tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post6163952545693313949..comments2024-03-29T01:38:51.887-04:00Comments on EV Grieve: Observer editors write, 'it's time to take back Tompkins Square Park'Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-60002427916614732992015-07-21T19:16:46.645-04:002015-07-21T19:16:46.645-04:00This is the cops running protection for real estat...This is the cops running protection for real estate investments. <br /><br />In Tompkins Square Park, to paraphrase Walt Whitman, all are welcome here, and we all get along -- from the homeless to those paying the market rates. <br /><br />People that need it have been coming here for many decades for their free meals. The homeless have as much right to the park as the Red Tailed Hawks. <br /><br />I'm a regular in the park for 35 years. Cops should get out of their cars and walk the park. They might get to know people.<br /><br />Remove that obscene cop tower now!Bobby Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-74936245555502531892015-07-16T14:58:34.615-04:002015-07-16T14:58:34.615-04:00I think the valuable thing about this editorial is...I think the valuable thing about this editorial is that it contains some really good ideas and some pretty bad ones. Rather than support or dismiss the piece whole cloth, I think it would be worthwhile to engage in a productive discussion about what the piece gets right and what it gets wrong.Chad M.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-29675001352202841212015-07-16T14:40:44.227-04:002015-07-16T14:40:44.227-04:00"Shopping cart alcoholics" aren't th..."Shopping cart alcoholics" aren't the problem with the Men's bathroom and just outside it, the open-air heroin trade is. It's dangerous, disgusting, and 20 feet from a playground.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-89099600683837150682015-07-16T10:42:04.120-04:002015-07-16T10:42:04.120-04:00@July 15, 2015 at 10:41 PM wrote "undeniable ...@July 15, 2015 at 10:41 PM wrote "undeniable increase in confrontational junkies in TSP ". Perceptions may differ and I find that "deniable". I live on the park (many many years now) and am in it hours a day, lately with toddlers which makes me very aware of the street characters. There is a seasonal increase every year in bums, warm weather for sleeping outside and all that, and this year is no greater than last year or the year before. There are, so far, less amateur heroin nod outs than usual. What I think drives the perception amongst the newcomer locals is that, while there are a lot less bums at the 7th and A and handball court chessboards, there is a crew that is somewhat larger than last year by the men's bathroom. Numerically? Significantly less bums than in years past, about the same as last year. Confrontational? I suspect the poster got scared at some point but not at all different than, say, last year. I've had anecdotal encounters with more aggressive homeless points west and north - first and second ave. I think that's street life finding an especially target rich environment of soft well heeled newcomers this season who can be intimidated out of a cigarette or a handout. Your anecdotal experience with aggressive bums may be in the park but numerically the homeless population has been depressingly stable for the last couple of years.<br /><br />And if you don't think local media has been pushing a DeBlasio Turning City Into Third World Hell narrative you should either pay more attention or turn off your class based ideological blinders or both. Mind you that's just how the local right wing media thinks. They don't have to coordinate, that story comes naturally to them regardless of facts on the ground.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-45498337458414999012015-07-15T22:41:08.131-04:002015-07-15T22:41:08.131-04:00I will bet next month's rent to anyone above t...I will bet next month's rent to anyone above that few if any on the junkies in TSP have ever lived in this neighborhood. We can have a discussion about the problem of homelessness, and we can complain all you want about the price of rent (which is solvable by moving to some place cheaper), but the issue with what is an undeniable increase in confrontational junkies in TSP and on the streets of this neighborhood is real and volatile, and not addressed by saying that it is made up by newspapers with an agenda, or that it is made up by white newbies. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-87394779276256413712015-07-15T20:49:17.199-04:002015-07-15T20:49:17.199-04:00Last I know is that TSP is a public park. The rich...Last I know is that TSP is a public park. The rich and suburban newbies just want to turn TSP into a Gramercy Park or Sunnyside Gardens Park. Oh dang, I just gave them an idea. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-65481345189198697202015-07-15T20:28:43.252-04:002015-07-15T20:28:43.252-04:00I hear that the former LES Squatters [who own thei...I hear that the former LES Squatters [who own their apartments now] and the Museum of Urban Reclaimed Space [MORUS] are organizing a big demo at Tompkins Square Park in support of the Houseless and that there will be free food and music. Your House Is Mine !! Sad to say this post is not true !!john penleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06546048103371918505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-80399663756217275672015-07-15T19:52:02.871-04:002015-07-15T19:52:02.871-04:00Does anyone read the Observer?Does anyone read the Observer?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-29988463516002618612015-07-15T18:51:04.920-04:002015-07-15T18:51:04.920-04:00At this point, we need a few more psychos for loca...At this point, we need a few more psychos for local color. The hood is pale as milktoast. As for the person who was priced out: I am aware there are other places to live, but when you've run through every last dollar to stay (and have been black-listed b/c of housing court, there is no money or credibility to move). Besides THIS IS MY HOME, whether I have a ceiling or not. I'm not leaving. Don't worry, I'm not an addict, and I don't piss or vomit in public, but I may sneer and cuss loudly in front of your impressionable microfashionista toddlers, so look out. Free speech, yo. Someone's gotta stay behind to snicker at the monied blowhards. Again, the media is making a story where NONE exists; for a real homeless problem, examine the WEST COAST. It feels like just a few months before this announcement of a public/private partnership to "clean up Tompkins Square Park". Look for new, fancy overpriced concessions and corp-tied events. Yuck! Miss HOWL FEST. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-24531991806481093912015-07-15T18:16:19.570-04:002015-07-15T18:16:19.570-04:00Actually "clean up" is not really feasib...Actually "clean up" is not really feasible. Disregarding whether there's a growing homeless issue in the park, my opinion: not really - purely seasonal and not historically growing, the actual legality of moving homeless along is tricky. Next to the park under the permanent scaffolds that developer/scumbag Singer has encircled old PS 64 with for the last nine years there are two rotating homeless encampments that can get pretty scary. There's been crack smoking (party like it's 1991) and herbal smelling fake pot / dust(?). Fights, needles, bottles. As usual most of the transients look pretty beat down but there are a few that are scary and look like predator bums.<br /><br />This has been discussed at some length with the NYPD over the last couple of years by neighbors and landlords. Besides getting sanitation to remove the filthy mattresses and cardboard occasionally the cops can't actually do that much. As an elected official opined: "People need a place to sleep. They have a right to be there".<br /><br />So the real estate motives commenters here ascribe to these scare tactics aren't really that realistic. Real estate knows that the property value is like the tide. A few extra shopping cart alcoholics by the men's bathroom has nothing to do with the asking price of a condo on Aves ABCD.<br /><br />I agree with commenters in the previous thread that this is all part of a concerted and coordinated effort in the media to push a City goes to HELL under DiBlasio meme in the outer boroughs so the powers that be can run a - New York City is only safe for white people with a Republican Mayor - campaign. From discussions with some Caucasians from Queens and Rockaway it seems to be working.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-7476471951546759962015-07-15T18:08:17.708-04:002015-07-15T18:08:17.708-04:00EXACTLY, Anonymous 4:31...
I'll take my chan...EXACTLY, Anonymous 4:31... <br /><br />I'll take my chances with someone on the nod or boozed up rather than juiced up with no consequences for whatever they want to do... "nypd" - Not Your Protector, Dumbass!<br /><br />Remember - August of 2018 is not that far away... They're better armed now than 30 years ago ;)Scoobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-15698733058454453642015-07-15T17:35:41.362-04:002015-07-15T17:35:41.362-04:00Thanks for pointing out The Observer editorial. Th...Thanks for pointing out The Observer editorial. The following quote puts in perspective that throwing money at a problem is not always the best solution. "The Department of Homeless Services budget exceeds $1 billion annually". Hopefully spotlighting a reality will bring about discussion, change and new approaches.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-56286451744281522052015-07-15T16:47:16.784-04:002015-07-15T16:47:16.784-04:00Let's see where all the bleeding hearts go nex...Let's see where all the bleeding hearts go next time some resident psycho wants to go around hitting Asian women in the head with a hammer again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-4679469609163236462015-07-15T16:31:26.612-04:002015-07-15T16:31:26.612-04:00Because police make people feel safe these days?!Because police make people feel safe these days?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-34527326409567279932015-07-15T16:29:41.461-04:002015-07-15T16:29:41.461-04:002:35pm,
As someone else who was priced out of the...2:35pm,<br /><br />As someone else who was priced out of the EV, I found that you can find cheaper apartments in other parts of the city/country. There are more choices than (1) live in the EV and (2) live in a shelter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-9731073826046640122015-07-15T15:40:27.989-04:002015-07-15T15:40:27.989-04:00This is a situation where the enemy of your enemy ...This is a situation where the enemy of your enemy is your friend. The post is a right-wing rag, and the observer is a real estate shill. However, TSP has, in fact, deteriorated over the past few years. Of course, a simple uptick in the homeless population at the park would not be an issue; as 12:42 noted, every human has a right to sit on the grass. However, no one has a god-given right to throw a half-eaten container of food in the middle of the sidewalk, or to smoke meth next to an active children's playground. It's also a matter of city resources, and I wonder if the city has reduced the frequency of garbage pickup, power washing the sidewalk etc. There are definitely fewer parks officers assigned to TSP than, for example, Washington Square Park. However, anyone who lives in or frequents the neighborhood knows that the local precinct has, for decades, considered the Southwest corner of the park a sort of designated free-for-all zone. Now it seems like the whole park is anything goes. For many families in rent-controlled and NYCHA housing, this is their local park. I see no difference between a drunk frat bro passed out in a pool of his own vomit and a homeless person passed out in a pool of their own vomit.<br /><br />I also don't understand the fear over some sort of impending crackdown at the park. No one can be arrested or forced to leave the park for sitting on a bench or laying on the grass. Screaming at the top of your lungs in a heroin-induced psychosis, that's a different matter, akin to frat bros whooping it up in a drunken stupor. It's not even illegal to be intoxicated on a drug that is otherwise illegal in a public space; public intoxication requires a "breach of the peace", i.e. starting trouble with strangers or making a lot of noise etc...The bottom line is that public parks are for everyone, and anyone who engages in behavior that deprives other people from using and enjoying the park can't complain if they're censured for it. And by the way, it's absolutely not true that there has always been a sizable homeless population at TSP. That started in the late 60s.<br /><br />The upside is that the overblown press coverage will deter suburban transplants from moving to the neighborhood. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-76590929826421052782015-07-15T14:35:34.566-04:002015-07-15T14:35:34.566-04:00This is what DeBlasio wants....it fits his progres...This is what DeBlasio wants....it fits his progressive agenda.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-78044402632488916242015-07-15T14:35:01.439-04:002015-07-15T14:35:01.439-04:00Hey anon 12:51. I have lived in Manhattan for 16+ ...Hey anon 12:51. I have lived in Manhattan for 16+ years. I am about to be evicted because I am not market rate. So there's your REALITY CHECK. I will be going to those shelters or others. REGULAR WORKING CLASS PEOPLE LIKE ME ARE BEING FORCED OUT OF THE EV THIS VERY MINUTE BY THE LIKES OF ICON AND KUSHNER AND OTHERS WHO ARE GREEDY LIKE THEM. PAY ATTENTION. If I am pushed around for sleeping in the fucking park by the NYPD, you better believe I will be as vocal or more vocal about the class warfare that is erupting in the hood. I am a writer; I will not go gently into that good night. And if a bagel with some sort of souped up cream cheese is the best you can think of to express the bounty that is NYC food, you are either a lousy writer or the most boring person on the planet. Or both, probably both. No offense to TSB; just sayin' Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-25341119584213932032015-07-15T14:21:05.858-04:002015-07-15T14:21:05.858-04:00jalapeno cheddar cream cheese? really?jalapeno cheddar cream cheese? really?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-50670915324298230462015-07-15T14:11:19.614-04:002015-07-15T14:11:19.614-04:00They are just waiting for some incident to happen ...They are just waiting for some incident to happen in the park like an overdose or stabbing so they can swoop in and push everybody out. Just watch. They will lock the gates earlier. Monitor everyone coming and going. Bring in the Park Police to hand out tickets for minor offenses just like they do in Madison Square, Park. first they made DiBlasio nervous about all the crime stats going up so he's caving into this hysteria. Those YouTube sponsored basketball courts were just the beginning of the end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-48489185648160808262015-07-15T13:39:24.379-04:002015-07-15T13:39:24.379-04:00i go to the dog run every morning before work and ...i go to the dog run every morning before work and have noticed in the past week an increased presence of police and park service vehicles monitoring the area. per a previous comment, the park is a public space and is free to all. <br /><br />my real question is when are they going to open up the entire lawn area? it has been sanctioned off the entire summer and at first I thought is was for seeding but it is still sanctioned off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-65655746905374348782015-07-15T13:27:46.932-04:002015-07-15T13:27:46.932-04:00Kushner (aka Mr. Ivanka Trump) seems to be very bu...Kushner (aka Mr. Ivanka Trump) seems to be very busy:<br /><br />On the one hand, he's bought himself a nice "portfolio" of East Village buildings and proceeded to try to do the same shit that others of his ilk do (Shaoul, Icon, etc.). So, he's not in the running for landlord of the year, let's put it that way.<br /><br />On the other hand, as owner of the Observer, he's now bringing his "journalistic" efforts to bear on the very neighborhood he is so heavily invested in, claiming that TSP is dangerous and needs to be "cleaned up."<br /><br />Can you say "conflict of interest"?!<br /><br />IMO, he's crap as a landlord AND crap as the owner of a newspaper.<br /> <br />Kushner is just an over-age frat boy himself, so he can't possibly see the value of anything or anyone that doesn't make his bank account increase. Buildings are there to be bought; parks too if he can get away with it.<br /><br />He has no use for the regular people who constitute an actual neighborhood (a neighborhood that was here long before him). He just likes money, and on the "Kushner/Trump Scale of Values" more money is ALWAYS better, and being a decent human being is ALWAYS worse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-62984113553330891222015-07-15T12:51:40.401-04:002015-07-15T12:51:40.401-04:00Really? News flash. I have yet to meet a homeless ...Really? News flash. I have yet to meet a homeless person at the Bowery Mission/NYC Rescue Mission or volunteering who was evicted from a Manhattan apt in the last gew years. Thats simply not factually correct. Most of these guys have been doing this for many years. The idea they can get and keep a job and pay rent- now matter how cheap- is an idea held by folks who dont know the situation. Funny how uninformed you are yet you act like experts. These guys need better shelters and real help. A suit and an empty resume and a sandwich isnt going to cut it. You care? Advocate and volunteer. Do something. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-87032512046831085432015-07-15T12:42:54.468-04:002015-07-15T12:42:54.468-04:00Every human being has the right to rest on a patch...Every human being has the right to rest on a patch of grass. Homelessness is not a crime. Addiction is not a crime....The park is beautiful, clean and the best I have ever seen it . It used to be a tent city so is come long way. Go plug your bagels somewhere else and leave these people alone. The problem is not them..the problem is those who refuse see, educate themselves, and understand. We are all human beings.....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-29069665102169030192015-07-15T12:41:21.174-04:002015-07-15T12:41:21.174-04:00The Post's menacing homeless TSP article from ...The Post's menacing homeless TSP article from last week could have been taken as an anomaly. Now there's something similar from the Observer. It looks like somebody with an agenda (PR person for the real estate industry?) has been pitching this to the press. <br /><br />It'll be interesting to see how the city under our progressive mayor reacts.Ken from Ken's Kitchennoreply@blogger.com