A uncared for memorial plaza in fashionable Greenpoint has been overrun by vagrants and trash as unkempt weeds and flowers encroach on the tribute to a beloved Roman Catholic priest, locals mentioned.
Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko Sq. in Greenpoint, a tucked-away inexperienced area positioned simply steps from the bustling McCarren Park, has turn into an area eyesore within the Polish enclave that reeks of rubbish, in line with residents and native politicians.
“We’ve had continual points on this sq. for years,” metropolis Councilman Lincoln Restler informed The Put up.
“It’s proper subsequent to McCarren Park — instantly adjoining to the biggest park within the neighborhood — and we’ve too few park employees to maintain that park clear. Sadly, the plaza has additionally suffered.
“I believe we have to collectively do a greater job of prioritizing the upkeep of this space,” he added. “It’s an eyesore, moderately than a harmful situation.”
“Father Jerzy Popiełuszko Sq. is an extremely necessary Greenpoint memorial, with nice significance to our Polish American constituents particularly,” famous Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, including she attended a vigil in 2021 after the statue of Father Popiełuszko was “heinously vandalized.”
“Sadly, odors, trash, and other people fighting substance use and/or houselessness are frequent points in parks throughout town, and I help my NYC Council counterpart, Councilmember Restler, in his efforts to work with the NYC Parks Division to make sure our parks are clear, wholesome, and secure for all who use them.”
Locals have complained concerning the state of the sq. for years, Restler mentioned, and volunteer teams and nonprofits just like the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance have since picked up the slack.
However the quality-of-life points — exacerbated by a scarcity of Parks staffing — has made it an more and more tall order for volunteers to deal with.
Former Greenpoint resident Julianna Curcio, 23, stopped to benefit from the shade and quiet offered on the plaza on Sunday — and was shocked to see greater than a half-dozen vagrants ingesting, smoking and sleeping within the sq..
“That’s positively disappointing, that I really feel like town is simply not caring for this area as nicely,” she mentioned.
“I used to reside in Italian Williamsburg, and I do know of monuments when my grandma lived there, and that type of stuff meant loads to them,” she added, “so I might see that being actually disappointing to Polish Individuals who’ve lived right here. I really feel like this particular park is just a bit bit ignored.”
“We carry out each day cleanups at Father Jerzy Popieluszko Sq., which sees heavy use, particularly through the summertime,” a Parks rep mentioned. “Our Parks Enforcement Patrol coordinates with DHS on homeless outreach regularly.
“We encourage guests to respect our public areas and correctly eliminate any trash,” the rep added. “NYC Parks employees work each day to maintain our parks and greenspaces freed from trash and particles, from emptying trash cans to selecting up litter from our shared areas.”
Father Jerzy Popiełuszko was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and outspoken anti-communist advocate. He has since been acknowledged as a martyr for the religion following his assassination by communist secret police in 1984.
The monument in Greenpoint — the Brooklyn enclave often known as having the second-largest Polish inhabitants in the USA after Chicago — was devoted to him in October 1990.
“It’s an necessary public area for our entire neighborhood, however particularly for the Polish neighborhood in Greenpoint,” Restler mentioned. “He was a beloved particular person, and it’s necessary that we preserve this area correctly in his honor.”
Since final week, Parks has been sending a number of people out each day to enhance situations, Restler mentioned.
Within the meantime, his workplace has “inspired” a few of the volunteer teams to do rubbish pickup and upkeep in McCarren Park to incorporate the lesser-known sq. on their route transferring ahead.
However some advocates, like Marek Skulimowski, the president and government director of the Kosciuszko Basis, say the therapy of the plaza is an element of a bigger sample.
“The neglect of Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko Sq. in Greenpoint is deeply troubling, and an analogous lack of care impacts the monument to Common Thaddeus Kościuszko only some hundred yards away close to the Kosciuszko Bridge,” Skulimowski informed The Put up.
“Because the native authorities formally authorized these monuments, they need to set up a daily upkeep mechanism worthy of their significance,” he added, “simply as monuments to American heroes, together with Presidents Washington, Wilson and Hoover and fallen American airmen, are correctly cared for in Poland — as a result of we should keep in mind our heroes to construct a greater future.”
