Green Oasis of Prospect Park Covered in Trash After Vandals Strike

A destructive act of vandalism rocked Prospect Park Tuesday night, leaving the beloved green space littered with trash.

According to the Prospect Park Alliance, roughly 50 trash cans in the 586-acre park were overturned overnight, spurring a massive cleanup effort.

“I was told it was literally from one end of the park to the other,” said Alliance spokesperson Deborah Kirschner. “Literally every garbage can.”

Kirschner said the entire staff of the meadow’s nonprofit steward was out in force to pick up trash as early as 7 a.m., along with roughly 35 volunteers. By 10:30 a.m., when Brooklyn Paper eyeballed the scene, most of the debris had been cleared away.

“We really appreciate and thank the community that has come out to support us, throughout this entire year,” Kirschner said.

Photos show the Dog Beach, located near the park’s ballfields, covered in a blanket of trash. Kirschner said among the other most affected areas were the Boathouse and the Music Pagoda.

The Alliance, like many other green space stewards, has had an uphill battle throughout the pandemic. Despite seeing more use than ever from Brooklynites with a newfound appetite for open space, the nonprofit lost $3.2 million in revenue from March through June, had to lay off or furlough several staffers, and was unable to hire seasonal help during the summer to meet park demand.

The park is planning a volunteer cleanup this Earth Day, April 22. Volunteers can sign up at prospectpark.org/volunteer.

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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