The new record continues a trend of leaving Roosevelt Islanders to their own devices while Passive Safety Officers idle… somewhere. Who knows where? Anywhere but out on the streets where they might be needed.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
How PSD Set the New Record
“I returned from the hospital,” a Roosevelt Islander told us, “and felt like sitting behind the Good Shepherd amongst the plantings and under the trees would be so relaxing.”
But she was in for a surprise because…
“Instead, there is this neighbor peacefully smoking marijuana.”
Weed, smelling like an unhappy skunk, is a scourge on city streets, but in parks, all smoking is banned. While some visitors cheat, the parks are generally a refuge from the stink, but not here.
“PSD argues,” she said, “that the area is not a park, so he can smoke.”
If it’s not a park, what is it?
RIOC’s Passive Safety Department (PSD) has already determined that they can’t control e-bikes and other motorized two-wheelers racing down Main Street, ignoring crosswalks and stop signs. And they can’t organize bicycle patrols extending their presence, breaking repeated promises.
Also, they can’t deal with unsafe overcrowding in Tram cabins or even ensure that seniors and the disabled get a shot at reserved seating instantly gobbled up by tourists on every trip.
Now, they can figure out what a park is…?
Some questions…
“How do we establish it as a park?” the resident asked. Answer: You could try prayer because appealing to RIOC never works.
“Do you have any idea if it belongs to RI?” Answer: Yes, it does, but it’s ultimately city property.
“Why is a tiny park like that less smoke-free than Central Park?” Answer: Because this is Roosevelt Island, and we have RIOC instead of elected officials.
“And what is the purpose of a garden making oxygen if someone pollutes it?” Answer: There isn’t any.
Stack Work Advances While Answers Do Not
On June 17 and 18, HPD told the first meeting of the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant Demolition Community Advisory Group that smokestack demolition had no projected start date. Residents and the CAG would receive at least five business days’ advance notice once a date was set. Scaffolding around the stacks could not proceed until soil removal and backfill were complete and the area stabilized.
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