SATURDAY, JUNE 26
SUNDAY, JUNE 27
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES: A large crowd of young people danced to live music at Washington Square Park (left) as NYPD officers kept watch over the crowd (center) during the last Saturday evening in June. Just a day later, the crowd would explode again, pitting NYPD against an unruly crowd resulting in injuries (right). The victim was administered first aid by NYPD senior community partner Alan Silverstein (see page 3). Earlier in the month, the City enacted a 10 p.m. curfew in an attempt to get a handle on some of the problems at the park (hard-drug use, petty crimes and an increase in violence), which are problems of a different scale. The majority of people are enjoying the park loudly and exuberantly, something neighbors complain about as well. When law enforcement attempted what many at the park considered a heavy-handed approach by showing up in riot gear to enforce the curfew, it led to a clash between park-goers and the NYPD, with over 20 people being arrested. The clash was deplored by many New Yorkers, and shortly after the curfew was lifted, and the NYPD began taking a more de-escalated approach to the crowds at the park on weekends. Time will tell what strategies will work most effectively in solving the numerous issues that exist at different levels of severity at the park. Saturday photos by Bob Cooley. Sunday photo by Andy Gold.
