By Gus Saltonstall
A little more than a week after “No Trespassing” and “For Wise Towers Residents Only” signs appeared in the courtyard and playground of an Upper West Side New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complex, a nearby school sent an email to parents saying it was suspending activities in the space “for the time being.”
The Stephen Wise Towers playground and courtyard is located on West 90th and 91st streets, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. The Trinity School, which was named as one of the 25 best private schools in the United States this past year, sits nearby at 139 West 91st Street.
The UWS school has used the courtyard and play area within the NYCHA complex for years, according to multiple Trinity parents.
But on Tuesday, Kristin Crawford, the principal of Trinity’s lower school, sent an email out to its community stating that the institution would no longer be using the outdoor space and playground within Wise Towers.
“Trinity School has an arrangement to play at Llama Park during recess,” she wrote. “We are suspending our recess play there for the time being. I suggest families also suspend playing there after school and over the weekends.”
Prior to the Tuesday email, Trinity would use the Wise Towers playground a couple of times a week for its kindergarten classes, parents said. The school also uses Central Park once a week, and has a small, outdoor playground called Little Trinity within its campus, as well as an astroturf field.
The Wise Towers playground recently received a comprehensive renovation. Tenant leaders had expressed concern to West Side Rag in January that, since the new play area reopened, there were worries it was being flooded by nonresidents who were possibly taking away space from children who live there.
- Read More: ‘No Trespassing’ Signs Appear at Wise Towers New UWS Playground: Neighbors Left Questioning
The playground is referred to as the Llama Park because of the Nivola Horses sculptures within it.
A NYCHA spokesperson subsequently told the Rag that the signs had been installed by the Wise Towers’ property managers in response to “resident concern about the treatment of the new playground equipment.”
Shanifah Rieara, a Trinity parent, told West Side Rag she was “shocked” to receive the email from the school.
“We know living in New York City, parks are at a premium. Yes, Central Park is a couple of blocks over, but open space is just so sacred,” Rierara told West Side Rag. “But it’s also the New York City experience, it is so communal. The shared space is how we build community. So, it was really jarring that these signs were put in place.”
“It was alarming to get that email yesterday saying we had to immediately halt using the space,” Rieara continued. “I pick my kids up from school pretty regularly. Trinity has a staggered dismissal period. Depending on what division your child is in, there can be a half-hour lag.
“In between those dismissal times, you’d go over to the playground and you’d hang out. That’s been the case forever,” she said. “I have a middle schooler who has been in the school since kindergarten, and it’s something we’ve always done – well before the renovations.”
When West Side Rag asked the Wise Towers PACT property managers who oversaw the installation of the signs for comment on the reasoning, we instead eventually received a response from a PR agency representing them.
“The residents of Wise Towers are our top priority,” the spokesperson for the property manager told the Rag. “It has been a privilege to help make their homes, including their outdoor open space, a place they can be proud of, and we are committed to ensuring they have the high quality of life they deserve.”
The answer did not include specifics on the decision to install the signs and what type of enforcement would come with them, despite both of those topics being in the original question.
Rieara added that she struggled with how to explain the loss of the Wise Towers playground to her youngest child.
“Yesterday, I picked up my kindergartener at dismissal,” Rieara said. “She was like, ‘let’s go over to llama Park,” and I had to say we can’t. She had questions and I really didn’t know how to answer them. So, we just sat on the stairs.”
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“The shared space is how we build community”. Does Trunity shares it’s putdoor space with the residents of Wise Tower or has this just been a one way street?
You’re not wrong and surely Trinity would keep them out but Wise Towers is paid for by taxpayers. It’s PUBLIC housing.
For the residents that live there. Not for public.
But the residents who live there also have access to every other public park, so why is it different for this public playground?
Sure, maybe Trinity shouldn’t be having gym classes at the park, but physically preventing residents in the neighborhood from accessing a public domain because “we’ve been through a lot” is nothing short of theft from your neighbors.
NYCHA residents do, in fact, pay rent. Having facilities dedicated to one apartment building or development is entirely unexceptional when it’s…anywhere else.
The “facilities” are not dedicated to the apartments. The facilities are a public park funded by all taxpayer dollars.
Yes NYCHA buildings are paid for by taxpayers – but as an educational/non-profit entity Trinity benefits from basically no taxes. So indirectly paid for by taxpayers?
I’m not sure what the correct policy balance here should be (yes, it’s paid for by the public, but not every public facility is open to everyone at all times–aren’t some of the public playing fields on Randalls Island and elsewhere taken over by private schools much of the time?) but it is a little…incongruous…to hear parents at Trinity, which charges almost $65K a year in tuition, complaining in the name of “communality” that they don’t get the use the facilities provided for some of the poorest kids in the city. “What’s ours is ours and what’s public is ours too” is a bit stiff coming from that crowd.
But…I don’t want to deprive kindergarteners of llama access, either! Just…I wish these people could hear themselves talking!
Gosh, you’d think maybe Trinity could afford to build its own playground for its ultra-rich kindergarteners, or perhaps take them to Central Park.
Use the playground as you’ve always done.
Trinity has a big endowment and ridiculous amounts of wealth among its parents. I’m sure a nice check could solve a lot of problems.
Hopefully the Trinity kids were playing with the Wise Towers residents rather than just using their park as that would be a nice life experience for them.
Almost sure they were not!
Good point, I hope so too.
Tuition at Trinity is 64,000 dollars a year. NYCHA residents wait years for renovations and even basic repairs. Can the kids who live at NYCHA use the amenities at the ridiculous luxury buildings where those spoiled Trinity brats live or is it only the rich people who feel entitled to other peoples’ homes?
NYCHA residents deserve nice things and don’t deserve all of this vitriol just because the community wants to keep the playground nice and available to the people who actually live there.
Do you know large numbers of Trinity students? Kind of harsh to call kindergarteners whom you don’t know “spoiled brats.”
Harsh to say, but do know many and, sadly, many are (as are their parents). They are destined to become entitled adults.
Couldn’t agree with you more. I don’t feel sorry for those Trinity students at all. Let Trinity pay for its own playground somewhere. Talk about entitlement of the rich!
“I didn’t know how to answer them” that’s easy, “Wise tower park is just for the children who live there, it’s important to respect our neighbors space. They allowed us to use it before it became too crowded, but now understandably they would like to enjoy it for themselves. It’s important to listen to others when they let us know something is wrong or not working anymore. Can you think of a time when you felt like that with a friend, something used to feel okay but then it didn’t anymore?” … “Yes that makes sense, I feel a bit disappointed too, let’s think of a new park we might try together.”
Well said. This would have been an appropriate response on that parent’s behalf. For her to act as though she didn’t know how to explain it to her child is a disappointing display of entitlement.
Trinity is doing the right thing. Endangering children and exposing them to potentially violent confrontations because of a dispute even when you are in the right is not acceptable. The city needs to straighten the trouble makers there out fast.
I don’t see any “trouble makers” here other than Trinity. NYCHA has the absolute right to determine who uses their playground.
Recess is part of a school’s daily schedule, and it is the school’s responsibility to provide appropriate space of its own for that activity to take place. It is time for Trinity to stop mooching off others and create a viable curriculum based on its own resources. So yes, that would be the right thing.
Exactly. Trinity sees the potential for confrontation and is prospectively protecting the kids.
Potential for confrontation meaning exactly what?
Irena, if you’ve been to this playground in the past few days, there has been a lot of screaming and cursing.
I say the issue is messaging. On the one hand, when it’s children deemed “resource constrained” we hear how integration and sharing is the only solution for ending racism, elitism, and systemic discrimination. We advocate for economically integrated neighborhoods so that families of all stripes, colors, and financial means can learn to co-exist in harmony. Afterall, its children right?
Now, the shoe is on the other foot and this time it’s OK to create boundaries for the haves and have nots. A tale of two cities.
Nothing really changes does it?
Can you provide us an example of when Trinity let the children who live in Wise use their gymnasium?
Not defending Trinity but I know that on weekends they let programs like Prep for Prep (I think that is the name of it) use their space for classes for underprivileged kids. I do not know if Trinity is paid for this. And Trinity also accepts a significant number of students through these programs.
As usual, everyone is dashing to polar extremes while there is likely a compromise solution here.
PFP is an elite feeder program that takes a tiny percentage of kids. The NYCHA property there may have a few in there, but Trinity & the other private schools have maybe 5% of each class from PFP. It’s a good program but nowhere near enough & does not justify a taking of public housing playpaces
Fir enough but if the issue is kids not sharing why not address that before resorting to exclusion? Seems like a very slippery slope especially for such a staunch progressive neighborhood like UWS where every parent prides themselves on being a role model. This seems like an opportunity to teach. Walls and boundaries fortify division not foster harmony. Resentment is a virus. Mine, yours, ours?
That’s what the UWS has become in my 45 years here…mine and yours.
And maybe Wise Towers excluding non residents even if it is not the ultimate answer is being done to prove a point and maybe FORCE an understanding.
This!
Public Housing residents have a right to their own amenities and that includes the use of their playground. To those saying the playground is fair game because it belongs to a public houing complex, I ask you this- do you also want the right to march through people’s apartments and use their bathrooms, for instance? It’s ridiculous. Trinity parents are the epitome of privilege. Overrunning the kids in the Towers play is wrong. End of story.
What a silly comparison. Nobody is arguing that bathrooms on private property, whether Trinity’s bathrooms or Wise tenant’s apartment bathrooms, should be open to the public. This has historically been a public playground accessible from the street. Not the same thing.
The Trinity angle is also a different issue than whether individual local parents should be allowed to use this playground.
Fascinating how entitled adults and children think that everything they want should be available to them with no real thought of how it might impact others. Perhaps this story hasn’t had enough space to give more context and comments. Central Park is literally a block or two away. Let the Trinity kids head over there.
Trinity is obviously not going to force this issue if there’s a chance they’re wrong and the playground really is private. Similarly they aren’t going to expose their students and personnel to danger if it’s true that residents have taken it upon themselves (vs NYCHA or the property managers) to police the space. Trinity, like most everyone else, are waiting for clarification from the city for guidance.
As it stands I suspect NYCHA considers the plaza public. Everything about the construction of the space (both pre and post renovations ) points to that. NYCHA could choose to make that space private but that would go against their long standing efforts to better integrate their developments into the neighborhoods.
Exactly, it sounds like Trinity is just pausing use of this public space until the uncertainty is cleared up and those obnoxious signs are removed.
The playground was traditionally open to individual neighbors to bring their kid. Then a big, powerful and wealthy institution abused that generosity by taking over the space for hours for large groups of children whose parents pay them a small fortune for the privilege. That abuse cost the neighborhood a treasured privilege.
“That abuse cost the neighborhood a treasured privilege”
Did it? Has NYCHA actually stated that the status of the playground has changed? The story that’s being told is that the property manager put up the signs at the request of residents however neither the property manager nor the residents actually determine what the status of the space is.
I have a great idea! Why doesn’t the parents of the Trinity School just fund and build their own playground on top of one of the Trinity properties, stop complaining, and invite the neighborhood kids over to play as a show of unity? I am glad that the children of the housing complex have, for once, a place of their own that they can enjoy and feel proud of!
As a grateful immigrant and refuge, whose parents came to this wonderful city with a $20 bill and now get to live a comfortable retirement in the UWS, I am disappointed by some of my entitled neighbors that can’t rejoice and celebrate something nice in someone else’s lives. I am only glad we didn’t raise our daughter in this divisive environment. It’s not all about you!
It depends on whether the playground is for the exclusive use of the NYCHA residents. If not, then Trinity students have every right to be there.
Hm, maybe the Wise Tower residents don’t look at “communal” being a good thing if their kids aren’t getting to use the facilities their building maintains. It seems a little one sided communally anyway, unless Trinity is open to the Wise Tower kids coming in to use Trinity’s spaces also.
Lori, you’re assuming that there are a ton of Wise Tower kids who would use this space. I’m not so sure. Anytime I have walked by in the past few days during periods when the Wise tenants were preventing others from entering, there were almost no kids there period. On Saturday, I saw maybe 10 kids inside which appeared to be a combination of Wise kids and outside parents ignoring the tenants yelling at them. Friends of mine also told me that the playground was basically empty when they walked nearby. This space is designed to handle dozens if not a hundred kids at any given time.
What a waste of public space if it isn’t used as intended.
Prior to all of this, the playground was an incredibly active place with lots of kids sharing the equipment.
Yes, there can sometimes be a lot of Trinity kids there. When it comes to large organized school groups, I’m OK with placing limits on use of public facilities, just like it should be in other parks and playgrounds. When it comes to individual Trinity kids walking across the street after school, they should have just as much right to use the space as everybody else.
Is this an issue Wise residents asked for or something the management sought to mitigate themselves.
Either way, this is not how this should haven been handled by the management company on behalf the residents or not and I suspect they will have to capitulate.
Time will tell.
The article says that management is refusing to respond to the reporter. That says a lot. My suspicion is that management is saying nothing while they try to CYA regarding what may be completely illegal “no trespassing” signs.
How do you think Trinity should have handled it? By flooding the playground with 20 kids at the same hour each day, rendering it inaccessible to residents, and offering nothing in return?
I worked for a private preschool on UWS. We always took our kids to certain parks and playgrounds in the area. Sometimes several schools were at the park too. Parents with children who were using the park would get upset bc large groups can “take over” play spaces and otherwise shut out little kids with just a parent. We did try to get our group to play in a community spirit but our kids would grab toys, monopolize the sandbox etc. I can see why the neighborhood moms were somewhat appalled by the onslaught. I think Trinity should build a playspace for their kids.
I have observed this at other parks as well when school groups have swooped in. I can see why the Wise residents would want access to their playground restricted.
Please note that Trinity has been expropriating the playground of a housing project on a daily basis for institutional use. Why don’t they have their own playground for recess, at $70k per year?
That, or why didn’t Trinity contribute to the playground’s refurbishment?
You’re both talking like you know that the playground belongs to ONLY the housing project. Until this is determined, everybody has the right to public spaces. Yes, even kids whose tuition is $70K per year.
As far as I’m concerned, if one is in need of housing assistance and benefits from generous subsidies paid for by the taxpayers, then they shouldn’t be so territorial about playgrounds. Don’t even get me started about the parking lots that residents of housing projects are entitled to use for a small parking fee. And some people here complain about ‘free parking’ on City streets.
As I previously posted, Wise Tower funded the repairs through an equity loan same as Trump Organization was convicted of fraud for by AG James. The information is public information available on ACRIS. It also funded interior repairs much needed inside the building when the property was put under private management by NYCHA. This is a low income development created by Eisenhower’s New Deal, he was a fan of FDR. Some of the residents pay full rent while others receive supplements through various programs. As public housing land is private property managed by a city agency or their agent, they have every right to regulate who uses their playground or other areas. Ask Trinity or any other private buildings if they can make their bathrooms and gyms available to NYCHA residents. Maybe they can strike a deal.
Does anybody else understand AMD’s word salad? I have no idea what Trump, fraud, or James have to do with financing Wise Towers.
What a silly comparison between a public playground that is street accessible to private bathrooms. Nobody is suggesting that Wise Towers bathrooms in tenant apartments should be made public.
The legal issue about whether management can unilaterally restrict access to the playground is far more complex and requires at least reading the contract between NYCHA and management. I also suspect that management cannot unilaterally declare that a place that has been public for years is now private.
It is a NYCHA owned park! This has gone too far.
Honestly what confuses me here is how else is the space going to be used during the day? Are there other local schools that would like to use it during recess? I assume all of the kids at Stephen Wise Towers are in school during recess time, whether that be at Trinity or elsewhere. If their schools want to use it, fine, I see an argument. Otherwise, I’m a little confused.
The park has been comparatively quite empty since the “no trespassing” signs went up, which makes me wonder what the real issue is. There doesn’t seem to be a massive influx of resident children suddenly playing here. If we’re talking about a project like this one that’s funded by taxpayer dollars, I think that utilization should always be a part of that conversation. How do we make it so that the space can be utilized best without straying from the original goals of the space?
“I assume all of the kids at Stephen Wise Towers are in school during recess time, whether that be at Trinity or elsewhere.”
You know that kids don’t necessarily start school before age five, right? Toddlers need playgrounds, too.
There are around 800 tenants total living in Wise Towers. I’d be curious to see how many are old enough to use a playground but young enough to not yet go to school. My first guess is not enough to justify exclusive use of a pretty spacious playground, especially because there’s a whole other half that isn’t appropriate for toddlers at all, but I honestly don’t know.
Send the residents of the NYCHA building who have annexed the park a tax bill. Then let’s see how fast those signs come down.
This story has a history.
As I reported in the West Side Rag last January, Wise Towers Tenants Association and community leader, Ernesto Carrera, has complained about the developing social problems that he has observed:
“Carrera has worked with management and with City Councilmember Gale Brewer’s office to help create a plan for revitalizing the buildings’ indoor and outdoor spaces for play and relaxation. That plan is supposed to improve things for Wise Tower residents. But too often, Carrera told me, he sees non-residents bringing their children to play on the newly-installed equipment – and moving away from the children who live in the Wise towers. Why? Carrera contends it’s because of the apparent differences in their socioeconomic status.
‘Before the reconstruction, the jungle gyms, the swings were not there and no one used the plaza except the Wise residents,’ Carrera said. ‘But now, these [non-residents] come here and act like they own the place, and our own people think they’re neither respected nor wanted, and so, they don’t come any more, and that makes me so angry.’
Carrera continued in visible distress. ‘What are those parents teaching their children when they pull them away to go to a different seat in the plaza? That’s not how to teach your kids, is it?’ he asked me, imploringly. ‘It could be so much better if people could just get together.'”
I am puzzled. I see kids of all colors playing in public parks – why in this particular park were parents “pulling them away”? There is more to this one.
It’s a matter of dignity, and the Wise children deserve theirs.
Eric, Wise children do deserve dignity. But there appear to be very few of them actually using this space, leaving the space almost empty. How does an empty playground with few chances to meet other children confer dignity on anybody?
What about the Lincoln Towers playground? Shouldn’t it be open for the public as well?
We live in a city, not in bunch of gated communities.
Gramercy Park is another gated community in NYC.
Gramercy Park is private because residents of the surrounding community pay an annual fee to use it.
Parent,
Perhaps one could argue that we should all have access to indoor play rooms in buildings?
Or access to other amenities such as screening rooms, gyms in residential buildings?
Or access to university facilities like Fordham’s tennis courts?
LT is literally described online as a fully enclosed gated community exclusive to residents and their guests. Why would the playground be open to the public?
Really upsetting how many of our neighbors are utterly lacking in humanity and perspective.
Seems illegal to restrict people from publicly funded parks. We don’t need more segregation in this neighborhood, integrate the publicly funded playground for all kids from all backgrounds, The socialization of the funding, but privatize of the use is pure corruption that needs to be investigated. It
A point that’s being missed in the comments below is that the “no trespassing” and “tenants only” signs are meant for everyone, not just Trinity kids.
So while I’m not sympathetic to Trinity losing their extra recess space, I do think it sucks for the families in the area who want to enjoy a very nice playground.
Also, this was not mentioned in the story, but seriously: WHY did they renovate that park and leave the massive, peeling-paint-covered concrete “sculptures” in place???
Here’s an idea: since Trinity wants to use the space as part of its private operations, allow Trinity to pay NYCHA to rent the park for use during recess. This is similar to how public park space is rented out to softball leagues in Central Park.
Otherwise, let the public use the public playground. IMO, the public should be able to use that basketball court on the other side as well.
On the general topic of space and access…
Seems completely unfair to me that M7 and M11 bus riders don’t get proper bus service due to Open Streets which forces bus diversion.
Not to mention that bus riders are paying a fare and not getting the mass transit they are entitled to
I’m very surprised the author did not look into the heavy use of the playground by the OTHER private school bordering the new playground. The Geneva School of Manhattan on W90th was also told to cease bringing school classes to the playground many weeks ago. As far as I know, they complied and resumed their recesses at the smaller playground directly adjacent to their building (St. Gregory’s playground) which becomes overcrowded and even dangerous once their bratty older students start kicking soccer balls around like it’s a full-size field. After school, I’ve often seen a hundred students from that school going crazy on the new Wise playground and the similarly snobby and entitled parents do little to enforce more appropriate behavior. This is not all on Trinity (I have no affiliation with either school but live on the block).
Hope a solution can be found that helps the community to thrive. Don’t want to see neighbors being divided over this.
Absolutely heartbreaking to read comments like this from NEW YORKERS on the UPPER WEST SIDE. I’m truly in disbelief at the entitlement of wanting to use a project park to the detriment of the children it was built for.
Maybe you’re not true New Yorkers, maybe you actually don’t get that what you’re doing is akin to kicking in the door of an affinity space? But you are.
Why push and argue and fight over a modicum of space that means nothing to you and everything to a little girl, grown man, grandma, etc, who’s never really left the block? I read a comment that said “I’ve never even heard of wise towers,” as if it was a good thing! How painful, to not know a huge part of the history of this neighborhood— to then lay claim to it.
It’s very much giving “if they can do it, we should be allowed to, too.” I hope you’re all aware we live in America, surrounded and constantly bombarded with systemic and institutionalized racism. I thought the UWS was better than this. Would it be so terrible to say to your kid, “The plaza has been super crowded lately and the people that live there haven’t really had a chance to enjoy their new space, how about we try xyz park today?” It may even be an opportunity!?
We can all play dumb and pretend this is a legality issue but it’s really just about people who haven’t had much finally being given a little something, and your being offended by that. No ifs, ands, or buts.
interesting article. – and comments.
I started off thinking that of course the NYCHA playground should be available to all.
But after multiple re-reads of the article and comments, am no longer sure.
My opinion has changed – and now thinking that NYCHA residents have good reason to want to restrict access.
Perhaps ultimately there can be some sort of resolution – let’s say neighborhood access on M-F from 9 to 3?
And only NYCHA residents the rest of the time.
Lastly, Trinity certainly has funds to contribute
Thank you WSR
Many of the comments appear to be from people reciting “what ifs” who may not have visited this space with their children. I have. It’s a very large space than can easily handle dozens or a hundred kids.
This playground used to be filled with children. It was a great opportunity for my child to meet all different types of neighborhood children. Since the Wise tenants started screaming at visiting children, the playground has been virtually empty, with just a small number of kids (or sometimes none) and is a shell of its former self. It’s unclear to me how many kids actually live in the Wise buildings who use this space on a regular basis, but it doesn’t appear to be that many.
Also, Wise kids have just as much right to use other playgrounds as I do.
In other words, the underlying issue is probably something very different than “these poor Wise kids don’t have other playground choices and really need this to be a private amenity exclusive to them.” They have just as many other choices as I do.
What are the “good reasons” to restrict access that you have heard? Also be aware that the ultimate issue is whether NYCHA has the legal right to exclude non-tenants from otherwise open spaces on their property and whether NYCHA has actually done so in this case. I have a strong suspicion that the answer is “no” to both questions, partly because if the answer was “yes,” then a smart manager would have obtained a written legal opinion *BEFORE* posting “no trespassing” signs that the police are refusing to enforce.
Finally, the Trinity issue is a red herring. This isn’t about whether Trinity kids can use the playground (unless that is the real unstated goal of the tenants association). It’s whether non-NYCHA neighbors on the block can use the playground.
And what if a tourist with no ties to the community or even NYC wants to use the playground? The playground can’t be different things at different times. Either it’s public or it isn’t.
Stop focusing so much on how Trinity and money are synonymous. It’s really no one’s business how Trinity spends their money.
This is not about Trinity and Wise Towers. It’s about the entire neighborhood and Llama Park. What is the official policy here? Is the park indeed a public space that can be accessed by non-residents? Or is it a private space to be used only by Wise Towers residents? Council members and NYCHA should issue a statement to the community indicating the right guidelines.
Our school has been using the space with the residents forever as well and we received a letter saying not to use the space and our school ceased play there. The children were so upset. What was once open is now closed to them. This is not Trinity school either nor privileged. It is not over run either, there is space for all the kids. I think it’s just miserable stopping any kid from playing, imagine it was your child.
The argument of going to Central Park is irrelevant as the time to get there and back uses up the kids short amount of outdoor time.
People just need to show some humanity.
Maybe it’s asking the schools for assistance to upkeep the park? Although it is taxpayer money which is generally wasted anyway. 🤦🏻♀️
I have to say all of the people who are so upset about not being allowed on private property – welcome to the real world. It all sounds very entitled to me. This is private property and they have the right to enjoy it in peace.
If they had a gym inside their building, would you be entitled to use it as well?
You have the most beautiful park on earth two blocks away.
To the extent that this is “private property,” that property is owned by NYCHA. And NYCHA has been unbelievably silent about whether it has made a decision to render a previously public space into a private amenity. The lack of a quick response from NYCHA to requests for clarification is likely because somebody in their legal department is doing a huge CYA to find a way out of this mess after management failed to do their due diligence before posting “no trespassing” signs.
NYCHA tenants themselves have no right to declare this space as their private property.
Comparing an inside amenity to an outside unlocked public space is not a good comparison. For a better comparison, look at the locked and gated playground only a half block away from this one. It appears to be owned by NYCHA, is not publicly accessible, and I have never seen a single person inside.
Do you have a toddler? Because for those who live on this block adding 15 minutes to a toddlers’ day for walking back and forth from another park is actually a big deal when Mom or Dad want to get in some playground time before a 6:30pm bedtime.
Where does this little child who lives nearby but doesn’t live in this NYCHA building, but attends public school go to play especially if they have friends who live in the Wise towers? Kids they know from school? Do they get an exemption as long as they don’t show up with someone who could be mistaken for a nanny? Must they stand outside the gate looking in?
Isn’t this a CHILDREN’S playground? Let the kids play TOGETHER!
Has anyone asked the children how they feel about this and who they want to play with or is it (once again) the progressive parents on the UWS who know what is best and how to foster a fair, just, and equitable society? I suspect many need a refresher class in what it means to be a good sharer. And then when it comes time to ask for funding, what it means to be generous and neighborly so that we can all live in peace and harmony. Or maybe this whole idea of a mixed community is really just a farce?
My kids go to private school locally and they have no outdoor space at all. Outdoor space in Manhattan is a luxury. I live on a coop on west end and pay top dollar but also have no outdoor open space. To say that the residents of NYCHA are entitled to it because they live there totally ignores the reality that most ppl living in Manhattan – no matter income level – do NOT HAVE THEIR OWN PRIVATE PARK!!!!! Definitely not public housing.
A huge chunk of the upper west side is either supportive housing or public housing or shelters or secret shelters or potential shelters or housing for the Justice involved or halfway houses or secret drug rehabs…. Blah blah blah. If they each had to have their own public park then you can be sure there would be no room for anyone or anything else.
Wow. Some of you really think money can buy anything. I’d love to see what would happen if Trinity, with all that so-called money, decided to build a playground next to it, resulting in eviction of six nearby town houses. What would happen? Pray lord. The loss of housing! Our housing stock is going down. Someone call the bishop of Canterbury. When they use their money to buy things it’s bad. When they don’t use their money it’s bad. This is not only about money. Outdoor space is limited supply in Manhattan and thanks to LAWS we can’t just buy our way through life and get whatever land we want. Sorry. some local diehard left wing liberals are so anti capitalist and anti “the rich.” you can’t even be consistent anymore. If trinity bought up the playground what would you say?
I have read all these comments. If you just moved into the neighborhood then you wouldn’t understand. First Wise Tower residents don’t call it the Llama Park because they’re horses. It’s always been called “The Plaza” and it was never closed to the community. It was wide open.
You want to know why residents feel a need to close it is because the kids at Wise Towers don’t go to school with any of the kids that come to play.
PS 166 schooled almost all the kids back in the days but they gave the school to the gifted program. Public school but our kids were no longer welcome. It’s not just the private schools they can’t attend.
Why can’t they just play together well let’s try including our kids into your classrooms instead of separating them with a gifted or French Dual language program. Let’s make it all inclusive
No our kids have been pushed away for the last 25 years so mow they don’t know these kids that are coming to play. The comments being made to them are mot friendly. Nothing is friendly.
It feels like colonization and Wise Towers tenants are protecting their next generation so they can stop feeling like they don’t belong.
It’s just enough you live in luxury and don’t understand the struggle of a NYCHA tenant but you insist that it should believe to everyone. Social economics is a big problem
Change public schools stop pushing our children away and maybe we wouldn’t face these issues
Let’s all go over this. The Trinity school is one of the most expensive schools in the state going from K-12. The types of children who go here (the families they come from) have wealth and live in a way that children living in Wise Towers couldn’t even think of living like. The school has a soccer field, basketball court, pool and tennis court. The school stretches two blocks with various exists. The fact that we are going back and fourth over obviously very wealthy upset they can’t have something that benefits those with less shows us all that’s wrong with the world.
Has there been any update from NYCHA?
For a middle class family that is paying through the roof for anything and everything in NYC, both sides of this discourse come as “privileged”. We can’t pay to send our kids to “Trinity” and we don’t qualify for financial aid. We also equally don’t qualify for any kind of subsidized housing, free (subsidized) parking or an outdoor “Plaza” with a playground adjacent to our building. Both sides come as “privileged” and “entitled”. But now this very middle class is also being squeezed out of a nice park in the middle of their block. A park that has been open for years and that is (legally!) a public park. People should really be reigned in…
For those who missed it on the previous article:
5/29/2024 Update: NYCHA Police (“PSA 5”) considers this a public playground and it will not ticket non-residents with children who play at this playground. The signs were put up by Wise Towers’ brand new management company at the request of tenants without investigating the legality or enforceability of the signs.
Lmao. Someone strung up caution tape blocking off the street entrances (which aren’t gated) in like the last hour. Could be building management (though I’m doubtful given their initial statements and subsequent silence), but more likely an individual.
This is getting silly. NYCHA should just make a simple statement about the status of the park. If they need to negotiate some scheme with Trinity to have them pay for their usage of the park for official school activities (pick up/drop off, recess) then they can just say that. This vigilante policing of the parks is ridiculous.
How pathetic do you have to be to do this? lol
I really showed those toddlers what’s up!
To those asking if the NYCHA has weighed in – they have:
Update: NYCHA Police (“PSA 5”) considers this a public playground and it will not ticket non-residents with children who play at this playground. The signs were put up by Wise Towers’ brand new management company at the request of tenants without investigating the legality or enforceability of the signs.
Do you have a source to share?
To me, the issue is the schools and daycares that go there everyday. If it was just the neighborhood kids, I don’t think there would be a problem as there is a lot of space and it never really gets overcrowded. I’ve been taking my child since it opened and the kids always seem to have a great time and I like the fact that there are a blend of kids to interact with. It’s a shame that something positive turns into something like this (as usual).
To David: The Source is PSA 5 themselves. Feel free to call them to verify.
It is sad to see how some of our neighbors look at us, how they hover their kids when we pass by, how there is no eye contact or response when we say good morning, or how we’re looked at when we say excuse me. But now that some modernization to our complex has happened, you want to remind us were are second or third class, not entitled to have our space or respect the signs. Yes they were late in being posted but now that they are, you still want your way. Communal?