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Community Board 2 Weighs Chain Closures for Washington Square Park Nights

A committee-backed plan would replace movable barricades with chained stanchions to make the midnight curfew easier to enforce.

Overview

  • Community Board 2 held a discussion Wednesday night on using fixed chains to enforce the park’s midnight curfew instead of movable barricades.
  • Parks Committee Chair Tobi Bergman proposed stanchions with a chain, and the committee voted to send his resolution to the full board.
  • Opponents cite a 2005 community deal that kept gates off the table to preserve open access and the park's character.
  • Several residents point to recent NYPD actions that they say have reduced crime and question whether new barriers are needed.
  • If the board expresses support, the Parks Department would assess how such closures would work and how much they would cost.