Playground Jail in Bed Stuy Sparking Outrage
The emergence of a jail-themed jungle gym at the Tompkins Houses in Bedford Stuyvesant has the community in an uproar. Black and Brown News, which ran this image earlier this week, did some homework and found that NYCHA was responsible for ordering it earlier this week. I don’t think they should put that there in…
The emergence of a jail-themed jungle gym at the Tompkins Houses in Bedford Stuyvesant has the community in an uproar. Black and Brown News, which ran this image earlier this week, did some homework and found that NYCHA was responsible for ordering it earlier this week. I don’t think they should put that there in a neighborhood where many Blacks and Latinos go to jail,” one resident of the public housing complex told BBN. “My son will ask me, Mommy, if I go in there, will I go to jail. As of yesterday, NYCHA had told BBN it was “looking into” the matter and there had been no response yet from the mayor’s office. Pretty mind-boggling and offensive, no?
Jail Playground’ at NYC Public Housing Property [BBN]GMAP
Photo by Monifa Bandele
Def dumb, but racist? Come on.
The purchase order was probably something like “1 model WIUAHDXXR12A playground apparatus or similar,” and this is what the company had lying around.
Wait I’ve got another idea for a NYCHA playground installation:
– Little white baby dolls and play strollers (look mommy, I’m playing nanny!).
Seriously, I have never seen a play jail in a single NYC playground (and I’ve been to lots of them). Setting these kids up to play in a play jail when mommy and / or daddy are in a real jail is just stupid.
You are right, the What would definately have some interesting things to say here. After being stunned initially by the supreme dumbness of this playground, I am now starting to get silly. Back to work.
bxgrl, I agree with your feelings about the playground and they are not “too PC”. The playground is offensive period though I don’t have enough information to know whether it was intentional or not.
That said, my reaction to the comment about the rich white guy from the upper west side is consistent with my reaction to the playground for the same reason.
The thing that bothers me the most is the lack of empathy. Most of you guys didn’t grow up in the PJs or any similar neighborhood(neither did I).
You have no idea how offensive this is and refuse to think beyond your own experience.
Your kids will probably grow up in a two-parent household..they will never know what it’s like to have a Mom or Dad in jail(like mamy of the KIDS in that area).THAT’S WHY IT IS OFFENSIVE..GET IT?
quote:
I hardly think they are hunky-dory with it.
then why are they not doing anything about it?! and yes i KNOW most crime in the projects is committed on each other. and stop picking apart my posts constantly with this attitude that you know more than EVERYONE on EVERY TOPIC. it’s like a constant know it all attitude, get over yourself.
*rob*
BSD – Your first comments made sense, as you qualified it with.
“If this is the only jail themed playground toy in NYC.”
One can argue if in general it’s a good idea to put a Jail themed playground anywhere but for some of the other posters to imply that “it is especially offensive because it’s in the projects” seems a bit condecending on their end. Since when is going to jail a protected class worthy of PC status.
Mr B can you please please please please please re-instate The What so he can comment on this thread? Please?
“i do believe people in the projects DO indeed seem to take crime lightly, and that is one of the problems in the community.”
Rob, you seem to have appointed yourself an expert on the mindset of the projects, sometime in the last few days. I must have missed the announcement. It might be a bit premature. Considering that most of the victims of crime perpertrated by the criminal element in the projects, are other people in said projects, in addition to them being more likely to be collateral damage victims, I hardly think they are hunky-dory with it.