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May 12, 2008
Brooklyn Kids Could be Exposed to Porn, Pot Smoking
Nobody said it was easy raising kids in the big city. In Crown Heights, Brooklynian has a thread started by a parent who found his/ her son in a cloud of marijuana smoke at the Stroud Park playground. "A row of young men (some fathers of the children playing) sat on the benches right next to monkey bars, slides, etc. all smoking weed and blowing the smoke literally into the kids faces," said the poster. "What disturbed me the most was that this did not seem to bother anyone. The moms were oblivious, they didn't care. Everything just seemed status quo." One person suggested calling the police, while another parent responded, "You have to face the fact that smoking pot is part of the 'culture' in this part of town. You don't have to like it, but that's where you live ... sometimes we either have to make peace with things we don't like, do something to change them, or leave." Meanwhile, Gowanus Lounge posted a letter from a Park Slope parent appalled by two men viewing porn at the Pacific Street public library. The parent hopes to organize the "sisters and brothers of PS" in a campaign for a smut-free library. The First Amendment was discussed, and one commenter suggested creating a separate children's library. The picture at right is of a park in Amsterdam, where it's also part of the "culture" to smoke pot in public (not really sure about viewing porn).
Smoking weed in playground and no one cares [Brooklynian]
Internet “Porn” at the Public Library in Boerum Hill [Gowanus Lounge]
Photo by janvanderweel.
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Comments
It could have been worse. It could have been cigarettes. Can you imagine what Bloomberg would have done if he was driving by and saw people smoking cigarettes, destroying the lungs of the little children?
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:07 AM
i guarantee everyone out there that mr. brownstoner used to go to dead shows. a lot of them.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:13 AM
I'm a privileged upper middle class white yuppie.
Smoking pot is part of my "culture" too.
What a sick racist white liberal thing to say. .
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:19 AM
As a parent, what was wrong about the people smoking pot in the playground was that (a) some of them were getting high while responsible for young children, and (b) they were exposing children to second-hand marajuana smoke. Maybe the more drug-educated can tell me: wouldn't that make the kids a little high? On the first point, that's appalling. On the second point, if it makes the kids high, that's beyond the pale.
As an adult, I feel conflicted. Marajuana is no worse a social evil than alcohol. The laws against it are socially harmful and unfairly enforced against black men. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume the men smoking in the park were black. So, calling the police is over-reacting and possibly perpetrating a social injustice.
What about speaking to the guys and suggesting that getting high around children is, you know, kind of a bad idea. Would you do it? I wouldn't. What kind of a jerk gets high in a playground in the first place? A huge jerk.
No good answers here.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:19 AM
Don't other library systems have anti-porn policies? I know this has been a free speech struggle, but I don't want my tax dollars enabling people to use the public library to watch porn. Much less where children can see it.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:22 AM
Most appalling to this reader is the element of discovery evident here. Who let such ignorant people bear and raise children? I live in Crown Heights, and you have to be deaf, dumb and blind to think ANY block is MJ smoke free. The police are doing a lot, and crack-downs have iproved things, but ladies (mothers, specifically) wake the hell up and spend time where your children hang out. NYC is NOT Disney World.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:23 AM
Simple solution.. If you don't want your kid exposed to ganja clouds, don't take them to the park at night.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:27 AM
A liberal is someone who wants to legalize pot and ban tobacco.
A conservative is someone who thinks porn is their free speech right but begging is a quality of life crime.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:27 AM
Anyone who has ever taken care of children for a little while knows that getting high is about the only way to do it while maintaining your sanity - you should just do it when the kiddies arent looking
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:30 AM
10:22 I'm just going off the Gowanus Lounge post here (see link above), but apparently there are two seperate computer areas, one for adults and the other for children under 12 years old. The post links to a NY Press article by Norman Oder (of the Atlantic Yards Report), who made the interesting point that filters negatively impact a teenager who might think he or she has an STD, or is pregnant, for example. Oder wrote that the city's public library system opposed putting the optional filters on its computers, in part because they unintentionally block sites such as ones dedicated to sex education, but had to in order to receive federal funding.
10:07 Funny that you bring up cigarettes, because a couple of people on the Brooklynian forum made that comparison as well. Do you think people would have been more outraged by this post had it been about a group of parents blowing cigarette smoke into their kids' faces? Just an open question... I used to wait tables when I was in high school and college, and I was always shocked by parents who brought their little children, infants even, into the smoking section. Smoke would literally just hang in the air, surrounding their faces.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 12, 2008 10:33 AM
From the take it for what is dept., walking past the 9TH St. entrance to PP this weekend I heard the familiar lyrics of that Dead song "Casey Jones" or whatever it's called. I noticed a guy in front of a large group of people banging it out on guitar and having a good time. Except I noticed he kept singing "Driving that train, driving that train" instead of "Driving that train, high on cocaine." At first I thought he was just stumbling through the song, but as I got closer I realized he was editing the lyrics because the party included a number of kids. It struck me as pretty funny.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:34 AM
I read the Park Slope parents thread on the listserv. It was one person who wrote in about the porn and a bunch of responders who replied that that is what the First Amendment is all about.
Sometimes I think the Gowanus Lounge, Brownstoner, etc are looking for stories when there isn't one there.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:37 AM
I lived in Amsterdam for many years and NO it is not part of the culture to smoke in public. Only tourist smoke in public, most Dutch people smoke in the comfort of their homes or in coffee shops.
There are the occasional youths that will smoke on a park bench, usually near their homes. So I guess that's somewhat public but you get the point.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:38 AM
10:38 I used the word "culture" somewhat jokingly, which is why I put it in quotes ... just to bring up that public pot smoking is not illegal in a lot of places for a better discussion. Sorry to offend! In Vancouver you can often see even elderly people smoking joints outside. I don't know if that falls under culture or just social norms (that it's not as shocking in other places). Same with smoking, in most states it would be considered normal (though looked down upon by some) for parents to be smoking around their infants in a restaurant. I also have a friend whose mother used to give him small amounts of liquor when he cried as a baby. I was shocked, but I guess that's just what they do in his "culture," he said.
Posted by: sarah ryley at May 12, 2008 10:46 AM
I am the OP of the weed thread, and I fee I must respond to 10:23, who finds my naivete appalling. What's appaling is people who blindly accept behaviours that are not appropriate and ridicule people who want to make the community they've made their home a better place for everyone, black, white, poor, rich.
We've been here longer than most newcommers, and are very well aware of the rythem of the neighborhood. My post was more about what seems a tolarance/embrace of behaviours that are not right (or even legal) by the community. Everyone just turns a blind eye.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 10:57 AM
There are people in NYC who don't smoke pot???
I'm being serious.
I live in Park Slope and literally don't know anyone who doesn't smoke.
If alcohol is legal, pot should be.
While I don't have children, I see nothing wrong with it. If you make it seem like not a big deal (which it isn't) then the kids won't think it's a big deal.
When you tell them that if they smoke pot, they will fall into the gates of hell like most parents do...guess what...they only want to smoke it more!!
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:01 AM
Not to be insensitive, but I strongly doubt that they were blowing the smoke into the kids faces. I'm sure they were at one of the park and the wind blew the smoke over. This isn't only Crown Heights...try Prospect Park, Central Park, etc. This mom needs a grip.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:02 AM
I've seen this all over Brooklyn, so I know it's not just happening in Crown Heights.
I'm not against adults smoking pot and I think the drug laws in the U.S. are draconian and paranoid, especially when it comes to marijuana, but I think it's wrong to do it in public, especially in front of children.
What the hell does race have to do with it?
Call the cops if it bothers you - It's a quality of life issue.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:02 AM
Yes, adults smoke pot in public in NYC. It's hypocritical to live here and complain about it, but in a PLAYGROUND?? Who can justify this? There are parks, there are park benches, there are opportunities to stroll and inhale, and, of course, there is the privacy of your own home. Why seek out a playground filled with children?
As for you, 10:30, if you do have children I certainly hope you have gotten your irresponsible self sterilized. I have two less than two years apart, and I have never nor would I ever get high around them. Wrong wrong wrong.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:09 AM
Don't call the cops until you first have asked the adults or teenagers to stop smoking around the kids. It's a reasonable request and one that should be agreed to by anybody.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:11 AM
Sarah, I think other libraries don't filter, so people can search STDs or, say, "breast cancer," but they quietly go over and ask people to refrain from watching porn. Am I wrong? Does someone know more about this?
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:19 AM
11:01
I live in Park Slope and don't smoke weed. I don't know anyone who does regularly.
Lots of people, myself included, just don't handle the stuff well. It makes me very agitated most of the time, and is otherwise unpleasant. I also find the odor rather foul.
I'll take a shot of whiskey any day.
Posted by: Polemicist at May 12, 2008 11:21 AM
Totally disagree, 11:11 - Hope no one takes your advice.
As someone said, anyone openly smoking weed at a children's playground is a jerk, cause they certainly know better. Call the cops and save yourself from any unnecessary confrontations or retaliation.
And I also agree that parents getting high in front of their kids are jerks too. What a stupid thing to do for a ton of reasons...
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:22 AM
You can watch porn all day long in public libraries and many do.
Believe it or not, librarians are often the first line of defense for the first amendment so while they may not love people watching porn, they will defend it. Thank god.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:25 AM
nothing wrong with porn as long as it's of the gay variety...
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:28 AM
Downing a bottle of wine and popping a couple of pills is the way most inconspicuous way white parents get high.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:33 AM
And the sad part is that they think the kids don't know...11:33.
At least with a joint, the kids when they are young just think mommy and daddy are having a cig.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:36 AM
My kids are 13 and 10 and I have never come across someone smoking pot in a playground. We have a very few friends that smoke recreationally - they are in the minority and very discrete. To make it sound like EVERYONE smokes is absurd. No parents that I know would smoke in front of their children.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:38 AM
It amazes me that the same crowd who gets upset about smoking cigarettes in a children's playground is okay with pot, an actual intoxicant. Presumably, if I bring a 40 to my next playdate that's okay too? (Admittedly, with my friends it would be.) I'd also like to point out that although the posters here will probably never be arrested or incarcerated for marijuana possession, that is not true for the people who sell it to them. How do you reconcile this with your liberal world view?
Posted by: Heather at May 12, 2008 11:39 AM
I was told by a POLICE OFFICER in NYC that they are told to NOT arrest someone for smoking pot unless they are breaking another law as well.
And Heather, the guys who deliver to me say that the police oftentimes turn a blind eye to them because they know that marijuana users typically are not of the law breaking type.
As for the huge drug cartels, untill this country legalizes it, there will have to be some punishment. That's the risk they taking going into that line of work. I wish things were different, but they are making a ton of money in exchange for that risk.
I hear about moms going to Union Hall to drink with their kids.
Why should pot be any different? I'd argue that alcohol has a far more devastating effect on people.
Never heard of people drinkin alcohol to help them with side effects of cancer.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:46 AM
Brownstoner should get a nice high grade herbalist to set up shop at the Flea. Sour Diesel, Kush, Purple Haze, NYC Diesel and other premium flavors.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 11:59 AM
Smoking pot is harmless? guess what? It funds the Mexican drug cartels who torture and kill police officers, judges and politicians who stand in their way. If everyone stopped smoking pot, the cartels would be out of business, and Mexico would be a hell of a lot better place. Same probably applies to Jamica.
Unless you're growing it in your backyard, smoking pot is not a victimless crime. And I hope I have made you feel very guilty.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 12:22 PM
My guy that delivers to me said that out of all the areas he delivers to (which is all of Brooklyn) he said the majority of his customers are in Park Slope.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 12:22 PM
"If everyone stopped smoking pot"
I could list you about 1 billion lines with a different ending which would be more productive for society than yours...
"if everyone were a liberal"
"if everyone stopped drunk driving"
"if everyone exercized more"
"if everyone weren't racist..."
why don't you concentrate on something that might ACTUALLY happen instead of talking about ridiculous things. There are 100 more dangerous things we do every day that are more toxic than smoking a little pot.
Try living over an oil slick, like a large portion of our borough, or I don't know...breathing the AIR!
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 12:30 PM
Nope, not guilty at all 12:22. Its prohibition that causes those crimes.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 12:33 PM
Last summer while hanging out with my kid at Carrol Gardens park the local kids were smoking pot right next to the drinking fountain where we were filling up our water balloons. Smelled great but was a totally inappropriate location for such leisure activities.
I asked them to move it on and got a typical 16 year old response, "Screw you old man.". So I responded calmly, that I was giving them 5 minutes to clear out. They in turn said, "Oh yeah and then what".
I immediately pulled out my phone, snapped a photo and then loud enough to hear them called 911 and started to describe the young men and their behavior.
They scattered and minutes later two cruisers pulled into the courtyard. Brief chat, promises of increased patrols, end of problem. Never saw them back again.
It is just not that complicated of a problem to solve. The cops hear, "Kids, pot, school playground" in the same sentence and they respond pretty well.
Just pick up the phone people.
Posted by: kuroko at May 12, 2008 12:37 PM
If these people getting high in the playground are not taking care of kids, then they are legally not supposed to be there. That in itself does provide justification for calling the cops. However, if it were me, I would only call the cops as a last resort. I would approach them in a respectful, non-confrontational way: "Hey guys, if you're going to smoke would you mind doing it over there since kids are playing right here? It's not healthy for them. Thanks, I appreciate it." You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, and it's best not to antagonize people in your community unless you have to. In my experience most people will respond positively to a respectfully-phrased request.
If they didn't comply, or got confrontational or belligerent, then I would have no problem calling the cops. They might not show up for someone smoking pot but they definitely should for adults unaccompanied by minors using a playground. If the cops get there and the smokers say, "But that's my kid right over there!" then they've got a Child Services issue on their hands.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 12:38 PM
12:33 - But prohibition is not ending. So as long as it is not ending, you are indirectly responsible for what's going on in those countries. May I suggest a little vodka as an alternative? It works for me.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 1:00 PM
does anyone on here have the number for a pot delivery person they don't mind sharing??
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 1:04 PM
I think its stupid to "ask" people breaking the law to please stop smoking pot/whatever in a public park.
because if they say screw you, then, if you still have the courage to call the cops, which you probably won't, they'll only see YOU as a snitch. why subject yourself to that?
we pay cops for a reason - and if kuroko at 12:37 had called the cops without letting the kids know he was doing it, they might have been arrested and learned from the mistake - instead they got away and luckily our tough guy kuroko didn't get his ass kicked in the process.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 1:09 PM
1:00 By you're logic since prohibition isn't ending everyone would have stop purchasing to end those crimes. Stay away from the PSA propaganda and you'll feel better.
And just an FYI most of the good NYC stuff is grown in Canada.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 1:25 PM
Generally speaking pot smokers aren't the violent type, pretty mellow group, and generally speaking pretty reasonable if not a little unconscious. So, thought I would at least give them the option of moving on before I brought in the "War on Drugs" crowd.
They declined and we have options. No one is a victim of stupid people unless they choose to be one. This is true in Crown Heights as it is in Carrol Gardens as it is in every other place on the planet.
Posted by: kuroko at May 12, 2008 1:31 PM
1:00: I think you need to lay off the crack...
And by the way, global warming is not ending. So as long as it is not ending, you are indirectly responsible for what's going in the atmosphere every time you exhale. May I suggest you stop breathing? That idea works for me.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 1:47 PM
The hot air you are filling this blog up with 1:47 is enough to cause another hole in the ozone layer.
Can't you just shut your ignorant trap already??
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 2:01 PM
I'm not surprised to hear that this occurred in Crown Heights, given that neighborhood's high concentration of poverty, crime, and low-income housing. It goes with the territory.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 2:04 PM
2:01: YOUR MOM
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 2:17 PM
What a bunch of liberal morons! I know for a fact that pot is far from harmless but those in denial will more than likely stay that way and sometimes at the expense of others. Pot can be very addictive and destructive. Most addicts, includng those addicted to tobacco, are in denial and continually expose and endanger others because they cannot admit the truth to themselves. For some strange reason, I expected more from the people on this forum. I'm far from innocent and have had my share of fun but would never inflict or expose others, especially children, to the harmful ramifications of my actions. There's a time and place for everything and age-appropriateness doesn't hurt either. Adults usually mamage to grow out of adolescent behavior at some point. Also, in defense of Mr. Brownstone (not that he needs it, I have gone to and enjoyed many Grateful Dead concerts in my life and never was into smoking pot!
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 2:20 PM
"poverty, crime, and low-income housing"
Nice to seE you avoidinG steReOypeS...
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 2:23 PM
2:23, why does a mentino of poverty and crime make you think of black people?
Racist.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 2:30 PM
2:20: "I'm far from innocent and have had my share of fun but would never inflict or expose others..."
In other words: you puff puff, but don't pass?
Weak.
Seriously, though: sounds like your entire (tl;dr) point was "I'm mature enough to handle it, but you're not. Unless you do it my way."
I'd call you a Republitard, but that's really the classic Liberal stance...
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 2:34 PM
Any science for us 2:20? Ya didn't think so.
By the way real conservatives think people should be able to do whatever they want with their own lives/bodies short of hurting someone else. Guess you're one of the dittoheads.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 3:04 PM
Super article which tells both sides:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,384815,00.html
I think I'll keep on puffin.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 3:09 PM
A 21-year-old man died Sunday from gunshot wounds after he was found sprawled on a Brooklyn streetcorner, cops said.
Saquan Toler was found with three gunshot wounds in his chest about 10:15 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Schenectady Ave. and Sterling Place in Crown Heights, police said.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 4:36 PM
To the poster who posted: "What's appaling is people who blindly accept behaviours that are not appropriate and ridicule people who want to make the community they've made their home a better place for everyone, black, white, poor, rich."
What's truly appalling is the need of one person to decide what appropriate for all the diverse individuals in his or her neighborhood. (And judge those who don't fall in line.) Like it or not, if you're not satisfied with your neighborhood it's your problem and no one has to adjust their behaviors (legal or not) to suit you.
If you have a problem with people smoking pot in parks/in front of their kids/ in front of YOUR kids, deal with it. Call the cops if you think that's the correct answer. But don't assume it should be anyone else’s problem or that the community in general has to think the same way as you do about it.
If you're looking for that kind of "blind" conformity, Brooklyn is a poor choice of places to live. There are just too many kinds of people here. And I, for one, think that's great! I don't like or approve of everything my neighbors do. But I respect the right of each of my neighbors to make his or her own decisions...that includes you and the person smoking pot sitting next to you in a park. If you have a problem with that person, that's your beef. Take it up with them.
Posted by: BKNYKEV at May 12, 2008 6:00 PM
"If these people getting high in the playground are not taking care of kids, then they are legally not supposed to be there."
I don't think that is true, unless you are a registered pedophile. We haven't gotten so restricted by law and Homeland Security that you can't sit in the park. The appropriateness of pot smoking is another story, but just sitting near kids in a park is not illegal.
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 8:15 PM
"I'm not surprised to hear that this occurred in Crown Heights, given that neighborhood's high concentration of poverty, crime, and low-income housing. It goes with the territory."
What does any of that have to do with smoking pot, an activity, according to this very thread, that is equally, if not more enjoyed by white, upper middle class people living in "better" neighborhoods?
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 8:24 PM
8:24: Because anything you don't like, you blame on poor minorities.
Try it:
"I'm not surprised to hear that AN ILLEGAL FIREWORKS DISPLAY occurred in Crown Heights, given that neighborhood's high concentration of poverty, crime, and low-income housing. It goes with the territory."
"I'm not surprised to hear that SWEET SWEET DOPE SMOKING occurred in Crown Heights, given that neighborhood's high concentration of poverty, crime, and low-income housing. It goes with the territory."
You get the point.
Anything that's fun and illegal is fair game for blaming on your racist demon of choice as it's fair odds that as EVERYONE does it, you'll likely be right.
Barely-concealed racism is fun!
Posted by: guest at May 12, 2008 9:16 PM
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