Dear John,

As a kid, I have a very strong memory of my early trips to U.S. National Parks. I learned from my parents and camp counselors that the parks are a shared national treasure, and that it’s our responsibility to help take care of them. One way I was taught to do that was “carry-in, carry-out,” bringing our garbage out with us, and to pick up a little extra litter along the way, in order to leave the parks a little better than we found them.     

I’ve been thinking about that sense of shared responsibility a lot in recent days. The pandemic has made New Yorkers more reliant than ever on our public parks. There’s no way I could have gotten through the last 3 months without early morning runs in Prospect Park (where I’ve explored many areas of the park I did not know as well, the Ravine and the Peninsula, in an effort to observe social distancing). And I know the same is true, in different ways, for so many of your families. 

In Brooklyn and around the country in recent weeks, our parks have become critical public spaces to gather and protest against systemic racism and violence in policing. Several of the recent #BlackLivesMatter protests that stand our most for our family have been in those parks as well, a beautiful family march across Long Meadow in Prospect Park, a moving silent vigil in McCarren Park, rallies in Washington Square Park and Foley Square and more. 

 

Those parks weren’t created by magic, and they aren’t maintained by magic -- it’s by democracy. It was a democratic decision to acquire and hold public space in common. And maintaining them is a decision we make in our budget every year. It’s thanks to the tireless work of Parks Department employees (and the Prospect Park Alliance as well), many of whom got sick from COVID-19 themselves, that we are able to enjoy these spaces. And that work is going to be even more important as the summer arrives.

Unfortunately, because of the City’s fiscal crisis, the Parks Department is facing $57.9 million in cuts in the Mayor’s proposed budget, at a time when we need our parks the most. As the City Council works to finalized the City budget, I’ll be fighting to restore some of that funding to pay for Parks staff to do maintenance and encourage social distancing compliance. But there’s no way to get around the fact that our parks are going to have fewer resources than they need.

We’ve gotten some complaints about the results: more garbage in some parts of our parks. But before you complain in anger, “Why aren’t they taking better care of this park?” I’d like to encourage us to take a page from those U.S. National Parks: during this crisis, let’s observe a “carry-in, carry-out” policy in our New York City Parks, bring our trash out with us, and pick up a little extra litter along the way.

So if you are going to the park this weekend, treat it like you are visiting Yellowstone. Our parks belong to all of us, and right now we all have to share the responsibility of keeping them clean, safe, and welcoming. 

Right now, I know that many of you don’t have access to your neighborhood park, so it’s harder to feel that sense of shared stewardship -- and even downright frustrating seeing our streets open, but your park closed. I agree with you. Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and I have urged the Parks Department to open up Carroll Park and Washington Park, which have been closed for the last three months. We believe that at least the blacktop at Carroll Park, and the turf at Washington Park could be safely and effectively opened to the public, even while the playgrounds remain closed. 

I’ll keep advocating for opening up other public spaces as well: our beaches (which I believe can and should be open for swimming, with lifeguards and social distancing ambassadors in place), our pools (experts and advocates have advanced some good ideas for how to address the need for social distancing there), and more open streets for pedestrian use in an equitable way across the city. 

For our parks and public spaces to remain places of refuge for New Yorkers seeking open space for recreation, exercise, and their mental health, we all have a part to play to make sure they are safe and welcoming to all people. We’ve seen the differences in how police have enforced social distancing rules in public spaces, and we’ve seen what it looks like when white park goers use their privilege as a weapon (as happened to Christian Cooper in Central Park). Right now, I’m especially missing the Celebrate Brooklyn concerts, which BRIC has worked so hard to make inclusive of an array of performers and concert-goers that reflects the full diversity of our borough.

Public parks are a critical part of our democracy, and we clearly have more work to do to help make sure they live up to their full democratic potential. In making sure fully equal access is a reality, and not belied by unequal enforcement. In providing the financial resources parks stewardship requires. And, for now, in working together to take care of them. 

Maybe “carry in, carry out” is a metaphor for the kind of democratic social solidarity we need to get through this crisis. And it’s definitely a good lesson to teach our kids.

Brad

In this email: 

City and State Updates

• Latest impacts: The city has lost 17,351 people tested for COVID-19, and another 4,692 presumed from the virus. We’ve seen 53,471 people hospitalized, and 205,405 confirmed cases of the virus. 

• Pools and parks: The governor announced that localities will be allowed to determine for themselves whether or not to reopen their public pools and parks. The Mayor said yesterday that NYC was not yet ready to do so. 

• Restaurant support: The City announced a Restaurant Revitalization program to provide around 100 restaurants with short term payroll support now. Under the RR Program, participating restaurants in hardest hit communities will be eligible for funding up to $30,000 each, to be used to pay wages of $20/hour to subsidized employees for at least six weeks. More about the program can be found here.

• Voting: Absentee ballots are beginning to arrive in the mail, if you havent yet requested yours, go to nycabsentee.com (check the box for “Temporary illness or physical disability” as the reason for needing an absentee ballot at this time). Early voting at select poll sites (find yours here) around the city will open on June 13, and polls will also be open on election day June 23. 

• Parent Forum on Special Education: On Tuesday, CEC15, the Citywide Council on Special Education and the Citywide District 75 Council will host a forum for parents on special education. Details here. 

• Back-to-School Planning: The DOE is surveying parents as it makes plans for how students will go back to school in the fall. You can fill out the survey here until 6/22, and read more about how the DOE is thinking about the fall here. The bottom line is there is still a lot of uncertainty.

• Police Accountability: This week the state legislature passed a slate of police accountability and transparency measures that the families of those killed by police violence and advocates have long pushed for, including repealing Section 50-A which helps hide police misconduct records, strengthening the special prosecutor’s office, and requiring reporting on racial disparities in enforcement of low level offenses. Governor Cuomo signed all 3 pieces of the Safer NY Act into law today. 

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