CHILL: Borough President Eric Adams holds a press conference on the steps of City Hall on July 12 to demand
mediation training for city cops. Photo by Aidan Graham
he hopes Brooklyn’s boys in
blue won’t let their masculinity
stand in the way of his
fl ower-power healing routine,
saying there’s nothing manly
about allowing your mental
health to deteriorate.
“Policing is a macho occupation,”
he said. “Meditation
and self-help is considered almost
a sissy response.”
The Patrolmen’s Benefi t
Association — a labor union
representing offi cers within
the NYPD — threw its support
behind Adam’s call for
mindfulness training, with
President Patrick Lynch
claiming it’s never been
harder to be a cop and never
more important to support
fi rst responders.
“The job of a New York
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Borough President Eric Adams
climbed the steps of City
Hall on Friday fl anked by an
unlikely entourage of yoga
gurus, wellness experts, and
police union honchos to demand
meditation classes for
New York’s Finest amid a
rash of suicides.
“The stress and trauma
that our police offi cers face
on a daily basis, where they
are frequently forced to make
life-or-death decisions, are
all too familiar,” said Adams,
who served as a city police
offi cer for 22 years, retiring
with the rank of captain.
“Just as we teach police offi -
cers how to use a weapon, we
should be teaching them how
to use mindfulness to manage
stress.”
Adams hosted his July 12
press conference after fi ring
off letters to Mayor Bill de
Blasio and Police Commissioner
James O’Neill urging
them to institute semi-annual
meditation courses, arguing
that eastern mindfulness
techniques aren’t a bunch of
hippy-dippy nonsense, but a
proven method of providing
psychological benefi ts that
translate to happy, high-performing
“Secular meditation and
mindfulness-based stress reduction
are evidence-based
practices that have been
scientifi cally proven to decrease
anxiety, depression,
hostility, and stress, while
increasing attention and focus,
ethical decision-making,
and even happiness scores,”
wrote Adams.
This year, six city cops
have taken their own lives,
including veteran offi cers Joe
Calabrese and Steven Silks ,
who shot themselves one day
after the other in June.
And the beep — a noted
fi tness fanatic , who meditates
twice each day — said
City police offi cer has always
been a stressful one, but policing
today is more mentally
and emotionally taxing than
ever before,” said Lynch.
The city has not been idle
amid the tragedies, and Adam’s
zen-like advocacy comes
on the heels of a newly formed
mental health task force ,
which will provide peer counseling
at police precinct citywide,
as well as training for
cops.
INSIDE
Jump for joy
World’s biggest bounce house comes to Brooklyn
By Aidan Graham This party is blowing up!
An enormous inf latable playground is
bounding into Brooklyn! “Big Bounce America”
will bring its record-breaking bounciness to Floyd
Bennett Field on July 26, giving both children and
adults a chance to shed their shoes and have some
inflatable fun, according to the company’s founder.
“It’s the biggest bounce house in the world — that’s
according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
That’s the focal point of the event,” said Cammy Craig.
“We also have a giant inf latable obstacle course, and
another section that’s full of different space-inspired
inf latables for people to play on.”
That bounce house, a giant monument to jumping
joy that is larger than a baseball diamond, features a
ball pit, climbing towers, basketball hoops, and a deejay
station to keep the party hopping, said Craig.
“That’s really where the party is,” he said. “We’ve
got a lot going on in there, from limbo competitions,
dance competitions, dodgeball. It’s really interactive
and fun.”
Those with a competitive bounce in their step can
take a turn climbing inf latable walls and pushing
through blow-up barriers on “The Giant” — an airfilled
Out of this world: Big Bounce America features a separate, spacethemed
inflatable park filled with slides and mazes.
Big Bounce America
obstacle course that spans nearly the length
of three football fields — and try and beat the twominute,
40-second course record, said Craig.
Hop to it: “Big Bounce America” brings its recordbreaking
bounce house to Floyd Bennett Field for
10 days, starting on July 26. Big Bounce America
“The giant obstacle course really brings out the
competition element. People are running around
trying to beat each other,” he said. “It’s actually very
difficult, but it’s achievable.”
Guests can also take a trip to the otherworldly
“AirSpace” section, which features gigantic spaceshipthemed
slides and alien-inspired mazes, which are
designed to be picture perfect spots for selfies,
according to Craig.
During the bounce house’s 10-day stint in
Brooklyn, visiting slots are cordoned off for various
age groups: toddlers, little kids age 4–7; big kids age
8–14; and adults. Each age group will have its own
three-hour session; and those who are simply young at
heart are the largest-growing segment of the bouncy
community.
“We’ve always had adult sessions, but this year
we’ve got one every night — and the demand for it has
been crazy,” said Craig. “We usually sell about 6,000
to 8,000 tickets, and a lot of that is adults.”
Big Bounce America at Aviator Sports and
Events Center 3159 Flatbush Ave. at Floyd Bennett
Field in Marine Park, (833) 428–0889; www.
thebigbounceamerica.com. July 26–Aug. 4. Times
vary. $30 ($25 kids, $17 toddlers).
Your entertainment
guide Page 43
Police Blotter ..........................8
Wellness ................................. 27
Standing O ............................36
Opinion ...................................40
Letters ..................................... 41
HOW TO REACH US
COURIER L 2 IFE, JULY 19–25, 2019 M BR B G
commanding offi cers on how
to recognize mental health
problems among offi cers.
The beep has been on
something of an eastern wellness
kick recently, and early
this week suggested the city
offer prisoners at the Brooklyn
House of Detention yoga
classes amid a public review
process for a mayoral scheme
to expand the Boerum Hill
holding facility.
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NAMA-STAY HEALTHY
Adams calls for meditation training for cops following suicides
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide,
do not leave the person alone; remove any fi rearms,
alcohol, drugs, or sharp objects that could be used in a
suicide attempt; call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline at (800) 273–8255; and take the person to an
emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental
health professional.
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