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Lincoln Park

“Reopen Liberty State Park and Lincoln Park!”

April 20, 2020/in header, Latest News, News /by Ron Leir

Local Residents and Officials Petition Governor to Reverse Edict

Public outcry against the closures of Liberty State Park and Lincoln Park in Jersey City as mandated by Governor Phil Murphy has surfaced and is growing. The parks are closed as part of the governor’s edict that all state and county parks be closed to protect against the spread of Covid-19.

Hudson County Freeholder Bill O’Dea and Jersey City Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey have petitioned the state Department of Environmental Protection to modify the order in order to give residents a safe alternative to the “stay-at-home” anti-COVID-19 strategy.

While praising the governor for his leadership in taking steps to control the virus, the two officials suggest that some parks should be re-opened if local and county governments can enforce social distancing.

“In the case of Lincoln Park, a county park in Jersey City, we think that is the case,” they say in an April 8 letter to Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe and Matthew Platkin, the governor’s chief counsel. “In fact, in Hudson County we have the capability in our larger parks to do so.”

The letter notes that in Lincoln and other like-sized parks, the county has already removed all picnic tables, soccer goals and basketball rims and closed all playgrounds, tracks and bathrooms and, where possible, locked playing fields in order to decrease opportunities for close proximity to someone else. Even tennis courts have been made off limits given players’ potential for proximity at the net and that “even a tennis ball … can spread the disease.”

Referring to Lincoln Park specifically, O’Dea and Prinz-Arey explain, “The park was now reduced to an area that allowed dog walkers and bikers, walkers and joggers around the ring road.” And the park is now closed to vehicular traffic for four hours a day to further minimize possible gatherings.

In the two weeks since the park was reconfigured, county sheriff’s officers assigned to patrol duties uncovered only two violations of the posted park restrictions — both on the first day of the new rules: one group playing volleyball and another, soccer, and both were peacefully dispersed, the letter related.

As a compromise, the officials ask McCabe and Platkin to set up “social distancing secure park criteria” that would allow counties to appeal to the state for an exemption from the governor’s executive order.

These criteria could be the very restrictions that had been in place before the wholesale park closures — plus, for Lincoln Park, new restrictions on park hours (such as being open only six to eight hours a day), deploying sheriff’s officers and new park patrol officers to enforce the measures, and monitoring activity via 24-hour-a-day CCTV cameras.

Failure to comply with these conditions or to prevent social distancing violations would compel a park closure, they suggest.

As things now stand, the letter says, “Many good law-abiding citizens are being penalized for a few [violators]. If we can show how to address those few, then let us open the park again.”

Asked how her west side constituents have reacted to the 270-acre park’s closure, Prinz-Arey said, “It’s been a mixed response, but I would say many more are in favor of keeping it open.” Park patrols and cameras should help deter would-be violators, she added.

For many Ward B residents without a front or back yard to enjoy fresh air, dealing with the stay-at-home edict is more challenging, Prinz-Arey noted. With municipal parks off-limits, “Lincoln Park and Liberty Park are the best options.”

Also voicing support for reopening Lincoln Park and Liberty State Park for outdoor exercise was Downtown Councilman James Solomon, who has also pushed for “opening streets to pedestrians, bicyclists and emergency vehicles only” to effectively create more space for people outdoors.

“There can be clear lanes for walking and running in the same direction to reduce the potential for passing each other. It is unlikely groups of people will congregate in the middle of a street as they might in a park. Denver and other cities have adopted the initiative seemingly to good effect. I asked Mayor [Steve] Fulop’s and our transportation team to review and I hope we will implement.”

Even regular citizens are organizing. Jersey City resident Rasika W. Boice started an online petition regarding Lincoln Parksaying this:

“To close the one place where we’ve been able to consistently go and maintain a safe distance from others seems counterintuitive at best, dangerous at worst.”

If the park stays shut, it continues, “it’ll be near impossible to go outside without breaking social distancing rules, particularly as it gets warmer. The sidewalks will become more crowded. And there will be more interactions — and risk — for law enforcement, who will be called on to manage that.

As of April 18, the petition had 198 signatures.

And let’s not forget about the kids. They’ve been away from their teachers and classmates for nearly a month now. They’re missing those interactions. And they’re losing the benefits of those interactions. But nature can help. … Seeing that turtle bask in the sun, quietly following ducks across an empty baseball field, watching a hawk glide through the sky — they are also a source of joy.

What we can’t imagine bringing those same benefits, or joy, is zigzagging around the face masks and disposable gloves littering the sidewalks.

And, last but not least, with the streets of Jersey City being as pedestrian unfriendly as they are — with recent spikes in traffic injuries and fatalities — the park is the safer choice for children riding bikes or scooters.”

The petition does endorse breaking up gatherings, “reprimanding” social distance violators and marking benches and potential high-congestion spots like the pond area off-limits. “But to generally close the park to everyone is not the answer,” it insists. “It will only lead to overcrowding on the streets and sidewalks. It will hurt the community’s mental and physical health. And then, it will help the virus spread.”

Of course, the 1,200-acre Liberty State Park in Jersey City’s Greenville neighborhood is now closed as well. But given that that asset belongs to the state, not the county, many state legislators in addition to county and city officials have weighed in. Their positions are mixed.

Democratic State Sen. Brian Stack, who is also mayor of Union City, supports full closure, according to an aide. State Sen. Sandra Cunningham, a Jersey City Democrat, declined to comment. Republican Assemblyman Jay Webber, from Morris Plains, has petitioned for reopening because he finds the state’s decision hypocritical and arbitrary.

“As you have repeatedly observed, access to fresh air and exercise for our citizenry, especially during this stressful time, is paramount,” the petition says. “For that reason, safely and responsibly using our state’s open spaces should continue to be encouraged, not prohibited.”

The petition says the governor should trust residents to make “common-sense and responsible choices” to comply with social distancing rules while continuing to use state recreational resources.

“Break up and prevent use of the parks that violate those guidelines, as you should. Keep state restrooms and facilities closed, we understand. But do not close the parks altogether,” it says.

The petition further notes that bordering states like New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware have all kept their parks open. “We live in the most densely populated state in the Union, and our open space is too precious to us to have it taken away arbitrarily, especially in a time of crisis.”

Jersey City resident Sarah Ordway takes Webber’s argument one step further. In an online petition to reopen Liberty State Park, she asserts that keeping public parks closed could worsen the pandemic:

“With all city and county parks closed in Jersey City, residents found solace and social distance in Liberty State Park’s 1,200 acres of open space. Now, the only green space we had left is closed, leaving those of us without yards to resort to streets or sidewalks — spaces unsuitable for physical distancing. This decision could actually make the spread of COVID-19 worse, as our large population becomes confined to narrow strips of pavement.”

Two Downtown Jersey City residents who signed her petition heartily concur. Christy Sayre wrote that the park offered residents “our best opportunity for social distancing out of doors,” and Joe Vita commented, “LSP was the only space we can escape to and still have plenty of room for social distancing.”

As of April 18, Ordway’s petition to reopen Liberty State Park had 236 signatures versus a goal of 500.

For more on Liberty State Park, see publisher Aaron Morrill’s April 7 op-ed on closing state parks during the coronavirus pandemic and his January 4 op-ed on saving Caven Point from development.

 

Header: Lincoln Park by David Wilson/Jersey City Times file photo

 

Amy Albert is There for Kids in Crisis

March 31, 2020/in header, In Our Midst, Latest News /by Sally Deering

For Women’s History Month, the Jersey City Times shines a spotlight on Amy Albert, founder and director of Haven Adolescent Community Respite Center, a drop-in locale where Albert and her staff of social workers, counselors and volunteers teach and mentor at-risk children.

Courtesy Amy Albert’s Facebook page

 In a clapboard two-family house in Jersey City known as Haven Respite, founder Amy Albert writes grants and designs programs to save children from falling through the proverbial rabbit hole. It was 2015 when Albert, a public defender and criminal defense attorney with 18 years’ experience, opened the nonprofit’s doors in response to the parade of children and teens he represented who were charged with minor offenses.

“I’ve represented kids in criminal and juvenile courts in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey,” Albert says, taking a short break in Haven Respite’s first-floor kitchen. “During the first part of my career in the courtroom representing kids, I started seeing a pattern: The kid would come in because they hit their brother, ran away, were pushed out or stole food, stuff that was more about family tension than it was about crime.”

Albert’s team oversees daytime services for teens in juvenile detention, a young mom’s support group, and an LGBTQ+ support group for kids 14 and under. After-school mentors help children with homework, and counselors teach everyday skills such as how to open a bank account and do laundry. Two volunteers take kids out for weekly one-mile runs.

A popular workshop, Albert says, is “Cook, Eat, Talk,” where children share what’s on their minds while they learn to cook a meal together.

“There’s incredible food insecurity in Jersey City,” Albert says. “Our kids are starving. We have kids not really living at home. They run away or  get kicked out, and they’re afraid to impose when sleeping on someone’s couch, so they don’t eat too much. Cooking creates community. It’s a great life skill and an easy one. ‘Hey mom, I can make the eggs today’. We do pizza, omelets, salads, stuff that’s easy enough that a kid can do by themselves. Kids are resilient. It’s not rocket science.”

In April, Albert will bring Cook, Eat, Talk to the Curries Woods housing project where the team will conduct life-skills workshops in addition to cook together.

Haven Respite offers a day-services program for children who are in juvenile detention. They spend up to 20 hours a week with counselors who help them with homework, coach sports and teach them about nutrition. Children are encouraged to pick a skill that they’re going to work on, and in return the kids gain both competence and confidence, Albert says.

Albert’s team also counsels parents. Social workers meet one on one with parents and discuss things like whom to call in an emergency, mindfulness techniques, how to resolve conflicts, and how to differentiate their personal issues from the issues of their children.

“It’s teaching kids how to take care of themselves,” Albert says. “We’re not trying to replace kids’ parents. Instead, we’re trying to teach both young kids and their parents skills so they can communicate better.”

Photo by Sally Deering

Albert writes grants to get funding for Haven Respite’s programs and receives financial support from individual donors as well as the Jersey City Municipal Alliance and the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services. She held a gala at the Factory restaurant in Bergen-Lafayette recently that raised $50,000. One of the honorees was Freeholder Bill O’Dea.

“Amy’s program is one that we are in dire need of,” Freeholder O’Dea said. “She has an amazing passion for helping and protecting our young people. I am proud to support her program.”

Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey also supports Albert’s mission along with other members of the city council and the school board including Jersey City School Superintendent Franklin Walker. Together, Walker and Albert have teamed up to design a “catch-up” program to help kids who have trouble progressing from eighth and ninth grades.

“We are working with Superintendent Walker on academic programming,” Albert says. “We’d like to provide an opportunity for them to have a smaller setting where they can address their underlying issues and catch up.”

Moving Forward

When asked if there are any children who moved on from the Haven Respite programs, Albert talks about two brothers who came to the center when it first opened. The older brother was disabled, and the younger brother, who was failing in school, would often leave home without permission. No one was paying attention to him, according to Albert.

“He came here for a number of years,” she says. “He then joined the National Guard, was sent overseas, and came home safe. Now he’s at Rutgers in New Brunswick, having his college education paid for by the National Guard. The older one graduated from high school and goes to community college.

 

For more info: www.havenrespite.org

Header: Amy Albert with Operational Director Jessica Taube, Director of External Relations Pam Johnson and Keith Storey, courtesy Amy Albert’s Facebook page

 

News Briefs

Hudson County Community College has been named the recipient of a one-year, $850,000 investment from the JPMorgan Chase. The investment will be utilized for a program the College developed to address the challenges of the economic crisis in Hudson County that were brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is designed to provide lasting improvement in the County’s workforce ecosystem.

Mayor Steven Fulop and the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation (JCEDC) have launched the latest round of emergency funding to provide over $2.5 million in direct aid and support to Jersey City’s neediest residents, regardless of immigration status. The city will partner with  York Street, Women Rising, United Way, and Puertorriqueños Asociados for Community Organization. 

Mayor Steven Fulop is joining forces with Uber to announce a new agreement that will expand residents’ access to COVID-19 vaccinations with free Uber rides to and from Jersey City vaccination sites. Phase 1B includes essential frontline workers and seniors 75 years old and over.

The federal Paycheck Protection Program, which offers businesses loans that can be forgivable, reopened on January 11th. The revised program focuses first on underserved borrowers – minority- and women-owned businesses.

Keep abreast of Jersey City Covid-19 statistics here.

Governor Murphy has launched a “Covid Transparency Website” where New Jerseyans can track state expenditures related to Covid.  Go here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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