Thursday, July 31, 2014

868 Hypodermic Needles Found Dumped In Forest Park

Queens

Parks workers found a cache of hypodermic needles dumped in Forest Park NYC Park Advocates has learned.

Workers found 868 hypodermic needles in a black bag disarded under a guardrail near Parklane South and 112th Street.

Maintainence and Operation employees made the discovery on Friday afternoon while doing routine cleaning in the park.

- Geoffrey Croft

Brownsville Recreation Center Park Stabbing


Brooklyn

An annual Old Timers Day event turned violent over the weekend when a man was stabbed by an unknown assailant at the Brownsville Recreation Center Park NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The victim, a 46-year-old black male,  was stabbed in his lower rib on the left side and transported to Brookdale Hospital conscious and breathing.   

The incident occurred at 8:00 pm on Saturday night in the park near Powell Street and Hegeman Ave & Linden Blvd.

Police say no arrests have been made and no description of the assailant was available.

Thousands of people including former residents of the area attended the two get together which featured live music, BBQ and vendors. 

- By Geoffrey Croft





St. Mary's Park Attempted Rape

Police are looking for this man in connection with an attempted rape that took place in the Bronx. (Credit: DCPI)
Police are looking for man wielding a box cutter who threw a 20-year-old woman to the ground in the Bronx  early Saturday morning and tried to rape her. Image of the suspect released by Police.   Video of suspect

Bronx

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public's assistance with the whereabouts and identity of an individual who is wanted in connection to an Attempted Rape incident which occurred within the confines of the 40th Precinct. 


The details are as follows:

On Saturday, July 26, 2014 at approximately 2am a suspect followed a 20-year-old victim along East 149th Street down Jackson Avenue and St. Mary's Park where he displayed a box cutter.


The suspect then pulled on the victim's shirt and under clothing then threw the victim to the ground getting on top of her. The victim screamed for help and the suspect fled in an unknown direction. The victim was not injured as a result of this incident.

Suspect: Male Hispanic 20-25 years old, 5'6"-6'7", thin build last seen wearing a hat, long sleeve white shirt with dark sleeves with a design on the front, jean shorts, and black sneakers.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).  The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.


Read More:

Cops: Would-Be Rapist Brandished Box Cutter, Fled When Victim Screamed
WCBS -  July 30, 2014 







Friday, July 25, 2014

Lyons Pool Closed Early After Razor Blades Are Found In Water


Staten Island    

Lyons Pool was forced to close early last night after three razor blades were discovered in the water NYC Park Advocates has learned.

Compounding the problem the pool manager tried to prevent the discovery from being reported according to law enforcement sources.   

"The pool manager was arguing, asking why this had to be called in," said a source. 

"That ridiculous every precaution should be taken. What if someone gets hurt. They tried to cover their asses by not reporting it.

- Geoffrey Croft

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Police Searching For Suspects In Vicious Hyland Park Gang Attack



Police are searching for approximately 10 assailants who violently attacked three park patrons in broad daylight  in Hyland Park on May 17th.  Anyone with information is being asked to contact the 75th Pct Detective Squad -  Det. Sharon Vargas at (718) 827- 3548 or Det. Borough Brooklyn North at (718) 287- 3239   Case # 2014-2224

Police plastered the park with flyers calling the incident a "wilding" attack.

(Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) click on image to enlarge


Brooklyn/Queens

By Geoffrey Croft

In what police describe as a "wilding" spree,  authorities are asking for the public's help in tracking down a gang responsible for a series of vicious attacks which left two park patrons with gun-shot injuries and a third with a stab wound that required 40 stitches.

The bloody rampage happened in broad daylight on May 18, 5:45 p.m. when a group of men, believed to be in their late teens to early 20's roamed through Highland Park in East New York armed with sticks, canes, knives and at least one gun, police said.

Media reports initially said it was an altercation stemming from a basketball game. Investigators however believe the attacks were random and three separate incidents as the victims did not know each other. 

A 18-year-old man reported being attacked by the gang and slashed four times in the left arm which required 40 stitches to close the wound.   He told the police he didn't know why he was targeted.

A 17-year-old male was playing basketball when he was approached by a Hispanic man who asked, "are you Trinitarios?" (a violent New York-based street gang composed of Hispanics)  The assailant then shot the teen one time in the left hip.  The victim was treated at Jamaica hospital.  

A 20-year-old man says he was walking in the park when he heard shots. He ran and he was struck one time in the right side of the chest by a bullet.
He was taken to Brookdale Hospital where he is expected to survive.

He told cops he never saw the shooter and doesn't know why he was targeted. 

There are no cameras in the park.

Police plastered the park with flyers calling the incident a "wilding" attack, a reference that came to describe the brutal attack and rape on a jogger in Central Park in April 1989.

The posters ask the public to contact the 75 Pct Detective Squad with any information. 

Police said they have no motives for the rampage in the 141 acre park which straddles the Brooklyn/Queens border and they have made no arrests. 

The case is still open and under investigation.












Former Bloomberg Operative Larry Scott Blackmon Lands At Controversial FreshDirect

"And now he's working against community interests including parks in the South Bronx." 
 - South Bronx resident 



Embedded image permalink





Access Denied.  For decades the Mott Haven waterfront in the South Bronx has been inaccessible due to commercial industry.  


In March a woman placed a sun flower on the locked gate leading to the Harlem River Railyard along the water front while protestors sat in front of the gate. Nine South Bronx residents were arrested in the peaceful civil disobedience action when a blocked gate prevented them from entering the public brownfield land, the proposed location of controversial FreshDirect relocation. The charges against those arrested were later dropped.    
(Photo: By Leah Kozak via Twitter)

The DOT NY State-owned land has been leased to the Galesi group for 99 years.

Bronx

By Geoffrey Croft

FreshDirect has hired Larry Scott Blackmon,  the former "Deputy Commissioner for Community Outreach" at the Parks Department  who reportedly specializes in African-American outreach to head up Community and Government Affairs for the controversial online grocer.



He is being charged with "deepening and expanding the company's community involvement,"   according to a press release. 

Blackmon, a former Michael Bloomberg operative on two consecutive re-election campaigns  landed a high-paying job in the Parks Department with zero park experience after Bloomberg was elected to a third term.  

For the past several years South Bronx Unite,  a coalition of over fifty groups has been fighting the online grocer's planned subsidized re-location and truck facility move along the South Bronx waterfront.  

Long cut off from the waterfront the community is fighting for the land instead to be developed into open space and parks with green job and educational opportunities.



"And now he's working against community interests including parks in the South Bronx," said South Bronx resident Jennifer Rivera.   


Boycott FreshDirect
FreshDirect, if allowed to proceed, would bring 1,500 additional daily truck trips through the South Bronx.  Critics argue that the plan is a Bloomberg-era relic attempting to give the diesel-intensive on-line grocer nearly $130 million in public subsidies to move to this public waterfront land from Queens. 

Read More:
PR newswire - July 22, 2014 


Nine Arrested Protesting FreshDirect Relocation To South Bronx - Waterfront Access Denied

A Walk In The Park -  March 23, 2014 - By Geoffrey Croft


A Walk In The Park - January 12, 2010  - By Geoffrey Croft

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Threats Escalate In Central Park's Long-Simmering Illegal Bike Rental Trade In Columbus Circle


Bike and Roll - a Parks Department licensed concession has three locations in Central Park including two in Columbus Circle where the company has been forced to hire security.  They pay a minimum of $17,000 per year, vs. up to 15 percent of its revenue to rent bikes there. They are in their 5th year of a seven-year deal with the city Parks Department to provide rental bikes on parkland. (Photos:  Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) click on images to enlarge.


For years swarms of unlicensed vendors have operated openly in and around Columbus Circle trying to lure the public to rent thier bikes with little intervention from the authorities.  

Bike and Roll - a concession licensed by the Parks Department with three locations in Central Park and 11 city-wide - have tried to get the City to step up enforcement but their complaints have for the most part fallen on deaf ears.

A company employee says they can lose between 40-60% to illegal vendors who brazenly attempt to pick off unsuspecting tourists and New Yorkers alike. 

This issue has played out in the media in years past however It appears the threats and intimidation on concession employees have stepped up recently. 


"We effectively pushed them away from the perimeter of the park," Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said in 2012 in yet another laughable interview.  "You know, if somebody wants to rent a bicycle on a street corner, I guess it's their option."


That's not accurate either when the street corner in question is under Parks jurisdiction as is the case here.    

  - Geoffrey Croft
      

Manhattan


Bike and Roll New York City, the only contractor sanctioned by the city to rent out bikes in Central Park, told the Post that the illegal hawkers are so vicious that they have threatened to decapitate their employees.

“They’ve made threats to follow our staff home, to cut them, to cut their heads off. To hurt them,” said marketing manager Nicole Mylonas. In the past month, staff members have had to call the police at least  20 times on the unruly bike hucksters.
Bike and Roll's two locations in Columbus Circle are located on either side of the park's  entrance at Merchants Gate.

Bike and Roll has even had to put up one worker in a hotel — where he’s been staying for more than a week — after vendors threatened to kill him and then showed up in his neighborhood.
The illegal vendors also circulated his photo around to the other shady bike renters. Since then, the worker has been too terrified to return home.
The harassment has gotten so bad that Bike and Roll has spent $100,000 on security guards to protect their staff.
“They show pictures of knives, or show pictures of them on a shooting range and say, ‘this is what’s going to happen to you’,” said Chris Wogas, the company’s president.
On a warm day, there can be as many as 50 illegal vendors menacing workers and tourists, employees said.
Sometimes they even steal bikes from Bike and Roll and try to rent those illegally, Wogas added.
Last year, the Parks Department did an informal survey on how much business Bike and Roll is losing to the illegal vendors — and it estimated they lost $500,000 a year, according to Wogas.
Virtually every person who goes through the area is asked to rent a bike by a mob of illegal vendors. The vendors harass — whether they work for Bike and Roll, are dressed in a suit, or even have their own bike.
The illegal sellers often create disorder in Columbus Circle by fighting and cursing among each other for business.
“It’s awkward and uncomfortable,” said Yvonne Norton, 51, a tourist from Canada who didn’t want to rent a bike from the group. “I understand people have to make a living, but no should mean no.”
One man trying to rent out a bike told a Post reporter that money for bike rentals will be used to help people in West Africa.
“My company is to help the poor,” he said, flashing a laminated card with a picture of a horse carriage, pedicab and bicycle.
Tourists told the Post the aggressive vendors take away from the city’s friendly vibe.
“You’re taking away from what makes the city great, the camaraderie,” said Cathie Smythe, 50, also of Canada.

Read More:

New York Post - July 21, 2014  - By Larry Celona, Kevin Fasick and Rebecca Harshbarger

WPIX - July 22, 2014 - By Narmeen Choudhury

Bike War Brewing In Columbus Circle
WCBS - July 21,  2014


Wall Street Journal - July 4,  2012 - By Ted Mann 

New York Times - September 29, 2009 - By J. David Goodman   






Park Workers Arrested For Stealing Crime Victims' Cell Phone

Updated

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

It was not a good day for Union Square Park.

Police arrested two heart-less welfare workers employed by the Parks Department who stole a victims' belongings while he was being attacked in Union Square Park last Tuesday night NYC Park Advocates has learned.

While cleaning the park at approximalty 9:30pm Job Training Participant (JTP) workers Lydia Brito, 52 (13 prior arrests) and Arabian Breland, 26 (two prior arrests)  schemed to steal a cell phone and clothes during an incident where the man was punched in the face according to the police.

Police responded and witnesses said the victim put his bag on the ground while being attacked and soon realized his bag was gone.

Witnesses told police the two parks cleaners picked up the victim's bag and placed it inside a trash container and walked away. When cops confronted the pair, they denied knowledge of the missing bag and cell phone. Cops found the phone and the missing bag.   

The seasonal employees were arrested and charged with criminal possession of stolen property.   

The two are due back in court on August 26th, where they will be arraigned.

"They are currently still employed with NYC Parks, pending the resolution of their case or further information regarding the incident," the Parks Department said in statement.

Earlier in the day another career criminal was arrested for stealing a woman's I-Phone in Union Square Park near Evelyn's Playground.

Career Criminal Steals Woman's Cell Phone In Union Sq. Park


Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

It was not a good day for Union Square Park.

A career criminal was arrested for stealing a 27-year-old woman's I-Phone in the famed park.

Walter Del Rosario, 49, was nabbed by police after an officer saw the assailant walk up to the woman and remove a Samsung Galaxy cell phone from the fanny pack she was wearing around her waist.

When officers approached the defendant, he dropped the Samsung cellphone.

The incident occurred on July 16, 2014, at about 12:30 PM, in the vicinity of Evelyn's Playground near 16th St. and West Union Square. 

Del Rosario has sixteen prior arrests.   

He was also wanted for a February 26, 2014 theft in Starbucks where he allegedly stole a Sony Vaio laptop, valued at approximately $2,000,  passport, keys, and a boarding pass from a man. 

The victim was sitting inside of Starbucks at 13 Astor Place where he had his backpack on the ground next to him swiped.

Police viewed video surveillance and saw the defendant take the backpack according to the compliant.

Del Rosario was charged with one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree in both incidents and was arraigned on July 17th.  Bail was set at $1, 000 cash or bond. 

He was scheduled to appear in court today. 

Later that evening, two heart-less welfare workers employed by the Parks Department were arrested for stealing a person's cell phone he was while being attacked in Union Square Park. 

Monday, July 14, 2014

Man Shot In The Neck At La Marina






























La Marina, the controversial Parks Department concession located on Dyckman St. along the Hudson River waterfront in upper Manhattan was the scene of a shooting late Sunday evening.  A 27-year-old security guard was shot in the neck after breaking up a fight inside the club. 

Critics of the concession argue that what was intended to be a public access restaurant, cafe and marina has become in large part a private access nightclub and concert venue running until 1 am.   (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

UPDATED

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A 27-year-old was shot once in the neck at the La Marina club in Inwood just before midnight after a dispute broke out NYC Park Advocates has learned.

La Marina security guard Andre Obert was shot braking up a fight inside the club.  

According to the police the victim was removed, via EMS, to St Luke’s Hospital in stable condition, and not likely to die.

The suspect is described as a black male wearing black clothes and a gold chain.

DNAinfo notes that La Marina is supposed to close at 11 p.m. from Sunday through Wednesday, according to a 2009 agreement between the club's operators and the Parks Department, which owns the land where the venue is located.  

However, photos and video from inside the club showed patrons still drinking inside after police responded to the 11:45 p.m incident.

The controversial Parks Department concession, located on Dyckman St. along the waterfront in upper Manhattan, has been a source of contention among neighborhood residents.




The concession has operated since July 2012 by the Manhattan River Group LLC and owned by Fernando Mateo, Jerald Tenenbaum,  Joshua Rosen and Alain Chevreux. Chris Villano's ownership has been bought out.  

Mateo, the former head of the state Federation of Taxi Drivers was accused in a 2013 lawsuit that he improperly paid himself $500, 000 during the outdoor lounge’s off-season,  “obliterated employee morale” and created a “hostile environment” at the lounge.

Critics argue that the Parks Department has allowed the concession to operate dramatically differently from what was initially presented to the public and charge that La Marina has consistently operated in violation of its License Agreement. 


Community residents have complained about the parkland use, capacity, operating hours, noise, parking/traffic, and public access to areas of the waterfront.


The stage on the beach area at La Marina hosts live events including concerts and DJ shows that attract thousands of people, a use critics argue was never presented to the public before the concession was approved.   

Security guard the VIP area of La Marina.

The Gang's All Here. Mayor Bloomberg was joined by La Marina partners and numerous elected officials at the ribbon-cutting on July 20, 2012. (from l) Josh Rosen,  Jerald Tennenbaum, Guiermo Linares,  Fernando Mateo, Parks Commissioner Adrain Benepe, and local elected officials Adriano Espaillat and Ydanis Rodriguez.  


Version of photo with caption that has been making the rounds on Inwood FaceBook pages which speaks to the level of frustration some community members feel regarding the lack of interest from thier local politicians in working towards solving the problems caused by La Marina as a nightclub. 


April 17, 2014.  Mayor Bill De blasio and wife Chirlane attend a private function at La Marina with numerous upper Manhattan power brokers. (from l)  Adriano Espaillat, Mayor de Blasio, La Marina partner Jerald Tannebaum, Charlie Rangel, Fernando Mateo (with mic)  Ydanis Rodriguez (with daughter) Chirlane McCray, and La Marina partner Josh Rosen. 

Read More:

New York Post - July 14, 2014 - By Kirstan Conley and Jamie Schram


DNAinfo - July 14,  2014  - By Lindsay Armstrong and Trevor Kapp

New York Daily News - By  Michael J. Feeney - July 14, 2014 

NY Post - December 23, 2013 - By Julia Marsh






Friday, July 11, 2014

McCarren Park Pool Assault As Teen Attacks Park Police

Brooklyn

By Geoffrey Croft


An out-of-control teen denied access to McCarren Park Pool was arrested this afternoon after he attacked several Park Enforcement Patrol officers, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

Julio Camilo, 17 attempted to gain entry into the pool at approximately 1:00 pm.  according to a  law enforcement source. 

"He was recognized as one of the troublemakers from the day before and told he couldn't get in," said a PEP officer at the scene.

When Parks Department workers tried to stop him at the front gate he ran past them and entered the locker room. A few seconds later he emerged on the pool deck fully clothed and began yelling and cursing.

PEP officers approached the teen. They attempted to calm him down and asked him to leave.  He refused.  As they moved in Camilo resisted and punched one of the officers in the face. 

He refused to be hand cuffed and three officers wound up wrestling with him on the pool deck floor.

The NYPD assisted in crowd control preventing his friends - who were cursing and threatening the officers - from joining in.
  
One PEP officer sustained a chipped tooth and another a possible broken wrist.  They are currently being evaluated at Bellevue Hospital.

Julio Camilo was brought to the 94 Pct.  

He is being charged with Assault On A Peace Officer, Resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct. 

"Every day we have to deal with disorderly people here. Many times they don't get reported because it becomes routine," said an officer. 






Monday, July 7, 2014

Two-Year-Old Drowns In Algae-Filed Prospect Park Lake

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi

The heartbroken mother of two-year-old Ruhshona Kurbonova at the scene on Saturday. Her daughter had wandered off  shortly after 1:00 p.m. during a family picnic and fell into the Lake in Prospect Park and drowned.  Police fanned out across the park to search for the missing toddler. Her body was found by NYPD police divers after a five-hour search.   The city's medical examiner officially ruled the death of a two-year-old Brooklyn girl this weekend an accidental drowning.   (Photo: Debbie Egan-Chin/ New York Daily News)

Rescuers struggled to find the girl because of a murky green algae called Azolla caroliniana, which covers the lake and has been a source of contention for years.

Brooklyn

A Brooklyn mom wailed inconsolably Saturday after her 2-year-old daughter drowned in Prospect Park Lake during a family barbecue turned holiday weekend horror, according to the New York Daily News. 

The NYPD Scuba Unit found tiny Ruhshona Kurbonova after a frantic and ultimately tragic five-hour search for the missing tyke in the sprawling 585-acre Prospect Park, cops said.

Her heartbroken mother sat screaming and sobbing on the Brooklyn lake’s grassy bank as paramedics walked toward the water carrying a stretcher around 6:30 p.m. The toddler, who stood just 2 feet tall, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Paramedics then needed a second stretcher for the 37-year-old mom, an Uzbekistan immigrant whose 3-year-old nephew was found shortly after wandering off with Ruhshona around 1:10 p.m. When family members asked the tot what happened to his cousin, the boy pointed ominously at the lake, witnesses said.

“My heart is broken hearing the mother scream,” said Shavonne Dillard, 35, whose church group joined the search for Ruhshona.

“Right now, her child is gone.”

The boy’s father was seen sobbing later at the family’s home as relatives offered their condolences. The Muslim family planned to fly their baby home for burial in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, early this week.

NYPD community liaison Erham Yildrim visited to read the Quran with the shattered family.

Ruhshona was the youngest in her family and the lone girl after her parents had three boys, said the superintendent of their Brooklyn building. “She’s a little angel,” said super Zada Bacoj, 60.

“A beautiful, nice-looking girl. What bigger heartbreak than this do you want? I feel shocked and I feel sad.”  

Paulo, Kim, and 6-year-old Primo Ventura of Brooklyn look at the algae-covered lake in Prospect Park on Sunday.
The algae that covers the LAKE in Prospect Park has been a source of contention for years. (Photo: NormanY. Lono/For New York Daily News)


The two youngsters slipped quietly away from the get-together near the park’s boathouse — with both apparently heading for the murky water on a warm July afternoon, cops said.

The older kid was quickly located, covered in the algae that rims the lip of the lake.

“Another family was walking and they heard a cry coming from some bushes near the water and they looked and found the boy all wet,” said one witness, who identified herself only as April.

“There was the green stuff, the algae, all in his nose and his hair.”

When cops arrived, the mother said the little girl was missing and had possibly gone into the lake near the boathouse where the family was gathered.

“I don’t know what happened,” one of Ruhshona’s three older brothers told the Daily News at the family’s Brooklyn apartment.

The party, one day after the Fourth of July, was held on a gorgeous afternoon beneath blue skies before death turned the day dark.

The mom, whose English is shaky, was eventually removed to a local hospital for evaluation once police brought her out of the park. Though investigators plan to question the mother and consult with the Brooklyn district attorney, criminal charges in the tragedy were highly unlikely, police sources said.

The family moved into their building about three years ago, and Bacoj described the parents as hard-working and devoted to their four kids.

“They’re very nice people,” said the building super. “It’s very sad. They’re a very good family. How this happened, I don’t know.”

A horde of cops had scrambled across the park to hunt for the toddler with shoulder-length black hair.

The girl was dressed adorably in white shorts, a white shirt and pink sandals. Desperate officers with a photo of the missing child flashed the shot to parkgoers, while others hung missing person posters.

Additional cops searched the vast area by bicycle and helicopter before the hunt came to a halt with the recovery of the little girl’s body. Valery Vaval, 44, was spending the day in the park with her sister and a friend when the search began.

“Police came asking if we had seen the child who went missing,” said Vaval, who had not spotted the youngster.

Through it all, Dillard said, Ruhshona’s panic-stricken mom was seen pacing by the lake as each terrifying minute, and hour, passed.

“She was just throwing her hands up,” Dillard said. “She was frantic.”

After scouring the park, Dillard and her church group lingered for a bit. “We stuck around just praying, hoping that she was OK,” she said.

Read More:

Family mourns loss of 2-year-old girl who drowned at Prospect Park Lake On Sunday
New York Daily News - July 6, 2014 - By  Laura Bult, Jill castellano and Reuven Blau 


New York Daily News July 5, 2014 - By Jan Ransom, Natalie Musumeci, Thomas Tracy   










Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Police Arrest 17-Year-Old In Lincoln Terrace Park Stabbings


Brooklyn

By Geoffrey Croft

Police arrested a 17-year-old Brooklyn teen for last Monday's night brutal triple stabbing in which a18-year-old was killed and two other males were injured in Lincoln Terrace Park.

Wade Wilson was charged with the murder of Josias Masson, 18, who was fatally stabbed in the chest.  Kahliq Johnson, 21 revieved knife wounds to the arm,  torso and leg.  Maurice Burke 17,  was stabbed beneath the arm causing severed nerves which required surgery.

The stabbings occurred around 11: 30pm inside of the Lincoln Terrace Park basketball courts near Buffalo and East New York Avenues within the confines of the 77th Precinct. 

All three were transported to Kings County Hospital. 

Wilson was charged with Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Attempted Assault in the First Degree,  Criminal Possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

The defendant was arraigned yesterday.

Police also apprehended France Crawford and are looking for another suspect who got away according to the complaint.  


Lincoln Terrace Park has been the location of a number of violent incidents over the years including several murders and sexual assaults including an infamous gang rape in 2002 when a woman was attacked by five men in a bathroom that had been left open by the parks department.

Read More:

Lincoln Terrace Park Stabbing Spree Leaves One Dead, Two Injuried
A Walk In The Park - June 24, 2014