Early this month the TimesLedger reported that between Nov. 20 and Dec. 25, there were at least 12 violent incidents in the park. These incidents included the murder of Carlos Flores, 40, of Ridgewood, and the brutal beating of Jae-Woo Park, 33.
It is not enough that police have arrested suspects in these incidents. More must be done. The city needs a pre-emptive plan to stem the tide of violence before one of the most beloved attractions in all of Queens starts to lose its luster. It would be tragic, indeed, if this park that was home to two great World's Fairs and is currently home to Shea Stadium, the U.S. Open and countless other events should suddenly be seen as dangerous.However, we are not persuaded that the best solution is to build a new police precinct. Those calling for a precinct in the park note that Central Park has its own precinct with about 120 officers. Flushing Meadows Corona Park is substantially larger: Central Park, with 843-acre acres, is far smaller than the 1,255-acre Flushing Meadows.Central Park also happens to be the most famous urban park in America with 25 million visitors a year coming from all parts of the world. Any comparison of the two parks is disingenuous.Unlike Central Park, there is no reason that the city cannot enforce a reasonable curfew in Flushing Meadows. No one should be permitted to camp in Flushing Meadows. The city has more than enough space in its homeless shelters. Eliminating squatters would be a first step toward taking back the park.Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona) said the city needs “a permanent police presence in the form of some type of building or structure” located in the park. He said there should be about 60 officers stationed there, some from the city's Police Department and some from the Park Police.There is only a limited number of police officers from which to draw. Putting that many police officers in a park that should have few if any visitors in the late night hours doesn't make sense.Likewise we think David Oats, the chairman of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park World's Fair Association, went way too far when he called on Mayor Bloomberg to fire Assistant Queens Parks Commissioner Estelle Cooper. It's been our impression that Ms. Cooper is a dedicated public servant who has done a credible job and should not be held accountable for the surge in criminal activity.Rather than call for a new precinct, would it not make more sentence for Oats and his association to sit down with Police Commissioner Kelly to discuss the security problems in the park? If Oats can convince Commissioner Kelly of the need for new precinct, we might reconsider. But that's not about to happen.
