Locals Don't Want Day Laborers In Their Playground

Hart Playground in Woodside

In today's playground news: no spaceships, prisons, or burning orbs are mentioned, but residents of Woodside, Queens want a certain group banned from their local play area. According to the Daily News, the Hart Playground—and more specifically its bathrooms—has been taken over by day laborers. One community Board 2 member told them, "People are afraid to use the park. [Men] come and they stay all day and they're urinating, drinking and washing clothes and taking baths in the fountain. It's not even an area where they should be without a child."

Some locals are placing part of the blame on local charities like Bread and Life, which has a mobile food kitchen set up outside of the playground. Executive Director Anthony Butler claims, "They're not in the playgrounds. They're only in the bathrooms." He also noted that the complaints were coming from "one or two people," and that he believes the accusations are racist. However, one local recently explained, “I’m Irish Catholic, I think it’s a wonderful thing to feed the poor, feed the hungry. I’m also a social worker. I know how it’s done. It is not done in a playground in a residential neighborhood.”

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer is currently working towards a compromise, and Butler said his group would move "if an appropriate site was given to us."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on April 19, 2010 4:22 PM

Comments [rss]

potsmoker

these stories lack perspective.

in context of the 2009 CNN Heroes award the plight of day laborers and the charity that feeds the homeless and laborers on the streets was very moving and a tearjerker.

http://www.anangelinqueens.org/

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/archive09/jorge.munoz.html

i dont believe the park bathroom is kids only,

they might mill around the playground, but who do you want milling around the playground? lots of men who likely 99.999999% who arent pervs who would be glad to help and protect women and children in trouble.

Stewart

It's not racist. People would feel the same way if it was 25 marginally employed construction workers from Kansas milling around. But don't bother these guys - arrest the contractors for violating employment laws and tax evasion.

jennu

Until 2 months ago, I lived in that area and walked past the day laborers at that location and outside a paint store on Roosevelt Ave on my way to the train. They get hired, so clearly they're filling some need, even if it's a contractor's desire to circumvent minimum wage laws. There's no charity van by the paint store, so I don't think getting rid of the truck by the park is going to make the laborers move. They need to be where the bosses will look for them.

Plenty of adults without kids sit on the benches in that park without bothering anyone. I'd much rather the day laborers duck into the park to use the bathroom than relieve themselves against a wall.

I can understand how some women might feel threatened by a group of men standing around. But they never bothered me or anyone else that I saw.

inoyourider

Yuck.

That charity needs to do the right thing and move.

tsol

It's absolutely an immigration issue. Taste the diversity, people!

Clarice City

Right. The people complaining must be racist because they don't want dirty old dudes (illegal day laboroers with no ID? Hm? Maybe?) washing up, boozing up and shitting near their kids.

There are other public places to go wash your nasty armpits and booze up that aren't in an effing playground of all things.

Daily Toker

Who's talking about racism? Illegal or not, adults shouldn't be in the playground without children, PERIOD. Don't make this into an immigration issue.