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Citing safety concerns, the New York Police Department and the NYC Parks Department just announced that there will be a curfew in place at Washington Square Park throughout weekends moving forward. The downtown destination will now close at 10pm instead of midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
According to Patch, the "decision was made due to safety concerns following several recent incidents where large, and sometimes violent, groups have refused to leave the park and engaged in disorderly behavior." Folks have reported seeing park dwellers threatening the police, throwing objects at them, jumping on vehicles and using illegal drugs out in the open.
According to Gothamist, "robberies have increased 72% in the 6th precinct, which covers the park, in the last year, while assaults are up nearly 30%." As a result, the NYC Parks Department has also decided to set up barriers on the northwest corner of the park, where the majority of the illegal drug usage has been taking place. "This area will be fenced off for a few weeks, except for Wednesdays, when there will be children’s activities there," reports The Village Sun.
The paper also reports that locals have been sending letters to Community Board 2 politicians to complain about the current state of affairs. "We are the neighbors, residents, businesses, taxpayers, associations, stakeholders, and voters in the area immediately around Washington Square Park," one of the letters reads. "Our goal is to bring awareness to our elected officials, community associations, and city agencies that we will no longer tolerate the illegal activity within WSP and spilling out into the immediate Greenwich Village neighboring areas.
The amped up chaos is undoubtedly the result of the long-lasting restaurant and bar closures that COVID-19 has brought about. Although those restrictions are loosening up now and destinations are beginning to welcome patrons in once more, officials haven't yet decided on when the newly established curfew will be lifted, although they will regularly review the situation in an effort to eventually revert back to the park's original hours of operation.