Man, 24 Shot In Bronx Playground - Second Shooting In 7 Days In An Unlocked Park

Bronx

By Geoffrey Croft

For the second time in a week a Bronx resident was shot in an unlocked playground, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

A 24-year-old male was shot in the hip last night in Mount Hope Playground on E. 177 St. at Walton Avenue near the basketball courts  according to police. 

The incident occurred a little after 9:15 pm in a crowded plalyground within the convines of the 44 pct. 

The victim was transported to St. Barnabus Hospital and is expected to live.

Police found two shell casings at the scene. 

According to witnesses people came running out from the nearly pitch black playground yelling and scattering in all directions.  Parents were pushing baby carriages trying to get away as fast as they could from the hectic scene.

Residents who live directly across the street from the popular park said they heard the sound of the gun shots among the bursts of firework pops which are heard frequently this time of year throughout the neighborhood.

“We heard shots, we’ve used to it,” said one resident. "They sound different from fireworks."

The victim told police he heard shots and then felt pain, stating that the shooter was unknown.

“That’s the story he told us,” an incredulous officer said at the scene. “He’s not telling us.”

Residents say the playground’s wrought iron fences are never locked at night.  

“Its always packed but there are no lights. If they aren’t going to lock it they should put lights on the basketball court and a camera,” said one resident. 

“Isn’t it supposed to be locked at night,” a mother of two asked.  

“They don’t lock it but yet if they catch you in there they arrest you,” she said.

Last Thursday night a 26-year-old male was shot twice while he was on the basketball courts in an unlocked Arcilla Playground approximatly a mile away.

The victim was hit once in the right side of this torso and once in his pinky finger according to police.

One officer offered up this depressing summary of the frequency of violent incidences in parks.

“It’s the summer.” 

 

Locking Playgrounds

Every playground in the city that has a gate is supposed to be locked at night for safety reasons. The Parks Department deploys night lock up crews throughout the five boroughs. 

However after an alleged gang rape in an unlocked Brownsville playground in Brooklyn in January the Parks Department spokesperson lied and claimed that it wasn’t generally the agency’s policy to lock them at night.

“Playgrounds are not typically locked,”  Parks Department spokesman Sam Biederman responded in an effort to try to deflect liability when asked why that playground was left open. 

“That’s a bold face lie,” said a long time park worker who is responsible for locking up playgrounds at night.  “That’s just a lie.”

The union president who represents Park Enforcement Patrol officers also slammed the de Blasio administration for allowing the Parks Department to disseminate false misinformation at the time of the January incident.  

“Why isn’t the Parks Department locking its playgrounds at night?” asked Joe Puleo, president of DC 37 Local 983. 

“When did they implement this supposed new policy change or is it just limited to playgrounds in certain areas of Brooklyn?”  

At the time of that incident Parks Commissioner Mitchel Silver was also asked why the parks’ press spokesperson was giving false statements to the media and whether it was he or someone else who was instructing him to lie. 

Commissioner Silver did not respond.

Read More:

Man Shot Twice In Bronx Playground Basketball Court

A Walk In The Park -  June 24, 2016  - By Geoffrey Croft

Rockaway Beach Attack: Disturbed Man Almost Drowns Elderly Park Security Worker

Queens

By Geoffrey Croft

An emotionally disturbed man attacked a Parks Department security worker this afternoon and nearly drowned her, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The man attacked the 64-year-old woman at around 1:00pm at B. 38th Street in Far Rockaway.  He dragged her into the water and forced her head underneath.

The victim said she was praying while the man held her under the water. All of a sudden he let go.

After the attack the assailant exited the water,  calmly sat down in the woman's chair under the green Parks Department umbrella and began drinking her water.

She called for help. 

Several Park Enforcement Patrol officer's raced to the scene in ATV's and caught the man.

Jermyne Beaton, 27,  Hispanic, a resident of Beach Chanel Drive, Queens was charged with felony assault and harassment.

The Parks Department assigned Margarita Melian, 64, by herself to a desolate stretch of closed beach to monitor a nesting area for the Piping plover, a federally designated endangered bird that nests in several areas along the beach. 

Melian, who works as a City Seasonal Aid in the agency's Parks Security Service division,  saw Beaton swimming in the closed off area.  She approached and told him he had to get out.  He became irate. He grabbed her and pulled her under the surf.   He held her down.  She swallowed water while she struggled with the deranged man. 

The terrifying ordeal lasted a few minutes then he suddenly let her go.

She was treated at St John's Hospital for multiple lacerations and bruises and released. 

Local 983 president Joe Puleo points out that PEP and Park Rangers, licenced peace officers, used to staff this and many other areas. 

"These workers are not trained to deal with these situations. They can't make arrests,    said Mr. Puleo who represents the CSA' s and PEP.

"These people's lives are at stake due to the Parks Department's negligence. They abandoned her alone in a desolate area, this woman almost lost her life." 

 He once again called on the City Council to hire more officers.

The proposed City Council budget  for the upcoming year does not allocated funds for a single new officer.  

Read/View More

CBS2 Exclusive: Parks Worker Nearly Drowned In Rockaway Attack
CBS -  June 11, 2015  - By Matt Kozar

Update: Battery Park Tourist Scalper Scam - Queens Resident Arrested

Yesterday close to a dozen SJQ  Sightseeing Tours personnel worked in front of the Bowling Green subway station soliciting customers.  The group, Sales Justify Quota Tours LLC, is listed as a business working out of an apartment on Mexico Street in Queens,  they have no valid Parks Department permit to sell tickets.  The tourist scam has been operating in broad daylight  for years ripping off customers with little or no interference from authorities. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A team of illegal ticket sellers has been preying on unsuspecting tourists for years, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The ticket scalpers are working in some of the most heavily visited downtown tourist destinations -  Statue of Liberty,  Staten Island Ferry, and Pier 15, (South Street Seaport) 

The unscrupulous scammers sell Statue of Liberty tickets for between $ 80 - 100 dollars: re-sell used Statue of Liberty tickets:  Sell people tickets to the Staten Island Ferry and charge people $ 20 just to enter Battery Park, a public park on the tip of Manhattan.

   

The group wear dark blue official looking tourist operator vests that say, SJQ  Sightseeing Tours.

Depending on who you speak with SJQ stands for South Jamaica Queens, or Sales Justify Quota Tour.    

On the Look Out.   The ubiquitous SJQ  Sightseeing Tour group has been a fixture since at least 2014 working in lower Manhattan.

They have been a fixture in lower Manhattan operating in broad daylight since at least last year. 

On Wednesday one of their employees,  career criminal Gregory Reddick, 54,  of 118 Road  in Jamaica  Queens,  was busted after leading park police on a wild chase in lower Manhattan.

Parks Enforcement Patrol officer Jean-Baptist Joseph, 33, saw Reddick on Pier 15 as he was allegedly in the act of conning tourists out of cash.

The PEP officer approached Reddick and asked him for ID. He refused cursed at him and ran away.

The officer called for back up.  PEP officers tracked him down a half mile away in Battery Park. 

Another officer approached the con and asked him for ID.

"F*ck off off,  I ain't givin you shit," he responded, according to an officer at the scene.

He ran, and the officers caught up to him. He resisted arrest and officers maced him twice in order to get him to comply.  

A large group of Reddick's associates formed during the arrest,  yelling and screaming. 

An NYPD officer in the park said that on Monday - two days before Reddick's arrest  - he had received a compliant that Reddick had sold two tickets to the Statue of Liberty to a Virginia couple for $ 409  dollars. 

"The US Park police also told us they have also been getting a lot of complaints that these SJQ guys are getting aggressive and forcing people to buy tickets," a PEP officer said. 

Reddick told law-enforcement sources he made $ 3000 the day he was caught. He had 
$ 400 cash on him at the time of his arrest.

Two Park Enforcement Patrol officers were assigned to the area after an SJQ  Sightseeing Tours employee was arrested.

Reddick’s arrests date to the 80's and include six felony convictions,  multiple burglary and criminal possession of stolen property convictions, law-enforcement sources said.

On Wednesday he was charged with Obstructing Governmental Administration In The Second Degree, Resisting Arrest, Unlawful Vending in a New York City Park, and Disorderly Conduct.

SJQ  Sightseeing Tours, AKA  Sales Justify Quota Tours LLC,  has no valid Parks Department permit to sell tickets. 

Read More:

MAN FACES CHARGES AFTER SELLING TOURISTS FAKE STATEN ISLAND FERRY TICKETS
http://7online.com/news/man-under-arrest-after-selling-tourists-fake-staten-island-ferry-tickets/756942/

Man Arrested For Allegedly Selling Tourists $400 Tickets For Free Staten Island Ferry Ride
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/05/30/man-arrested-for-allegedly-selling-tourists-400-tickets-for-free-staten-island-ferry-ride/

Park advocates call for crackdown on illegal tour vendors targeting tourists
May 30, 2015 - By ELLYN MARKS
http://pix11.com/2015/05/30/park-advocates-call-for-crackdown-on-illegal-tour-vendors-targeting-tourists/

Man scams tourists on Staten Island Ferry
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/29197947/man-scams-tourists-on-staten-island-ferry

Tourists tricked into paying $200 for free Staten Island Ferry ride

 New York Post - May 30, 2015 -  By Rich Calder

Hero Parks Worker Succumbs To Fire As Deadly Brooklyn Blaze Claims Second Victim

Brooklyn

By Geoffrey Croft

A beloved Parks employee who leapt from a second floor window to escape a deadly fire in Brooklyn last week has died NYC Park Advocates has learned.

James Anthony Frye, 47, passed away last night in Brookdale Hospital where he had been in a medical induced coma since June 2nd. The blaze also claimed the life of a 59-year-old woman who was buried this week.

The deadly fire happened just after 3 a.m. at NYCHA's Unity Houses at 390 Georgia Avenue in East New York.

James had braved the fire and helped rescue 4 grandchildren in the flame and smoke-filled apartment. After helping to get them out he went back in a second time to try and save the 59-year-old woman but it was too late.

He was forced to leap from a second floor window to escape.  

No word yet on what caused the fire.

James's mother Betty Heyward said this week that she was not surprised he went in to help rescue them. 

"That's the kind of person he is, he would give you the shirt off his back."

She said he had been staying with a family friend in the building for only two days while his apartment was renovated when the deadly accident occurred.

James worked for the Parks Department as a City Seasonal Aid providing security throughout Brooklyn at different facilities including Bushwick Inlet Park where he was also assigned. 

"He was a down-to-earth loving person who would help anyone in need," said Park Enforcement Patrol Captain Tanya Prince who worked with him for the last 4 years.

Captain Prince said for the past two years James worked year-round including helping to secure the beaches and boardwalk in Coney Island during Hurricane Sandy recovery work.  

"We are deeply saddened his death,"  said Joe Puleo,  president of Local 983 which represents the workers. 

"He will be missed. Mr. Frye was a hero, and he deserves recognition from the city."

According to Mr. Puleo,  James worked for Parks Department as a seasonal worker for over ten years.

"NYC Parks is saddened by  the passing of Seasonal Officer James Anthony Frye, who had worked for the agency in various assignments since 2005 as a member of the Parks Enforcement Patrol staff," the Parks Department said in a statement.

"Mr. Frye’s death on Thursday, June 12, following his brave rescue of several others in a fire in his Brooklyn home, resulted from his trying to rescue another person trapped in the blaze and suffering grievous injuries as he then tried to flee. His bravery was reflected in the words of his co-workers, who called Mr. Frye a gentle giant who was always committed to his job. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Frye family and with those whose lives he touched while working for Parks."

Betty Frye, a mother of three said she lost her only daughter years ago due to a heart condition. 

James had shown signs of improvement at the beginning of the week his mother and colleagues said.  He was moving his arms and legs and was partially breathing on his own,  but things took a turn for the worse the last few days.  

On Monday when reached by phone Betty said the incident was "devastating" and a "shock" and that the family was hoping and praying.

"We are just waiting for him to wake up. He's my baby boy." 

Read More:

Woman, 59, dies after fire breaks out in Brooklyn apartment building 

New York Daily News - June 2, 2014 - By Tina Morre  

Vallone's Park Crime Reporting Bill Comes Under Fire

"It is imperative that the City track crime in all parks and playgrounds not just on properties of one acre or greater.   The City has had enough time to create a system to track and monitor crime it just has not been a priority. "  -  State Senator Tony Avella

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARING ON PARK CRIME REPORTS

The City Council’s Public Safety Committee – chaired by Council Member Peter F. Vallone Jr. – will being holding a hearing this afternoon at 1:00pm on Vallone’s proposed local law requiring the police department to submit to the Council reports of crime in parks. 

However the legislation is deeply flawed as it only require the tracking of crime in parks and playgrounds one acre or greater.

It has been repeatedly pointed out that most playgrounds are less than one acre in size.

As it stands now the bill as introduced would not track crimes in the majority of parks as most crimes do not happen in parks one acre or greater.  The bill also omits incidents that occur in recreation centers and pools.  There is no reason to exclude the tracking and reporting of crime in all parks playgrounds and recreation centers. The language should also include not only the police department but also the parks department as we know THEY do track crime through its communication division but they do not publicly release the data.

The city has had many years to comply with the reporting including the implementation of Vallone's original 2005 bill but the city has been allowed to avoid it.

"It is imperative that the City track crime in all parks and playgrounds not just on properties of one acre or greater., " State Senator Tony Avella said in a statement.

"The legislation I introduced ( S 5911) closes important loopholes that currently exist in the bill sponsored by Council Member Vallone.

My bill would also be enacted within a year.  The City has had enough time to create a system to track and monitor crime it just has not been a priority. " 

"Mr. Vallone's What happens in parks stays in parks  legislation continues to put the lives of the public and our officers in jeopardy by not requiring the city track crimes in park properties including ALL parks and playgrounds,  and recreation centers," said Joe Puleo, president of Local 983 which represents Park Enforcement Patrol officers. 

"We cannot support this legislation as written. We have tried to bring the bill's problems to your attention but our concerns have been ignored. We fully support State Senator Tony Alleva's park crime reporting legislation that actually closes the loopholes and provides an important level  of accountability. "

City Council’s Public Safety Committee – chaired by Council Member Peter F. Vallone Jr. – will being holding a hearing on Vallone’s proposed local law this afternoon at 1:00pm.

WHAT: Public Safety Committee to Hold Hearing on Reporting Crimes in Parks
WHEN: Friday, November 22^nd, 1:00 PM
WHERE: 250 Broadway, 16^th Floor Hearing Room

Calls To Arm PEP Are Renewed After Recent Violent Park Attacks

Calls to arm Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officers have once again been renewed after a rash of violent incidents in city parks.  While Federal and State park police carry firearms PEP are the only dedicated uniform park police in the city that do not.

City-Wide 

They wear bulletproof vests and arrest violent perps. Now city park police are fighting to bear arms, according to the New York Post. 

A week after a madman stabbed five people in Riverside Park in broad daylight, injuring four adults and a 2-year-old boy, Parks Enforcement Patrol officers are demanding the city authorize handguns for them.

“We can get shot, but we can’t shoot back,” said Marlena Giga, who was a PEP officer for 14 years. “We’re police officers without the salary, the title and the gun.”

PEP officers carry batons, cuffs and pepper spray, but the Parks Department says they mainly address quality-of-life violations.

“The NYPD is the city’s primary crime-fighting agency,” a Parks spokesman said.

Read More:

City park police want to carry guns

New York Post - October 6, 2013 By Kate Briquelet 

Parks Enforcement Officers Demand Guns In Wake Of Stabbing Rampage 

WCBS 880 - October 6, 2013 - By Jim Smith

Parks Department Refuses To Fix Dangerous Sidewalk Around Brooklyn's Borough Hall

Trip Hazzard. Tourists balance on crumbling bluestones last week in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall near Court Street.  For years the public has complained about the dangerous conditions. Despite being aware of the public safety issue for more than a decade the Parks Department has refused to fix the problems and is now attempting to rely on expensive capital dollars instead of "expense" dollars to address what should be basic maintenance needs. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) click to enlarge

Just five months ago,  the Parks Department promised to spend nearly $10M in capital funds but no one allocated the money.  Meanwhile Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has earmarked $ 60 million dollars to build an amphitheater but has refused to allocated a penny to ensure the public can traverse safely around Borough Hall.

Brooklyn

The city has abandoned its own long-delayed plan to fix the crumbling bluestones in front of Borough Hall — and is dumping the blame on the very politicians who have complained about the bone-breaking mess, according to the New York Daily News.

In April, the Parks Department announced it wanted to spend up to $9.5 million to replace the disintegrating tiles on Brooklyn's most visible plaza. But five months later, the Bloomberg administration has not set aside a single dime for the project — nor has any Brooklyn pol.

Advocates for parks — and untwisted ankles — are fuming.

"It's outrageous that the Parks Department continues to put the city at risk instead of fixing what has been a problem for many, many years," said Geoffrey Croft, president of New York City Park Advocates, a watchdog group.

The bluestone coverage in the plaza is thin and fragile — yet for years, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz let people drive and park on the plaza, a move banned by his predecessor. The result is pocked pavement and petrified pedestrians.    

"It's disgusting and gangrenous," said senior Rosemarie Markgraf, who struggles to keep her balance whenever she strolls past the historic building and nearby courthouses.

Earlier this summer, an unidentified woman screamed out in pain after she stumbled on the stones. Paramedics rushed to the scene as stunned onlookers tried to comfort her.

And in 2010, a 71-year-old Fort Greene resident sued the city after she tripped and fractured her hip on the cracked slate. Her cases is still hobbling through the legal system.

"I'm still scared to walk there. It really needs to be fixed," said the plaintiff, Joan Bassin.

Markowitz has repeatedly said fixing the minefield outside the county seat is a top priority.  

How many more people have to get hurt? An unidentified woman tripped and fell on the crumbling bluestones in front of Borough Hall earlier this summer.   The Parks Department has laid off many of the skilled laborers that used to address these issues. (Photo: Reuven Blau/New York Daily News)

But the boisterous beep has never earmarked any of his capital funds towards the rock revamp.

"No funds have been allocated to our budget for the pavement surrounding Borough Hall," said Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor.

Still, Markowitz has begged the city to take care of it.

"I have time and again requested the city to make complete repairs," Markowitz said in a statement.

"It is my hope that media attention can be the catalyst to make this renovation a reality."

The plaza is the epicenter of popular events like the recent Brooklyn Book Festival and numerous afternoon concerts.

"It's the people's house and a very important building," said Bob Furman of the Brooklyn Preservation Council, whose wife fell on the cracked stones a few months ago. She didn't sue, but many have, though city officials refuse to disclose the exact number slip-and-fall plaintiffs.   

In November 2011, Community Board 2 officials wanted to find out how much the stone age problem has cost the city, so they filed a request under the Freedom of Information Law seeking a list of all the lawsuits and city settlements. The request was denied.

 "We haven't heard back," said District Manager Robert Perris. Critics of the department contend that lack of staffing has also stalled the discussed overhaul.

Since 1990, the Parks Department workforce has been cut by 5% each year.

"There aren't enough skilled workers in parks to attend to these much needed projects," said Joe Puleo, president of Local 983 of District Council 37, which represents the parks workers.

"And ultimately it ends up costing the city much more in lawsuits as a result of this."  

Crumbling bluestones in front of Borough Hall.  (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) click to enlarge

Read More:

Break a leg! City says there’s no money to fix cracked and dangerous pavement at Brooklyn Borough Hall  Only five months ago, Parks Department promised to spend nearly $10M. But no one allocated the money! 
New York Daily News - Reuven Blau - October 3, 2013

GREENWAY Attack: Gang Targeting Bicyclists In Ft. Washington Park - "Criminal’s Paradise" - Victim

“The lighting is absolutely dismal and in this section you’re in pitch dark and really it’s a criminal’s paradise.”  - First Victim

"One was strangling me, one was holding my right arm,  the other one was hitting me with the bat or rod. My first thougth was I'm going to be killed. I didn't know they were mugging me, I was scared to death." - Second Victim

Several bicyclists have been violently attacked at night while commuting to New Jersey by a group of muggers in this area of the Manhattan GREENWAY in Ft. Washington Park. The lack of security in parks has once again been called into question.  (Photos: Geoffrey  Croft/NYC Park Advocates.) Click on images to enlarge.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

Police are looking for a group of men in their 20's who they say are responsible for several recent violent muggings of nightime bike riders commuting along a popular GREENWAY in Ft. Washington Park in Washington Heights.  

On August 24th, Keith Cho from N. J. was knocked off his bike by a rope muggers had strung across the bike path near  a stretch of  Greenway at 164th Street  at approximalty 11:15pm. 



The rope mark burned into Keith Cho's neck after the attack (CBS screenshot via gothamist)

After 40-year-old Cho was clotheslined,  three Hispanic assailants jumped out of the dark brush and attacked him,  punching him with brass knuckles. They stole his $1,500 Cannondale bike an iPhone and $500 in cash, police said.  

Photos show a rope mark burned into his neck. 

Five days later, on August 29th - a 35-year-old commuter from West New York, N.J.  was attacked while riding home from work. 

Daniil R. says he was knocked off his bike with a "bat or metal object without warning," and dragged under a tree, beaten and mugged by three men.

 Construction fence lines the area of the GREENWAY where the recent attacks occurred.  

A popular commuting route to/from the George Washington Bridge.

The incident occurred in the same area at around 9:30pm., an area lined with construction fencing. 

"They ambushed me. They grabbed me and tried to throw me to the ground," said the soft- spoken software developer who immigrated to American from Russia three years ago.  

"My first thought was I'm going to be killed. I didn't know they were mugging me, I was scared to death."

He said the nightmare attack lasted a few minutes. 

"I was absolutely helpless. One was strangling me, one was holding my right arm,  the other one was hitting me with the bat or rod.  I tried not to go on the ground."

His says they were using the strap from his helmet to strangle him. 

The muggers took his $ 1,200 Felt Zoom bike, iPhone, backpack, a Kindle, wallet and credit cards and work clothes.

He credits what he had on in helping to save his life and preventing further injuries. 

"I think my backpack and helmet was very useful."

Daniil says he is still recovering from the brutal assault and has difficulty breathing. He has pain in his chest,  shoulder and still has bruises,

He no longer takes the hour and ten minute commute by bike which he had been doing three times a week since July and instead relies on the bus.  Besides no longer having a bike his spouse does not want him.

"She's very worried about that," he said. 

He said better lighting was needed and along with increased policing along the popular bike path.

"It's very dark," he said.

Police believe the gang could be targeting riders with expensive bikes who cross the GW Bridge and use the bike path heading south into Manhattan.    

Police said they have stepped up patrols.

Union officials representing PEP officers say there are no officers assigned to cover the 158 acre Ft. Washington Park,  and only two officers dedicated to cover Riverside Park and all the away to the tip of Manhattan during the times of the incidents.  PEP has only one vehicle from 79th Street to the top of Manhattan. 

 They also point out there are no PEP officers overnight.   

"It's a joke. They are stretched out beyond thin. They are virtually nonexistent," said  Local 983 President Joe Puleo. 

Manhattan

The NYPD says thugs are beating and mugging bike riders on a popular Manhattan bike path.  

The victim of one attack recently came forward to tell fellow riders to be on guard, CBS 2’s Don Champion reported Tuesday.  

The bike path along the Hudson River is popular with New Jersey bikers who take the route and cross the George Washington Bridge to get home at night in the dark. 

 One victim told Champion he’s always on guard, but was not expecting what he got when he turned one corner. 

 “It’s a little surreal,” said Keith Cho, who had one eye swollen shut. “It was very traumatic. I’ve never been jumped before.” 

 A rope mark burned into his neck detailed the reason behind Cho’s newfound sense of insecurity. 

 “I’ve lived in this area for 35 years and for the first time in my life I feel unsafe to come to this city,” Cho said. 

 The attack happened on the night of Aug. 24, when he was mugged while riding his bike along the river on what’s called “the Greenway,” near 164th Street in Washington Heights.  It happened after he ran into a rope his attackers put up.  

“The rope I saw at the last second, but it was too late. I was already clotheslined,” Cho said.  

 Moments later, Cho said he was punched with brass knuckles and beaten. The attackers not only ran off with Cho’s bike, but also his cellphone and cash.  He’s not alone. 

On Thursday, another man was knocked off his bike with a bat – and then beaten and mugged in the same area. 

 “The lighting is absolutely dismal and in this section you’re in pitch dark and really it’s a criminal’s paradise,” Cho said. 

Investigators believe the attacks are connected. 

What’s even more troubling is that people Champion caught up with say they rarely see police in the area. 

 “If something happens, no one can see you. You could be there for maybe a couple of days in the brush and no one would find you,” Susan Hurse said. 

“It’s scary to think that you can’t come out and ride your bike and have fun without worrying about being mugged,” Susan McMullen added. 

 Nearly two weeks after his attack, with his wounds still healing, Cho vowed to never bike on that path again at night. 

 “They could’ve just taken my bike and just went off. I was in no condition to chase them or go after them. I was totally discombobulated,” he said. 

 The NYPD said it has stepped up patrols in the area.

 Investigators said they think the attackers could be targeting people with high-end bikes. 

 Presently, officers only have a vague description of the men, who are described as being in their 20s.

Read/View More:

Warning Issued To Bicyclists In NYC: Gang Attacking Riders Along The Hudson

Riders Clotheslined, Beaten With Brass Knuckles, Bats Along 'The Greenway' 

WCBS - September 3, 2013 - By Don Champion

NYC Settles Claim Of Race Based Transfers of Park Police Assigned To Battery Park City

Adam Pratt, a Battery Park City resident who has had numerous run-ins with Park Enforcement officers, is seen here in a YouTube video being led to an ambulance in handcuffs on January 29, 2011 after a confrontation with officers.  According to a lawsuit filed by officers Mr. Pratt allegedly struck a female Park Enforcement (PEP) officer and assaulted another officer, a 62-year-old while attempting to flee. 

A few months after the incident eight dark skinned PEP officers were transferred and eight light skinned ones were bought in.  In the video Capt. Falcone can be heard saying that one of his officers was assaulted, yet no charges were filed and the summons issued to Mr. Pratt mysteriously disappeared.  The Parks Department blamed the Police Department for losing the tickets.  PEP officers and their union Local 983 claim the Parks Department and  Battery Park City Authority tried to sweep the incident under the rug in an effort to protect the City's multi-million dollar annual contract for PEP services and promote, "customer service." 

During the incident Mr. Pratt shouted that Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was his neighbor and that he knew him according to the complaint.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

The City of New York and the Parks Department agreed to settle a Federal Civil Rights Discrimination lawsuit filed two years on behalf of Park Enforcement Patrol officers (PEP) in Battery Park City. The suit claimed the officers had been discriminated against and unfairly treated in violation of their civil rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment based on their color and race. 

Battery City Park residents led by then Battery Park City Authority president Gayle Horowitz, demanded the black officers to be transferred out and white officers to be transferred in. 

The suit alleges that then New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe succumbed to Horowitz’s and residents’ pressure to move out dark skinned officers-setting the stage for Horowitz to take credit with her residents and make the false public statement that she got the transferred officers fired.  (Ms. Horwitz resigned In October admist an ongoing controversy over the long-delayed opening of the $55 million Asphalt Green, community center.)

13 individual officers and Local 983 agreed to a monetary settlement.  The City has agreed to pay $ 165,500 in total including attorneys fees.

Although the involuntary transfers all occurred on the same day in March 2011 the black officers transfer orders were back dated by the Parks Department to months earlier in an obvious effort to cover up and avoid exposure to claims of discrimination and unequal treatment.  The white officer's transfer orders however were dated correctly.  Finally,  with a clean sweep,  the black female sergeant who supervised the day tour was involuntarily transferred to the night shift.  Ostensibly,  so that she would have little interaction with Battery Park’s predominately white residents.

A flier targeting PEP officers that was put up around Battery Park City. (Images: NYC Park Advocates)  

The Battery Park City Authority has a $ 2.7 million annual contract with the City to provide PEP services in Battery Park City. 

Prior to the unlawful transfers, the Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officers who patrol the park’s 35 acres and surrounding streets consistently complained that they were rarely backed by upper management within the city.  Rather, the officers’ claimed that, the city seemingly cedes authority over its officers, in violation of Civil Service Law, to the Battery Park Authority in an effort to protect and maintain the lucrative private security contract it has with the Authority.

The environment in which the black officers patrolled was routinely saturated with hostility including graffiti containing Nazi symbols and racist comments (photographs of the graffiti are in the possession of the city and upon information and belief the graffiti was made by certain residents of Battery Park)  posters, and anti-PEP chalk drawings on the sidewalks were also displayed. 

Officers saw  "PEP Niggers Out"  scrawled on a park bench in black marker opposite 70 Little West Street. 

This unlawful behavior reached a climax in January 2011 the suit claims when a white Battery Park City resident, Adam Pratt attacked and assaulted a black female officer and a 62-year-old black male officer.  The white resident was ultimately arrested and brought to Bellevue Hospital by EMS as an Emotionally Disturbed Person for psychiatric evaluation.

Pratt reportedly became "violent" with the EMS personnel in the ambulance and was classified as an "emotionally disturbed person," an FDNY spokesman said.  

The supervisor Capt. at the scene of the incident was Adrain Benepe's former driver, Eddie Falcone who allowed a friend of Mr. Pratt's to ride in the ambulance to the hospital which is against regulations.  Video of PEP officers who accompanied Mr. Pratt shot inside Bellevue Hospital was subsequently released on YouTube.  

Mr. Pratt was subsequently released with no assault charges and his summons for disorderly conduct mysteriously disappeared all in what the officers’  and Local 987 claim is an effort by the Battery Park City Authority and the Parks Department's management to promote positive public relations and promote "customer service."  In a deposition the Parks Department claimed the NYPD lost the summons issued to Mr. Pratt.

At Bellevue Hospital Captain Falcone told the assorted PEP officers that it would not look good for public relations purposes if Pratt was arrested and instructed an officer to issue him assorted summons insread the suit claims. 

Videos of PEP officers being confronted in Battery Park City by are still routinely posted on YouTube by Mr. Pratt including during one filmed during an evacuation during Hurricane Sandy.

"Watch this, watch this," Mr. Pratt says moments before PEP Capt. Falcone politely asks him to leave the promenade. 

Pratt has repeatedly claimed that PEP officers have a "vendetta" against him.  After the incident he filed a $5 million lawsuit against the City and alleging "false imprisonment, false and unlawful arrest, excessive use of force,  assault and battery and violation of the claimant's civil rights.

Assistant Parks Commissioner Michael Dockett and Inspector Robert Reeves, who oversee the PEPs, attended a meeting weeks after the January incident and committed to work with the residents.

"We are going to fix this problem," Reeves said.

In the ensuing weeks the Parks Department implemented customer service and conflict resolution training for the officers.

The black officers were subjected to numerous interrogations by the city and were ultimately involuntarily transferred pursuant to back dated orders,  despite not having been accused or involved in any misconduct.

The officer's lawsuit claims January incident was white washed and resulted in the additional involuntary transfer out of Battery City Park of five (5) of some of the most productive and senior officers who are dark skinned and the simultaneous transfer into Battery Park of eight (8) white and light skinned officers.  

One of the transferees, a white sergeant working in Central Park who had requested a transfer to Battery Park only weeks earlier and was told there were no openings, asked “ why now?” and his supervisor indicated that it was because of the color of his skin. 

According to a statement the settlement will not address remedying the blatant disrespect by residents for the officers and the laws they are sworn to uphold. The lawsuit alleged that the outrageous and despicable comments and epitaphs made towards the minority officers, the hostile work environment and the inability to perform their function have gone unchecked by either the city or the Authority.  The City refused to address any injunctive relief requested by the Union including the creation of a committee dedicated to improving relations between the officers and the BPC community.

The 13 individual officers and Local 983 agreed to a monetary settlement, and 12 of the officers agreed to give the 13th officer who was the victim of the January 2011 physical attack by the White BPC resident,  a share of their monies to help compensate him because his injuries have not resolved and the City is threatening his job.

Local 983 Vice President and Urban Park Ranger Joe Puleo has been critical of the Park Department’s laissez faire attitude and inaction which he often cites as the reason for public safety compromises in the parks. 

The suit was filed by Linda M. Cronin of Cronin & Byczek,  LLP in the United States District Court,  Southern District of New York– on behalf of the PEP officers and members of Local 983 and AFSCME and AFL-CIO.

Nearly 10 years ago Cronin‘s firm got a jury verdict on behalf of 22 dark skinned NYPD officers when the jury found that NYPD was liable for virtually the identical unlawful conduct.  NYC lost a Second Circuit Appeal and a bid to appeal to the United States Supreme Court on the $ 1.3 million dollar jury verdict for the illegal involuntary transfer of black officers into the 70th Precinct in the wake of the Abner Louima incident. 

The environment in which the black officers patrolled was routinely saturated with hostility including graffiti containing Nazi symbols and racist comments was made by certain residents of Battery Park.  Posters, and anti-PEP chalk drawings on the sidewalks were also displayed. 

Officers saw "PEP Niggers Out" scrawled on a park bench.

Read More:

13 minority Parks Department workers get $165,000 settlement after 
being transferred out of Battery Park City in favor of lighter-skinned workers
New York Daily News - March 27, 2013 -  BY Ginger Adams Otis