A group of Orthodox Jewish leaders cut the locks off a park after it had been closed by city workers.
Keep in mind, city workers did this one day after thousands gathered for a “Black Trans Lives Matter” rally.
The park is frequented by members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg.
The Mayor’s office said “every playground in the City is closed. This is a matter of health and safety.”
A spokesman for NYC’s Parks & Rec added “in recent weeks, people have broken the locks and chains at this playground and breached the site multiple times.This morning, we had to secure the location and did not have our typical resources available so as a short term fix we welded one of four entrances shut. This is a reversible procedure, and we plan to unweld this entrance today and replace the locks and chains.”
State Assemblyman Joe Lentol, whose district includes Williamsburg, criticized the decision to close the playground, “welding the doors shut at Middleton Playground during a time when our children need the open space to run and play is UNACCEPTABLE.”