Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Year : 2, Issue : 16
$15K worth of planted trees vandalized at Kissena Park for makeshift dirt bike tracks.
It’s the time of year when the beauty of Kissena Park comes alive again and from across the street, Vicky and her neighbors freely take it all in.
“I love the park. The minute it hits 62° here everybody’s here. My son comes out, plays basketball. Everybody’s playing handball. It’s just fun, exciting,” said Carolina Rodriguez.
But just beyond where the people play, $15,000 worth of money was plucked away as the Parks Department reported vandals removed 300 newly planted trees and cut portions of others, vandalizing 5,000 square feet of the park to create what appears to be a well-planned track for dirt bikes or ATV’s.
Councilmember Sandra Ung tells FOX 5 NY the vandalized area is where, for the past two years, volunteers planted and cared for about 2,000 trees as part of a reforestation effort.
“Recently there’s been a lot of kids coming with their e-bikes, and they brought their shovels a couple of weeks ago, a couple of times on the weekends, and I saw them with their shovels and I thought it was like,” Rodriguez shared.
Carolina thought they were legit, but if they’re caught and convicted, they could become felons.
NYC’s Parks Department sent FOX 5 NY a statement about the vandalism, in part saying, “We are working with the NYPD on their investigation, but we ask for the public’s help as well. If you witness any illegal activity in our parks, please alert Parks Enforcement Patrol or the NYPD.”
Source: Fox5
