Park Priorities

to the editor:

is it artists or trees that are the real public safety hazard in parks?

the parks department and central park conservancy have unlimited resources to harass and falsely arrest artists, yet they can't be bothered to maintain the trees properly, not even in a place like the zoo, with thousands of small children. the entire pep (parks enforcement patrol) force is being mobilized and trained to make hundreds of false arrests of artists beginning july 19 in the city's four richest parks. meanwhile, most other city parks never see a single pep officer.

whether it's toxic plastic turf, playground equipment that burns children or trees that are allowed to rot and kill multiple park visitors, it is obvious what the real agenda of the mayor and parks commissioner is, and public safety is most definitely not it.

robert lederman president of a.r.t.i.s.t.