"The Parks Department Opportunity Program does not discriminate against people with prior criminal records." - Vickie Karp Parks Spokeswoman.
Police investigators at the scene. A welfare worker employed by the Parks Department allegedly stabbed a co-worker to death yesterday outside the Al Oerter recreation center. (Photo:
Alert PEP officers tracked down the suspect in Flushing Meadows Corona Park shortly after. Park employees at the scene did not call 911 to say a suspect was loose or give a description of the assailant according at the scene. Concerns have once again been raised over the lack of background checks, especially for people with violent criminal histories for parks workers enrolled in the welfare-to-work program.
UPDATED
A welfare worker employed by the Parks Department stabbed a co-worker to death Tuesday outside the recreation center where they worked.
Ezra Black, 31, from Brooklyn, was stabbed in the chest by fellow Job Training Participant (JTP) Robert Swann, 51, at the Al Oerter Recreation Center near Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens.
The two welfare recipients were loading garbage that according to Local 983 reps they aren't even supposed to be doing - when they got into an argument over garbage bags according to park sources. Swann made several threats about killing him prior to the incident sources said.
They had been bickering for days.
Swann a grabbed a knife with a wooden handle from a cafeteria and went outside stabbed him. He calmly left the scene and disappeared into Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
Park employees at the scene did not call 911 to say a suspect was loose or give a description of the assailant according to a source at the scene.
"They wanted to keep it quiet," he said.
Instead the Al Oerter Recreation Center manager went looking for police in the park but could not find any. He found PEP officers Ralph Baselice and Sgt. Charles St. Louis inside the PEP headquarters in the Passerelle building who jumped into his car and began driving around the park looking for him.
Officer Baseline broadcasted a description of the suspect over a police radio they had because of the U.S. Open detail.
While driving around the park an observant St. Louis spotted Swann - who had disposed of his parks uniform - not far from the Unisphere walking towards exit of the park.
The officers got out of the car and ordered him to stop.
He kept walking.
The officers surrounded the alledged assailant. Officer St. Louis took out his mace and again ordered him to stop. As they approached him a police van filled with officers from the 109 Pct. pulled up with guns drawn and placed him under arrest.
The stabbing victim Ezra Black was taken to New York Hospital Queens, where he later died.
Mr. Black's brother Daniel Black and has allegedly made threats to park employees seeking revenge. Flyers have been distributed to park employees with a photograph of Daniel.
"I don't understand why this was allowed to get to this point," said a parks worker familiar with the situation. "The manager should have dealt with it before it came to this. Everyone knew these guys were fighting."
Concerns have once again been raised over the lack of background checks, especially for people with violent criminal histories for parks workers enrolled in the welfare-to-work program.
Black reportedly has more than two dozen prior arrests that include assault, menacing and criminal use of a firearm.
A parks spokesperson defended hiring people with criminal histories.
"The Parks Department Opportunity Program does not discriminate against people with prior criminal records, " Vickie Karp Parks Spokeswoman told the Chief.
Read More:
New York Post - September 5, 2012 - By Christina Carrega and Doug Auer
By Rocco Parascandola, Lisa Colangelo, Joe Kemp
WNBC - Sepember 5, 2012 - By Pei-Sze Cheng
By New York Times - September 4, 2012
NY1 News - September 5, 2012
DNAinfo - September 5, 2012 - By Mary Johnson
Times Ledger - September 5, 2012 - By Rich Bockmann
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