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
This will get tagged with grafitti before the day is over and will then be far less offensive.
Ah, DIBS- I should have know it was you 😉
This is almost comically ridiculous. First of all, I’ve never even seen graphic text or signage on playground equipment, because it’s pretty well established that the more open-ended these things are, the more engaging and successful they are – so basically it’s just bad design from the get-go. Then, rather than making it a fantastical “castle, tower,” etc, the geniuses choose the jail option for the project playgrounds.
For those that would defend this, I think you should at least concede that there are other options that would not carry this baggage. It has nothing to do with being PC, it has everything to do with common sense.
Then bxgrl and I are officially in agreement on something. You all might want to start stockpiling canned foor and potable water in a compound somewhere, for the end is nigh.
yup I find it hilarious. I’m insensitive.
quote:
That the City thinks you are nothing but criminals, and that you take crime lightly
I dont think the city or the citizens think they are nothing but criminals, but 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*
lechacal- I said it for shock value. I wondered how certain people would react, yet they were so blithe about the playground.
I do know loads of people who work for the city and have been witness too many times to a city agency planning process. And I agree- it is dumbness, not malice. But unfortunately the result is the same.
Shouldn’t Doctor Suess rhyme or something?
“My guess is some high income earning white guy from the UES thought this would be humorous”
Many of us have moved to Brooklyn.
Despite my moral outrage at the lack of political correctness and the actual offensiveness, I do have to admit to actually spitting from the inital laugh reaction to it and the rush of adrenaline I experienced from the potential breadth of comments it would ellicit!!!