LIC residents fundraise for private security
to patrol waterfront, offi cials voice concerns
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Long Island City residents have
taken it upon themselves to hire private
security guards to patrol the waterfront
and parks, after what they say has been
months of partying and littering in their
neighborhood.
A group of residents began a Go-
FundMe page to raise funds for additional
security earlier this month, and
in less than a week have nearly met
their goal of $8,000 with more than 100
donors. But some community members
and elected officials have expressed disagreement
with the method.
“The reason the community came together
to do this is because we thought
this would be a good way to help support
constructive activities in the park
and quality of life,” said Yolanda Tristancho
Helwig, one of the organizers.
“We’ve been experiencing a lot at the
waterfront. The pandemic has caused
people to need an outlet and it’s gotten
worse throughout the summer.”
Tristancho-Helwig and other Long
Island City residents say there’s been
ongoing instances of “organized parties,
drag racing, motorcycles, fireworks, extremely
loud music, hookas, drugs, and
alcohol” in the last two months. They
also contend there have been about two
dozen food trucks stationed at the waterfront
without permits.
Photos shared with QNS show some
empty bottles, smashed bottles and
graffiti left along the waterfront’s Gantry
Plaza State Park and Hunters Point
South Park.
Both parks close at 10 p.m., but waterfront
residents said the parties begin
after nightfall and continue well until 3
a.m.
When asked about the Long Island
City residents’ efforts, a spokesperson
for the NYC Department of Parks and
Recreation said, “Hunters Point South
Park is a valued recreational space
open to all New Yorkers. As per our
normal protocol, this park is patrolled
daily by Parks Enforcement Patrol
QNS fi le photo
(PEP) officers.”
PEP officers take an educational approach
whenever possible, as opposed
to making arrests or issuing summons.
Typically, summonses are only issued if
park patrons refuse to comply.
The spokesperson said the parks department
recently “added some night
patrols to monitor the park and surrounding
area.”
Rob Basch, president of nonprofit
and volunteer-run Hunters Point Park
Conservancy, which helps take care of
the newly opened parks, said complaints
have gone up this summer compared to
previous years.
“Hunters Point Parks Conservancy
has been concerned for some time about
the illegal and disruptive activities that
have been occurring in our waterfront
parks at night,” the organization said in
a statement. “During this time, we have
been in constant contact with many
stakeholders in the community including
park officials, elected officials,
neighbors, local business owners and
the 108th Precinct.”
Basch and Tristancho-Helwig say
they understand the 108th Precinct is
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.10 COM | SEPT. 4-SEPT. 10, 2020
the Hunters Point Civic Association
Facebook page, I worry that many in
the community actually have issues
with black/brown sic and low-income
folks in the neighborhood,” the petition
read. “There are significant amounts of
coded language and the ‘othering’ of the
subjects of the posts.”
The petition has garnered almost
400 signatures. The petition states its
creators will deliver it to Van Bramer
and State Senator Michael Gianaris.
Senator Gianaris’ office said it is “in
touch with residents and working on
steps to ensure the community remains
vibrant, safe and clean.”
Tristancho-Helwig said Van Bramer’s
response was “very disheartening.”
She sent the councilman a letter
days prior to his online statement, but
heard back from him days after his
statement.
“We’re not discriminating, just telling
folks to have a good time but clean
up. That’s the goal,” she said. “It’s not
about telling people to get out. I think
the climate … has leant people to be
more sensitive to the word security.
They think it’s us being elitist.”
Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan said
that while she’s against the hiring of
private security, she’s calling on Mayor
Bill de Blasio to convene a task force
to address the issue, with the Hunters
Point Parks Conservancy as the lead.
The Conservancy — which recently
invested in Bigbelly Trash Cans to alleviate
accumulating trash in the parks
— said they would gladly work to find
a solution.
“The Conservancy is committed to
working with all concerned stakeholders
to solve the problems we collectively
face,” their statement read. “We will
continue to partner and offer support
to initiatives that support our mission
through the proper channels.”
Tristancho-Helwig appreciated Nolan’s
response and possible task force,
but said that organizing a task force will
take time. She also said she understood
Van Bramer and other community members’
concerns regarding safety of parkgoers
as well as the security guards.
The group hired OnPoint Security,
a Long Island City-based company
launched by Urban UpBound. According
to their website, their staff are “personable,
friendly, and committed to the
success of your business or event.”
They began their patrol on Thursday,
Aug. 27 with a community meet and
greet, which Tristancho-Helwig said
was successful and allowed supporters
and opposers to “speak respectfully and
gain a better comfort zone with this initiative.”
Tristancho-Helwig said there will be
two, unarmed security guards wearing
all black with shirts that say “security”
patrolling the parks from 10 p.m. to 4
a.m. until the end of October.
Read more on QNS.com.
“overwhelmed” and “strained” in the
wake of COVID-19 and the ongoing protests
for racial justice.
The 108th Precinct, which patrols the
waterfront, did not respond to multiple
requests for comment by press time.
Tristancho-Helwig said her and fellow
neighbors have reached out to their
elected officials and city agencies for
help, but their calls have gone unanswered.
Local Councilman Jimmy Van
Bramer took to social media to address
the situation on Tuesday, Aug. 25. He
said that he’s had many constituents
reach out to his office about the decision
to hire a private security patrol, “some
in favor, many opposed.”
“Quality of life concerns are real and
the City and State have to do a better job
of responding to them,” Van Bramer
said. “But in this moment, where we
face a global pandemic, record unemployment
and a recession, a city budget
deficit of $10 billion, and a national uprising
over racial injustice and all forms
of inequality, I am deeply uncomfortable
and oppose a plan where wealthier individuals
fund private security to patrol
public parks and spaces.”
Van Bramer said the waterfront
parks are not a “war zone” like some
residents have depicted it in groups online,
and that a “private security force is
a slippery slope toward a situation that
could get out of hand quickly.”
He added that he’s been in contact
with the Queens Parks Commissioner
Michael Dockett about a possible community
wide meeting to talk about the
issue and come up with other options.
When asked by QNS if there were
any set dates for a community-wide virtual
meeting, his office did not respond.
The following day, a petition against
the hiring of the private security began
to circulate, stating private security
could “increase the risk for Black and
Brown residents of the community.”
“After months of reading posts on
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