessness and unpermitted late-night parties in Tompkins Square Park...he also received an update about the reconstruction of the Tompkins Square Park field house...
And via social media... Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera was also by the Mayor's side and thanked him for the visit. "We look forward to continued partnership to improve quality of life and well-being in our communities."
While a few hecklers were in the Park, the tour and conversation were seen as positive by those in attendance...

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Make him 1 term. Bad for the people.

Anonymous said...

LOL!

Anonymous said...

That was a whole lot of hot air & glad-handing; it cost them nothing to make a "show" out of being there.

I want to see RESULTS.

Neighbor said...

I hope he also took note of all of the graffiti everywhere... And the trash... and the junkies... Here's hoping this leads to some positive change beyond just gardeners (which we also desperately need)

Anonymous said...

I am glad that the Mayor has found time to come and view Thompkins Square Park which has been very neglected in recent years. I just hope it is not another photo opportunity for him and LES/EV residents like me who go to the park regularly see meaningful and long-lasting changes to the park such as more garbage pick-ups, maintenance & repairs and a stronger police and NYC Parks Enforcement presence in the park to deal with the extensive drug use and criminal element who seems to camp out in the park on a daily basis.

Anonymous said...

Good on him for doing it without it being for media coverage. It needs to start somewhere and the fact that he took out time to see for himself and speak with the people on the ground is a good start.

Anonymous said...

We have a not-so-closeted Republican Governor, a City Councilperson about whom the less said the better, and who-da thunk we could do worse than BdeB for Mayor? Why does California/San Francisco get all the appropriately progressive reps?

Anonymous said...

Thank the lord we are not run by people like the people that run San Francisco. People actually sincerely wishing that looking at how much of a mess it is there???

Anonymous said...

San Francisco? you should watch the CNN special titled ' what happened to San francisco?" In SF this park would be full of tents.

Anonymous said...

Hands down shittiest park (of its size and distinction) in the whole city.
I weep for it.

Anonymous said...

not my mayor

TSP Neighbor said...

Better to get some attention for Tompkins Square Park than to be ignored. Everyone complains about the neglected TSP, but then complains when TSP gets some political attention. TSP is fighting for budget dollars with other city parks and services. So, even though I am not a big fan of his, I say thank you to Mayor Adams. And a big thank you to Susan Stetzer and others from our Community Board 3, and to Assembly Member Harvey Epstein for helping to make it happen.

Anonymous said...

Got my vote for 2nd term already

Anonymous said...

Whom did you vote for?

Anonymous said...

Not lazy, this one. He's the Everything Everywhere All at Once mayor.

Anonymous said...

Did he and Carlina check out the bathrooms? Didn't think so.

Mal said...

Good that the park got attention certainly better then no attention. But I will say one thing that is very frustrating. If You are going to spend money to reseed the lawn...go the extra step and CLOSE IT OFF or at least put up more then 3 little orange signs, I was only aware of the seeding because of EV Grieve. I went the next day and of course the lawn was filled with unaware or don't care people. Anyway, I have noticed some things for the better in TSP and will always hold out hope things improve.

Anonymous said...

The whole park needs to be revamped. Crooked badly paved walkways need to be replaced with stone. No grass anywhere. Ugly fencing from 100 years ago put in there from preventing people from gathering needs to go to. New benches would be nice too.

Sarah said...

Ugh, this clown.

Chris Flash said...

Look at all of the oily career politicians joining the SAME handful of "quality-of-life" MISFITS who constantly make FALSE complaints about Tompkins Square Park in order to achieve their personal and political agendas.

We are in our park just about EVERY day, at ALL hours. Anyone who actually hangs out in our park KNOWS that there are NO "illegal" parties (there were gatherings during the "covidmania" shutdown, but not since, yet the misfits STILL whine about them). There are NO homeless encampments either. There are the occasional substance abusers, just like there is all over the city, yet these misfits think that closing off sections of our park is the solution.

These misfits and political aspirants always use our park as a soap box to justify their existence and as a stepping stone toward election and higher office. They are fooling NO ONE, other than those who never step foot in our park!

If the mayor REALLY wanted to see what goes on in our park, he could send any one of his staffers to spend some time there at various hours of the day, without revealing who they are. Adams would then find that he is being BULLSHITTED by those trying to use our park, just like Antonio Pagan's gang of misfits, for their own political ends.

Giovanni said...

Let’s just call TSP what it really is: The Shittiest Park. I don’t know what anyone goes there anymore, unless you need a convenient place to shoot up while laying on the ground, or else you really enjoy the smell of dog urine. Until the park is complement renovated and maintained, it will remain one of the most craptastic places ever.

Anonymous said...

What are you smoking, Chris? The problems in TSP are long and very real. The grass is non-existent, we don't get regular gardening, the sidewalks are a mess with potholes and bumps, we don't have existing bathrooms, the lighting is mixed, there are junkies regularly shooting up on the southwest corner, traffic pickup is not frequent enough. There is so much potential in TSP and thankfully people still use it frequently but it DEFINITELY has issues that need to be addresses.

Anonymous said...

I guess I'm fooled. Our former mayor wouldn't be caught dead travelling through or past the east village unless he was in his limo on the way to the gym in Brooklyn. Good for him for trying.

Anonymous said...

I attended the walk through. The Mayor is a New York Democrat who wants to run the city — and that means administering a park with basic rules and common sense enforcement: no needles in your arm, closing the gates at midnight, no alcohol, no encampments, etc.

And then we have our local electeds who are progressive socialists that have other ideas.

They don’t want the rules enforced for the addicted, alcoholic, mentally ill or shelter community. They don’t want them policed or removed from the park at night. The gave orders to the precinct not to stop hard drug use (shooting up) in the park so that outreach services can reach these communities, hand out clean needles and gain their trust.

The Mayor began the walk through by telling our electeds he doesn’t want a repeat of last summer. And if he invests more resources in the park, then he expects our electeds to have his back — as well as support the precinct if they have to enforce basic rules

Chris Flash said...

Giovanni: The only "shitty" thing about our park is the nasty fecal-laden dust, piss smell and effluvia coming from the dog run. Otherwise, though it would be really GREAT if our park was allocated the same resources and budget as other city parks, Tompkins Square Park is a wonderful park.

AnonymASS 11:57: That's a question that should be asked of YOU. I hang and pass through the SW corner of the park just about every day, several times a day, at all hours. I have yet to see ONE person shooting up there. Sometimes, homeless and marginal people hang there (they are not "encampments") - do THEY not have an equal right to use our park? Like I said, the park does need more resources and money for amenities and infrastructure, including trash, grass and bathrooms, but otherwise, all the claims about "illegal" parties, homeless encampments and junkies shooting up are TOTAL BULLSHIT.

Why don't you try actually spending some TIME in our park before regurgitating LIES spewed by career politicians and political aspirants addicted to matching funds and those attempting to further gentrification and higher rents by removing "undesirables" from our park?

Anonymous said...

Wow! At least Mayor Adams wants to improve Tompkins Square Park. The last mayor (deBlasio) I saw in Tompkins Square Park was in 2017 when he ran for re-election and he campaigned with Carlina. They only visited the playground to meet voters.

Sarah said...

The Mayor is a cop and a landlord, not to mention corrupt. No thank you!

TSP could use some more attention and care, but it's weird to see people with such a vested interest in believing that their neighborhood is a hellhole. Go any weekend and you'll see that TSP remains quite popular with people who aren't just attending to bodily needs.

Anonymous said...

Is this some kind of bid of confidence to see Charas plucked by the right folk$ ?

Anonymous said...

He should come back in mid summer and do a walk

hackygolucky said...

Our kids are at Tompkins most days after school and on the weekends. It's a place of community for us, and people are tripping acting like it's so terrible that you can't walk through it in broad daylight. The neighborhood still watches out for each other, and even the folks referenced here as the Trouble keep to themselves and are just looking for their own help or space


Cop mayor isn't doing anything for us and the cops watch and have watched bad shit go down and literally stand and stare as it happens. We don't need more cops.

A lot of the parks people know and love in this city that are so beautiful and pristine? They have private conservancies that raise money to help get projects done, fund gardeners and maintenance, because the city won't fund any of it properly. Can you imagine TSP holding a fundraising gala like MSP or Central Park? Lolol

Anonymous said...

Mayor Adams and Carlina Rivera there are temp agencies for re- election. Potential lifetime politicians apply. TV experience a plus. No photo ops. Destruction of parks. Visit. Repent. CHECK.