Bronx park turns to den of debauchery
Soundview residents complain of drag racing, parties, drugs at Clason Point Park
Soundview teen to play football at West Point
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR SEPT. 18-24, 2020 3
BY JASON COHEN
Soundview resident
Jayden Jenkins fell in love
with football at a young
age. But the teen knew
sports could only get one
so far in life and education
matters greatly in
career advancement.
That is why last week, the
teen announced he planned
to attend West Point to play
football, while simultaneously
building his career in
the military.
Jenkins, a senior at Stepinac
High School in White
Plains, is anticipating the
next chapter in his life.
“I’m ready to leave,” he
said to the Bronx Times. “It
feels unbelievable.”
Jenkins, who was born
and raised in Concourse,
originally wanted to play
basketball like his dad Ronald.
However, he was soon
introduced to the pigskin by
a few of his older cousins. At
6 years old, he was hooked
and never left the game.
“It’s fun, that’s why I
wanted to play with the
Harlem Jets,” he recalled.
According to Jenkins,
while he plays running
back and is a scoring machine,
the contact and
the physicality are what
drew him in.
He was a member of the
Jets through middle school
but when he entered high
school, he noticed that
many of the kids were bigger
than him. So he hit the
weight room, bulked up and
practiced nonstop.
During the past three
years, he improved his skill
set and helped the team win
state championship twice.
“High school was different.
I knew I wanted to go to
college for football and get
a great education,” Jenkins
said, adding that football
made him more mature and
a better leader.
“I don’t really look at myself
as being good, I just like
to work hard,” he said.
Jenkins explained to the
Bronx Times that he owed
a debt of gratitude not only
to his coaches, but also to
his parents, Ronald and
Lanel. They kept him focused
and always made sure
school came fi rst.
“They taught me right
from wrong and now that
I’ve gotten older, they’ve
given me more knowledge
about making decisions on
your own,” he said.
He noted that sadly in the
Bronx, many people aren’t
as fortunate as him. Jenkins
said football and basketball
kept him off the street and
out of trouble.
Leaving the hustle and
bustle of the city for high
school helped start him on
his journey for college. As
his play improved on the
fi eld, schools like Columbia,
Sacred Heart, Army and
Navy were after him.
Yet nothing felt right until
he visited West Point.
The size of the school and
atmosphere made him
feel welcome.
“They West Point set
you up for life,” he explained.
“You can pick different
branches you want to
go into in the military.
He expressed sorrow that
his grandfather Jimmy,
who he was close with,
passed away recently from
COVID-19 and won’t get to
see him play collegiately or
serve in the military.
While the pandemic has
canceled football this year,
the teen still cannot believe
he is going to West Point.
“I was shocked,” he said
when recalled when he
found out he was accepted.
“My parents told me my
time is going to come.
Soundview resident Jayden Jenkins
who recently announced he
plans to attend West Point for football.
Photo courtesy of Jayden Jenkins
BY JASON COHEN
From drag racing to partying
at Clason Point Park, Community
Board 9 members and
residents are fed up.
CB 9 Assistant District
Manager Shirley Alonzo told
the Bronx Times that the
board had received numerous
complaints over the past
several months about racing,
sex, drugs and music all night
at the park.
She said she understood
the gravity of the recent budget
cuts to the NYPD and the
Parks Department, but it
seems like the revelers don’t
care. Alonzo said that Clason
Park is becoming a nightclub
and garbage dump.
“People with limited venues
to go to are going to public
places to party,” she said.
Alonzo said the drag racing
happens down Soundview and
Stephens Avenues down to the
ferry. While this is nothing
new, it has gotten worse since
COVID-19 began.
“Drag racing has been
something our community
has always endured,”
Alonzo said.
According to Alonzo, she
and District Manager William
Rivera have spoken to the 43rd
Precinct, Parks and the Department
of Transportation
and are hoping to arrange an
onsite meeting at the park.
After these parties, the
park is littered with garbage
that residents often take it
upon themselves to clean up.
“We want them to know
this is a priority,” she stressed.
“We are outraged. We need to
be working closely with our
city agencies.”
Alonzo was quite surprised
when she heard that
the Parks Department to the
Bronx Times that there were
no 311 complaints about the
park. She also was caught off
guard when the NYPD told
the newspaper:
“The offi cers assigned to
the 43rd Precinct serve their
communities every single day
and will continue to do so. I encourage
members of the community
to coordinate with
their neighborhood coordination
offi cers who can assist in
addressing their concerns.”
Residents spoke to the
Bronx Times about the drag
racing and partying.
Michelle Barrow, who lives
nearby, is disgusted with what
the park has become. People
were dealing with the pandemic
and employment and
these issues just made matters
worse. She said she could
not even take her daughter to
the park anymore.
According to Barrow, the
partying and racing goes from
4 p.m. to 4 a.m. She added that
the cars are often parked illegally
in the park, blocking the
entrance for the Bx27 bus to
get in and out.
“Most people in the community
use the park for recreation,”
she said. “The park has
become the new bar.”
She hopes the community
board, Parks and NYPD can
fi nd a viable solution for these
longstanding issues.
Resident Tiffany Young
has seen and heard the ruckus
every night. She recalled
that once, a city bus had to
drive backwards due to the
double parked cars.
She said the parties on
the weekends were common,
but currently, they happen
every single day.
“None of us feel comfortable
anymore,” she exclaimed.
“We used to feel safe. Now it’s
a glorifi ed nightclub.”
Young and her husband,
who live a few blocks from the
park, have called 311 nightly
to no avail. Young said that
she and her family are now
looking to move.
She has witnessed gender
reveal parties, concerts
and COVID-19 memorials in
the park, on top of the illicit
behavior she has seen.
“We’re not going to stop
calling 311,” she said.
Vanessa Tabet, 25, said
she can no longer take her
little sister to the park. Her
family moved to Soundview
fi ve years ago because
they thought it was a safe,
quiet place.
Now every night, it’s a constant
party. She was astonished
that when she went to
the 43rd Precinct, they told
her to complain to a news
outlet or write a letter to the
police commissioner.
“They have not been cooperative
with us at all,”
Tabet said.
According to Tabet, when
the cops do come, the vandals
turn off the music and as
soon as they leave, the parties
resume.
“I’m really tired of this situation,”
she said. “Anything
that you can imagine has
happened there the park.”
The garbage in Clason Point Park left over from all night partying.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Barrow.