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
quote:
Yeah, but it wasn’t labeled, POLE DANCING POLE.
well all the little ho-bags in training will already know how to use it.. no instructions or labelling needed. okay that was just mean of me to say. this thread is ridiculous. just remove it
*rob*
the best part of this thread is the hilarious idea that some man who is rich, white, and lives on the UES works for the city gov’t. well, except for Bloomberg! i picture lower middle class, indeterminate race, and lives in Queens, but that’s me.
i am wondering if this is anywhere else, and also what the kids think of it. i kinda object to it simply because i don’t think we need to fill in the blanks for kids’ imaginations. i wouldn’t like to see “pirate boat” or “castle” either. if i saw it on our own playground, i’d just think, really really odd.
however, i actually believe that anyone taking a handout like living in a project where i have to pay extra somehow somewhere is a criminal, so, maybe it is appropriate. what’s the mentality of a kid who grows up with the feeling like he/she is entitled to having strangers support them? does that feed into their psyche? is the next step just take what you want when you are physically able to?
“I particularly liked BSD’s reference to the poles at playgrounds and how that has an effect on a woman’s choice of career in later life!!!”
Yeah, but it wasn’t labeled, POLE DANCING POLE.
Racist? Offensive? Ignorant?
It’s all the above! It doesn’t matter what the intention was. This is a bad idea in a neighborhood where too many young/black/latino males are behind bars. It just sends a bad message.
Question: How many of those kids have parents behind bars?..Oh, great..now they have a constant reminder.
Take it down..
bkhabitant- there were a number of comments saying that those of us who reacted to this playground were too “PC.” So I posted a comment that was obviously not pc and it was eye opening to see how people reacted to my comment while blowing off others reaction to the playground as too pc.
FYI- I’m white. Not sure if you knew that.
I particularly liked BSD’s reference to the poles at playgrounds and how that has an effect on a woman’s choice of career in later life!!!
Rob…yes, this does plant seeds. Visuals plant seeds. Words plants seeds. Environmental stimulants write on your psyche. Children are sponges.
i find the plethora of shops with Yoga, Green, Natural in their names labeled, etc etc highly offensive as well. but people never seem to make a big stink about that (tho i wish they did)
*rob*
Biff…I to don’t think it’s a racist issue but more of a socio-economic one.