East Flatbush does not need another park, according to a volunteer parents’ group.
School District 18’s Community Education Council (CEC) came out in opposition to the city’s plan to convert the schoolyard at P.S. 208, located at 4801 Avenue D, into a public park.
“Don’t think our parks are the same as your parks because they are not,” Geraldine Carrington, the CEC’s first vice president, said at the group’s meeting last week.
Parents say the park would attract crime and vandalism.
“In our neighborhood, usually we have a lot of derelicts and gangs,” Carrington explained. “No one wants that near their home.”
“That’s not what we need in our neighborhood. We have enough parks,” agreed James Dandridge, president of District 18’s CEC. “The things that are happening in our parks – we can’t take our kids there anyway. As an adult, we don’t get respect.”
In spite of protests from parents and community residents, the city has already begun construction on the park.
District 18 Community Superintendent Beverly Wilkins said the 67th Precinct has met with the community to discuss how it will monitor activity in the park.
“We’ll find ways to keep it safe for our students,” Wilkins said.
The city’s decision to convert the schoolyard into a park was made without prior consultation with the community. And that, residents say, is indicative of the larger problem.
“They were highly insulted because none of them were told that a public playground was going to be in their schoolyard,” Carrington said.
For years, P.S. 135, located at 684 Linden Boulevard, has asked the city to construct an annex in its schoolyard to alleviate overcrowding at the school, which is so cramped that some students are bused to another location for classes. However, last year, the city announced that it would convert P.S. 135’s schoolyard into a public park.
“Parents protested. They really wanted an extension,” Dandridge explained.
“We need to understand that the Department of Education has no problem shoving things down your throat whether you like it or not,” Dandridge said.
