Playtime begins again for NYC children
as playgrounds reopen for Phase 2
BY TODD MAISEL
Phase 2 of the COVID-19
reopening in New York
City fi nally resulted in the
gates of citywide playgrounds
being swung wide open for children,
much to the elation of their
parents.
The reopening settled a
very contentious chapter in
the COVID-19 re-openings in
which some communities openly
protested and in some cases, cut
the chains off of the playgrounds.
Children now get to play in Diana Ross Playground in Central
Park as part of Phase 2 reopening.
These were both in Midwood and
Williamsburg, where some leaders
in those communities openly
criticized the mayor for not allowing
children to play safely.
Some of those leaders, including
Councilman Kalmon
Yeager, state Senator Simcha
Felder openly cut the chains on
PHOTOS BY TODD MAISEL
playgrounds in defi ance of the
mayor. No actions were taken
against them, according to police
offi cials.
But Monday, all playgrounds
were open and parents were
overjoyed to have a place for their
children to play in safety and with
other children. Parks employees
were meanwhile giving out face
masks, with only some of the
people in the park actually using
them.
In Diana Ross Playground
on Central Park West, children
happily played on the gyms. Alex
Sorin came with his fi ve children
to play in the playground.
Alex came with his fi ve children
from Brooklyn to walk through
Central Park. His children were
eager to get into the playground.
“Finally, they would be at the
gate and want to go in,” Sorin
said. “It’s great and they really
need it. They need to exercise
to be free, and be in a natural
environment. It’s really great to
be in here.”
At Madison Square Playground,
children climbed the
slides, including mom Charlotte
Kooikor with her son William, 2,
who refuses to wear a mask.
“Yes, we are defi nitely happy to
be back – fi nally,” said Kooikor as
she applied hand sanitizer to her
child’s hands as he would bang
on the gate to get in. ”We are so
happy that everything is opening
up again.”
Maison Square playground was opened for children and parents
on under Phase 2. Charlotte Kooikor with son Williams,
take in the slide.
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
Tuesday, more than 100 CUNY
faculty members formed a socially
distant human chain and took part
in a caravan around CUNY headquarters
and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s offi ce in
midtown Manhattan to protest budget cuts
and layoffs in public university system.
Dozens of faculty members joined colleagues
on the ground via a Zoom meeting
in order to “amplify” the effect of the
demonstration, said President of the Professional
Staff Congress Barbara Bowen,
a union representing over 30,000 CUNY
faculty and Staff.
“We are counting on you to amplify
by tweeting, by emailing, by telling your
friends, by insisting, because this is the
week of hard struggle,” said a masked
Bowen to her colleagues on Zoom. Bowen
led the socially distanced on-the-ground
protest while provided occasional updates
to faculty listening in on the Zoom meeting.
CUNY faculty have protested impending
budget cuts due to the economic downturn
caused by the novel coronavirus for weeks.
The union even released two online and
Over 100 CUNY faculty gather outside
and via Zoom to protest budget cuts
People walk by a CUNY campus in the city. COURTESY OF CUNY
TV ads, one on March 25 and another on
June 17, calling on the university system
to “do better” by its part-time and adjunct
faculty members, who will bear the brunt
of potential budget cuts.
CUNY was already struggling fi nancially
before the coronavirus hit New York City
and given the coronavirus induced economic
downturn, campuses are preparing
for the worst.
In May, John Jay College of Criminal
Justice prepared to cut 430 adjunct professors,
nearly 40% of its teaching staff.
The College of Staten Island planned to
cut 35% of adjunct staff, Brooklyn College
considered cutting 25% of its course
offerings, and Queens College braced
themselves to let go of 10% of adjuncts
and part-time staffers.
During the early weeks of the pandemic,
CUNY received $237 million in funding
from the CARES Act, and the system was
directed to split CARES funds equally for
direct student aid and for institutional
needs. But it is unclear what the funds designated
for pandemic-related institutional
needs are going towards, some faculty told
amNY.
What makes matters more complicated
is that during this year’s state budget negotiations
new powers were granted to
Governor Andrew Cuomo to unilaterally
impose rolling budget cuts. Faculty worry
that given New York state’s current $13
billion defi cit cuts to CUNY could be as
high as $95.1 million.
The deadline for CUNY faculty reappointment
letters is June 30.
Schneps Media June 25, 2020 17