Park Slope Moms Sick Of Playground Potheads

The playground in question (Google Maps)

The "turf war" for Brooklyn's playgrounds continues, and not just in Crown Heights. One Park Slope playground is reportedly infested with young men who curse loudly, smoke marijuana and call themselves Top Notch Gentleman (TNG)—after the little ones have had their time to play, naturally. And mom's around the Park Slope Playground are not amused.

The problems reportedly start around 6 p.m. when, according to one mom, "there is a transition." Older kids "hang on the tables. Smoking pot. Cursing up a storm. You feel intimidated." One kid apparently even told one mom, "Who the fuck are you, old lady?" before older men chased him out of the park. And the boys and men are not denying they use the space as they please. One 23-year-old member of the TNG tells a News reporter that "We wait till six or seven o'clock so the kids have time here after school. Then we come here and play spades and basketball. This park is home to everybody. We ain't moving."

Police—who we know are happy to ticket adults without minors in playgrounds—say they are aware of the problem and have issued summonses for possession when they catch kids smoking. Or, as one TNG member puts it: "They arrest us; check us for warrants and we are home 2 hours later." But, he says, "For all those people who want peace and quiet, Brooklyn isn't the place for you."

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

By Garth Johnston in News on September 21, 2011 6:03 PM

Comments [rss]

whatidsay

Claude, where did you come from? Nabeguy here.

ClaudeScales

"Moms" as a plural does not take an apostrophe.

Peanut_Butter

When I was a kid, growing up in my old neighborhood, even the kids had boundaries. Generally, there was no cursing around older ladies and/or children.

whatidsay

In my old neighborhood, I would have been smacked in the mouth by one of the moms if I cursed in front of her.

Kimberley Truelove

Ahh, the good ol' days.

whatidsay

They could go two blocks in either direction and be in a real park (Prospect or Thomas Greene) to smoke their weed. Lazy dopers.

nomadnewyork

Welcome to New York.

zombiebob

Fucking yuppie cunts. Shut the fuck up you dumb biatches. It wasn't but 20 years before they were probably taking diet pills, smoking reefers and geting tag teamed on the monkey bars.

Investigate-NWO-globalists

Is it the medicinal weed that's the problem, or that gangsters are in the park!?

MEDICNYC

I'm sick of Park Slope moms.

BottomlessChips

Yeah...terrible that they care about their kids

pendejito

Yeah, beacause kicking people out of public parks so you can have it all to yourself = caring for your kids.

BottomlessChips

They're smoking pot in the park. I believe there was a newsworthy ban on smoking in parks this year.

I'm rather ambivalent on such a ban, but it is a local law.

Sinchy

As long as they're not eating donuts no need to ticket them.

silver

All the parks in NYC but Central Park, are Crips and Bloods turf. Thats why white boys get the gym membership.

no body

i think Gamercy park would disagree. and pretty sure sunset had a hispanic gang flavor bent to it. but the dudes there didn't mind a blanco or two late night

darkdrseuss

Having grown up in the suburbs when I was younger, it was pretty much the same demographics, just a wider space. The park still had potsmoking teens and young adults, and the parents and children occupied the other end. Unfortunately, in this city, space is limited and everyone is sort of jammed together, but this isn't anything new. Coexistance and harmony, man

Kimberley Truelove

Top Notch Gentlemen. Classy... losers.

nicemarmot

My building has one of those little pocket parks attached to it. It's always full of kids running around, and in the corner, a bunch of pot-smokers always congregate getting stoned off their asses in the middle of the day. And you know what? Everybody gets along. The moms don't throw a shit fit over the smokers and the smokers keep a respectful distance from the little kids. Now that is the beauty of New York.