Washington Square Park Policy Recommendations
Guiding Principles
Be Inclusive - Focus On Accessibility for All Who Use the Park
Washington Square Park has been, and always should be, for the public’s use regardless of a person’s age, ability, ethnicity, identity, political belief, or level of financial resources. Protecting inclusive usage of the Park is fundamental to The Washington Square Association’s mission. We are proud of the Park’s history as a major gathering place for protest and for exercising free speech. Importantly, the Park is used by the public for a myriad of other endeavors, from reverie to respite, and the Association firmly believes that all activities should be permitted to co-exist.
Be Holistic - Complex Problems Require Comprehensive Solutions
The only way to address the numerous complex issues in the Park is through a comprehensive, integrated approach taking advantage of every available resource. This includes ensuring that adequate resources and staff are provided to City departments and that our area receives the services we require.
Be Innovative - We Need to Look for New Solutions to Old Problems
In addition to pursuing established channels, it’s time to recognize that complex issues also require out-of-the-box thinking and creativity.
Public Safety And Enforcement
Everyone who uses the Park has a fundamental right to personal safety. Public safety is the bedrock of community spaces. The Washington Square Association stands firm that we, as a city and as a community, need to actively ensure that public spaces are safe spaces.
Consistently enforce existing Park rules, every single day.
Public spaces can only remain public when the rules and regulations enabling their use are honored. The laws and rules that are currently in place in the Park were established to protect the Park, its visitors, and the community at-large. Continued examination of the utility of individual policies is also warranted.
Close the Park at the scheduled time of midnight.
Every park in NYC has hours of operation, including Washington Square Park.
Stop the use of amplified sound and fireworks in the Park without a permit from the NYPD.
Noise ordinances have also long been in place in the Park and throughout New York City. We believe that the quality of life of all NYC neighborhoods is higher when we respect each other’s rights as we exercise our own.
Prevent wheeled vehicles, like motorcycles, ATVs, skateboards, and bicycles, from using the Park.
Washington Square Park is not a thoroughfare and treating it as such endangers the safety of pedestrians, putting them at-risk of severe bodily harm.
Continue enforcement focus on repeat offenders.
Repeat offenders are responsible for a significant percentage of criminal activity in the Park.
Employ alternative methods, separate from using force, to encourage the observance of rules (ex. floodlights, citations).
Soft policing tactics should be employed to decrease the potential for interactions with the police to escalate. This includes conducting informational campaigns with Park attendees regarding enforcement, especially prior to enacting any changes. The public needs to be made aware of the rules and laws in-place so that people can observe them.
Maintain regular patrols of uniformed officers.
Visibility can go a long way towards the public’s observance of current rules.
Empower PEP officers to enforce rules.
The Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP) plays a key role in encouraging Park visitors to observe the rules so the police can focus on serious crime.
Support efforts to prevent further vandalism to the Park.
The Washington Square Association fully supports safeguarding measures to prevent damage to our cherished Park’s structures and monuments from graffiti, skateboarding, and other sources.
Social Services
The pandemic hit vulnerable New Yorkers particularly hard and quite a few lost their homes and/or jobs. For some of them, Washington Square Park has become the only safe place to go. Individuals with long-term issues, namely substance abuse, incapacitating mental health challenges, and/or chronic homelessness face enormous obstacles and we support the increase in allocation of social services to aid their recovery.
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Increase/maintain the presence of social service providers, including increasing the frequency of their visits.
We enthusiastically support having these services available during every season of the year for while the Park sees less attendance in the cold months, our homeless and mentally ill visitors are at the greatest risk.
Increase support for area organizations doing social services work.
What Are We Doing for the Park & Community?
We Stay Informed
We attend and participate in community meetings and dialogue with our constituents so we can be a resource for timely, credible information
We communicate policy changes to our membership and the community in newsletters, media relations and communication channels.
We Build Relationships with Leadership
We foster a continuous dialogue with the NYPD, Parks Department, Community Board 2, elected officials and other local organizations.
We Advocate for Park Resources
We advocate for greater resources for staff and city departments that serve the Park by participating in budget planning, meetings, and hearings.
We Create Opportunities To Engage
In addition to our beloved holiday tree with caroling under the Arch and Washington Square Music Festival, the Association is creating new programs including a chess exhibition October 23 and a Lecture Series featuring local artists.