Police broke up a group of cars gathering and playing music at the Forest Park Bandshell parking lot yesterday.(Council Member Robert Holden)
April 24, 2019 By Laura Hanrahan
The NYPD is cracking down on cars blasting music in the Forest Park Bandshell parking lot, hoping to put an end to the trend that has become a nuisance to neighbors.
Council Member Robert Holden asked officers from the 102nd Precinct to pay special attention to the parking lot after receiving complaints from constituents of excessive noise and left-behind trash. The disruptive behaviour, Holden says, tends to increase in the summer months.
On Tuesday, officers responded to a group of individuals who had gathered in the lot, located at the southern side of the park, and remained there overnight to dissuade any further gatherings.
“I spoke over the phone earlier today with Commanding Officer Nilan of the 102nd Precinct and we have a strategy to finally end this intrusion on our quality of life,” Holden wrote in a statement yesterday on Facebook. “I said I would not tolerate this, and I intend on ending this nuisance once and for all.”
According to Holden’s office, the surrounding precincts are discussing increased patrols in the problem areas, checkpoints at the park entrances, potentially confiscating speakers and amplifiers, and enforcing noise code laws. The Department of Parks and Recreation is also looking into installing bollards or other barriers to restrict vehicles from entering the parking lot after hours.
The majority of constituents responding to Holden’s statement were supportive, even suggesting further action be taken such as implementing a curfew for the parking lot.
Those who are responsible for the gatherings and music playing, however, also voiced their opinion, asking Holden to meet with them so that they could come to an agreement.
“This is our way of staying out of trouble,” one commenter wrote. “We are in a open park not disturbing anyone in a parking lot .. yes i agree we leave a mess but add trash cans and it will be cleaner !!”
Holden’s office will meet tomorrow with the 102 and 104 Precincts, as well as the Department of Parks & Recreation, to finalize their strategy for dealing with the noise.
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17 Comments
NYPD YOU SHOULD BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT ALL THESE RAPINGS, ROBBERIES , ASSAULTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS WAY MORE SERIOUS THEN PARKED CARS AT A PARKING LOT …
“one commenter wrote. “ .. yes I agree we leave a mess but add trash cans and it will be cleaner !!”. How immature these loiters are, they blame the lack of trash cans as the reason for their garbage mess –they fail to realize they brought the ‘garbage’ into the park themselves, so why can’t they take their own Garbage out?
We were in the park recently, by the merry-go-round area. Could hear loud music and came upon the parking lot where there were huge speakers on the roof of the cars. We walked down to the pond & the noise, I mean music, followed us for the rest of our walk. Horribly selfish that they don’t EVEN consider other people at all.
OMG.!! That Rego Park man sings on queens blvd next to the food cart trying to get change he blocks the walkway his crappy music is LOUD I hear him in my apartment and I am a block away he has to GO…!!!!! Do a story about how to get rid of him. !!!
It’s their culture, you should be more open minded.
What are the odds!
In Agreement with Joe and Debbie! Music is Noise Pollution and a quality of Life issue for us who are forced into suffering and assaulted by the ‘music’ in their own home. There is a scraggly unkempt man with speakers, amplifier, microphone who sings and plays his guitar on the corner of Queens Boulevard and 63rd Drive Rego Park in front of Sears and Marshall Stores. He is there for Hours singing the SAME tortuous songs, over and over. Already called 311 who said Police responded and the perp wasn’t there (baloney). Council Member Karen Kozlowitz office said there is nothing they can do, Please Council Member Robert Holden talk to Koslowitz and end the suffering of Rego Park residents. Would appreciate input as to how to get this man to stop or move to another corner.
Now how bout they do some thing about the illegal trucks parked along the GCP service rd, the illegal scooters delivering food using the sidewalks as their own personal scooter lanes and the music blasters coming from Flushing Meadows Park all weekend. Oh, I forgot, the 112 does enforce… once a year when they need a publicity post for their FB and Twitter accounts.
By all means, use the park for what it is intended for. Play your music, utilize the picnic tables and grills, eat, drink, and be merry. BUT, DO NOT blast music from PA systems starting at midnight that people 1/2 mile away (like myself) can hear it from the living room clear as a bell. That is NOT staying out of trouble, that is causing it!
Plus during the day and many nights we have to listen to their loud exhaust. Does 102nd ever enforce this?
NYC parks close and there are noise pollution laws. Whether or not they’re bothering someone doesn’t matter if you’re breaking the law to begin with but in the end YES they are bothering someone and everyone at the same time with the loud music, loud exhausts and litter.
If they were in the lot just playing music so they could hear it, there wouldn’t have been a problem. But when the music is heard a mile away it is too loud and causing a disturbance. Keep it down and no body would have even known they were there!
Good, finally something is being done. I was there once for a family bbq -pure daylight on a Sunday afternoon and I’ve never seen or heard anything like this, the noise was ridiculous and unbearable, people smoking hookah’s and weed. Get rid of all that garbage.
This is all fine and well, but how about doing something about the noise level in the residential areas as well? I goes on weekdays as well as weekends.
Totally agree with Joe! Neighborhood noise complaints are not responded to by the 102. Who needs a DJ and speakers the size of my car in a residential area (I am in Woodhaven)? These people start at 10PM and go to 4AM. Calling 311 or the precinct it a total waste of time.
“The Dome” is an American institution!!
They say they aren’t bothering anyone, they are blasting music loud that people in the Forest Park Coops cannot leave their windows open. No one is supposed to be there after dark. This is the most horrible nuisance. Have you seen the size of their speakers?