Seniors, children and disabled menaced for a decade at local Chinatown "Park"

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A cyclist uses the bronze plaque of the Lin Ze Xu statue. The cobblestone planter was designed and installed by D.O.T.

The cement which was used to smooth over the cobble stone, was put there by vandals in the middle of the night - dressed as construction workers. Smoothing over the cobblestone was done in order for skateboarders to use the planter as a ramp to skate on.

This exemplifies a level of disrespect that is so profound it is beyond words.
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A Cyclist using a bronze plaque placed in front of the bronze statue of Commissioner Lin ZeXu - a hero to millions of Chinese. Not only is this disrespectful, this cyclists is oblivious to the danger he poses to pedestrians trying to simply cross the park.
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Location: Kimlau Square , a national park.

The Monument to Benjamin Kimlau - War Veteran

"In 1961, a local law named this island within Chatham Square in recognition of the contributions of Lt. Kimlau and the veterans post. That year, the post erected this memorial, designed by architect Poy G. Lee (1900-1968). Standing at the head of Oliver Street, it is reminiscent of a triumphal arch. The memorial stands eighteen feet nine inches in height and is sixteen feet wide. Inscribed on the memorial is a dedication in both English and Chinese: “In Memory of the Americans of Chinese Ancestry who lost their Lives in Defense of Freedom and Democracy.”

What is the bronze plaque for? Commisioner LinZeXu - a hero to the Chinese people

click link below to see VIDEOs

VIDEO OF CHINATOWN BANKS in ACTION

Chatham Green Private property, Foley Square, Chinatown Banks - VIDEO
"Chinatown Banks" as it is known to skateboarders and cyclists (Chatham Square - its official name) continues to be a favorite for bikers and skateboarders, some who travel from outer boroughs just to skate or bicycle on the gently sloping "ramps" stupidly designed and installed by The City Of New York.

NYC from KHYBER on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Community Board 3 has seen the photos in this posting, and are speaking with NYPD, and the Department of Transportation, and The Parks Dept. Community Board 3 will have this issue on their agenda to be heard in January - CCRC will keep you posted.

Chinatown's defacto Skate Park - Thanks Department of Transportation, you've made us less safe.

A skateboarder about to make the leap on what seems to be a newly cemented ramp retrofitted for exactly that purpose. The Parks Department in 1999 laid a sturdy foundation for making jumps in this public park, the skaters took the initiative to "tweak" it a bit by smoothing it out.

In order to let each other know where this "skate park" is located, skateboarders publish the location on websites catering to fellow skateboarders.

Who knows what happens at Chatham Square in the dark of night? Rogue cementing apparently....... if we can only get them to fix all the potholes in Chinatown while they're at it.
Here is a blog post from a tipster, this is from www.bigappleskate.com :

Chinatown Banks is the new hot spot now thanks to Jimmy who dressed up as a construction worker and paved it in the wee hours of the morning! This is a 1:28 clip featuring the skating of Ben Gofayzen, Yaje Popson, Kevin Tierney, Pat Hoblin, and Pedro Claro. Filmed by Ben Gofayzen and Pedro Claro.3/23/07 Would've came out cool if i wasn't filming high on crystal meth in the heat of the summer. : (http://www.bigappleskate.com/backgroundindex.jpg

~Ben

www.curbed.com reports that the non-sanctioned skateboard and bmx bike park under the Brooklyn Bridge is going to be closed due to the renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge. The story originates from the Downtown Express.

NYC(link) CHINATOWN BANKS SKATE "PARK"

">Chinatown already has a problem with skate boarders and bmx bikers using Chatham Square as their own skate park. The planned closure of the Brooklyn Bridge park will surely bring more of these "enthusiasts" three blocks north to Chatham Square and nearby residential properties that have already been plagued by skateboarders leaping off their property at all hours of the day and night.

The owner's of the Everest Diner tell CCRC that they have had to replace the glass door to their diner several times because skaters and skateboards have crashed through it. They explain that there is simply too many of them for the local police to enforce, and the police in fact, have "just stop coming" according to the owners.

The Department of Transportation has, in its infinite "wisdom," created a hazard right in our neighborhood, and done nothing to address this problem. BMX bikes, and skateboards have been around a long long time, surely in 1999 when this "feature" of Chatham Square was implemented, someone should have known this would become an immediate pedestrian hazard. WHO would intentionally design planters with the perfect curvature for skateboarders and bmx bikers? Likely the D.O.T. will blame the Parks people, Parks will blame City Planning, and the blame goes on..... meanwhile for the last ten years Chatham Square is a hazard and not at all the "peaceful sanctuary" envisioned by the city. With this type of activity -- would you allow your grandparents or children walk through or sit without a defensive guard running interference ahead of them?

This woman was nearly hit by this inconsiderate skateboarder, or was she inconsiderate enough to stand in the way of skateboarding at this "pedestrian plaza" designed by the D.O.T. and Parks Department?

The $50 million redesign of Chatham Square which the city tried to ram through the community without sufficient notice or input in late 2008 was fiercely opposed. The Chatham Square redesign as proposed by the NYC Parks Department has remarkably similar low walls, ramps, steps and even a fountain -- perfect for the same skateboard activity and bmx biking as the current design. At a Community Board #3 Parks committee meeting this spring where the Parks Department unveiled their drawings of the intended renovations to Chatham Square, coincidentally about 40 skateboard enthusiasts were crowded into the room. They could be seen snapping pictures of the drawings, and tracing the outlines of ramps with their fingers as if to plan their high speed jumps.

The skateboarder's enthusiasm over the new design, below, for Chatham Square is precisely the reason why it should not be built, and if it is built, it must have features that DETER rather than ATTRACT skateboarders and bmx bikers, both of whom use ramps and steps as jump off points, endangering passersby, and especially our senior population in Chinatown. The Parks department never consulted with the community on what features it would like to have in the park, obviously taking a cue from the D.O.T. in successfully excluding the opinions of the residents, businesses, and people who will be using the park.

In short, Chinatown already has a dangerous illegal skate park, and the best the DOT and Parks Department can do is design another one? Community support - no way!

RECENTLY received:

LEGAL skateboard parks exist in ALL FIVE boroughs according to The Daily News. This is a good argument against rogue skate and BMX bike parks. Sanctioned skateboard parks are good for NYC because they ensure safety for both the skaters and bikers as well as pedestrians who are kept at a safe distance and not forced to share space.

comments posted to DownTown Express Oct 28th 09, letters to the editor:

To The Editor:
I just read the article in the Downtown Express about how the banks are closing. That isn’t a smart move for the city because now skaters and bikers are just going to go to other spots around the city and end up getting in pedestrians’ way and getting kicked out of spots that they aren’t allowed to be. I think the Banks is the one spot in N.Y.C. where skaters/bikers can hang out and ride without getting in trouble or wrecking ledges and benches and getting in people’s ways. Not only that, but the Banks are a historical spot for us. I mean just look at some of the things that happened there.
Joe Karlson

To The Editor:
I concur fully with the opening sentence of the news article on the Brooklyn Banks park (“Don’t let the Banks collapse, skaters say,” news article, October 23 - 29), which states “The Brooklyn Banks is a place with no rules except gravity.” Therein lies the problem for those who live next to it at Southbridge Towers.

There are no curfews, so skaters/bikers remain active well after dark. There is no supervision so some build wooden “jumps” which could be dangerous. The noise of skaters/bikers, because to the proximity of the “jumps” to St. James/Pearl St. is magnified by and echoes through the Brooklyn Bridge arches into the apartments of Southbridge residents. Your ample photos demonstrate the graffiti, and one quote in the article states, quite matter-of-factly, that the park is filthy.

Many skaters on their way to the park elect to travel on sidewalks, posing a danger to everyone, but especially to seniors, who frequently complain to me, thinking that as a member of Southbridge’s board of directors, I can solve this type of problem — I cannot. Worse, the park is actually in Community Board 3, so our local Board 1 had no input in the decision to locate it there.

In short, this type of park would be best in a non-residential area, perhaps on Randall’s Island.
John Ost

The Lodownny covers the Council hearing on intro 1063

This is from Ed from www.thelodownny.com , thanks Ed for sharing this with the Chinatown community :

City Councilmember John Liu grilled a Department of Transportation official this morning about the agency's dealings with the community in Chinatown over the reconstruction of Chatham Square. Liu, chair of the Council's transportation committee and almost certainly NYC's next comptroller, was presiding over a hearing to consider two bills that would require the DOT to notify residents about major construction projects and seek out feedback from impacted communities.

The bills, proposed by Councilmembers Alan Gerson and Vincent Gentile, are meant to address concerns that in cases like Chatham Square and the controversial Grand Street bike lanes, the DOT has kept residents in the dark and has made changes that are potentially dangerous and harmful to local businesses.

DOT spokesman David Wallach defended the agency's outreach efforts, saying they have gone to extraordinary lengths to solicit opinions from residents and get the word out about ongoing projects. He said the DOT is concerned the proposed bills would delay necessary road work, and possibly put lives at risk. Wallach said he was confident the Council was not advocating a "rigid and parochial approach," but suggested that's the impact these bills would likely have.

Liu said he found that point of view "disturbing." He acknowledged that there have been projects in which the DOT has worked well with communities. But in a tense exchange, he argued that Chatham Square has seriously damaged the city's credibility in Chinatown:




Earlier this year, the city declared it was going ahead with the Chatham Square plan, in spite of widespread opposition in Chinatown. Then, in June, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, speaking at a private political gathering, indicated the project would be delayed. Finally, last month, the DOT announced it would be shelved for two years because the Brooklyn Bridge revamp was a higher priority.

Jan Lee, a Chinatown community leader, isn't buying the DOT's shifting explanations. He's convinced the delay is all about election year politics. And he was especially critical of the way the decision to delay was revealed - in Sadik-Khan's closed-door meeting.







The Council is in the preliminary stages of drafting these bills. With John Liu's impending departure, the fate of the legislation is uncertain. Another complication: Alan Gerson, having lost his bid for re-election, will not be able to see his own bill through the Council. His (all but certain) successor, Margaret Chin, was highly critical of the DOT's outreach efforts during the campaign - but has not yet weighed in on specific legislation. She was present in City Council Chambers for some of this morning's testimony.

Chatham Square - a new glass building,

The corner where the HSBC Bank once stood will now be home to yet another boring glass office building.
Architect David Hu has designed a characterless glass wedge. This matches the characterless glass sliver on Mulberry St. across from Columbus Park, which we have learned is a hotel.

The trend that was predicted by opponents of the Lower East Side rezoning plan is coming true faster than anyone could have predicted. Contrary to what rezoning advocates had said, the building South of Delancey St. not only continues through the recession, it seems to be accelerated. Chinatown, considered ripe for the picking is seeing its share of ugly towers sprouting like mushrooms.

Council Candidate Arthur Gregory on Chatham Square

click here to see video:Council Candidate Arthur Gregory shares his thoughts on Chatham Square in an interview with the Civic Center Residents Coalition

City Council Candidate Margaret Chin on Chatham Square

click here to see video:City council candidate Margaret Chin shares her views on Chatham Square with the Civic Center Residents Coalition.