The track and field at the bottom of Sara D. Roosevelt Park is a major part of the athletics department. The track is surrounded by a large field of turf, but that wouldn’t be the first thing one would notice when going into the field. Instead, visitors to the field are more likely to come across homeless people camped out in certain spots, men gambling, and plenty of cigarette butts and occasionally needles on the field.
Many students have expressed their discomfort in being in the field. Softball player Alin Perez said, “There’s a lot of dog poop in the field. It’s dirty.” She also noted that there are frequently a lot of homeless people.
During outside gym activities, Mr. Lee, physical education teacher, has to go beforehand to the field to ensure it’s safe to use. Mr. Lee noted that when he is cleaning the field, he finds many needles on the ground and once found up to five in one place.
Although some people of the Pace community feel a discomfort sharing the space, it is a huge part of the Chinatown community. Almost every morning, women gather to practice tai chi as a way to stay active and stay connected to their fellow peers.
Pacer NYC spoke with some of the women about their experiences. When asked if they have faced any discomfort or felt that the field needed improvement, two out of the three expressed that they would like to see improvements.
One Chinatown resident, who declined to give her name, said, “The hygiene around the place could be better, but other than that, there is nothing else that needs improvement. Hygiene is number one, and there’s a lot of poop and things around.”
Another woman said, “Even if I want changes, it would be useless to say. There is nobody to come help or fix it.”
Both women shared the same feelings of the field as an important part of the community and as something that has helped them stay connected.
When asked about sharing the park with Pace students, one of the women said, “I like it when everybody plays soccer together. It’s really nice here because there are no arguments, no parents yelling at kids, and everybody seems to be getting along.”
Many students at Pace wonder why the field isn’t fenced off and privately used by Pace.
When asked about this topic that goes around Pace, one of the women said, “I would be lost because there would be no happy place to go to. Chinese people always come here to have fun; if it’s gone, then there is no more entertainment and joy. I would be unhappy, so of course it’s always better to have this park around.“
As much as some community members would like to see a change in what is happening in the field. Especially with the lack of hygiene. There is only one way to have lasting changes, which is a part of the Parks Department job.
Pacer NYC spoke with Luc Alicea, who is a District 3 manager with the Parks Department. He manages all the parks below 14th Street and on the east side of Manhattan, including Sara D. Roosevelt Park. He went more in depth with how he and his department prioritize the health and safety of everyone in the parks.
“We have priorities of work, so we’ll look at the most extreme things first,” said Alicea.
He notes that park workers deal with litter pickup, cleaning up dog feces, and any drug use happening within the park.
“And then also making sure we prioritize bathrooms and other things that are important to the community with an emphasis on play areas, where kids, high schoolers, et cetera, might utilize,” Alicea said.
There’s also a gamble of unpredictable things that might happen on a day-to-day basis, because no one knows what people are up to. The school has little power to control what is happening out in the field with other community members.
“Being that it is New York City, it’s very unpredictable,” Mr. Lee said.
Mr. Lee notes that he has witnessed homeless people camped out in the field and drug usage.
“I am friendly enough with the community people, but every now and again I do have to protect the kids with some actions that are a little bit more aggressive, as in just using my voice,” said Mr. Lee.
The field is close to a methadone clinics and rehab center. People who want to get clean go to these places but are only permitted to stay there for a temporary time, causing many of those people to hang around the field as they are not welcomed in other public places like the train stations, bus stops or public sidewalks.
As the Parks Department is trying their best to fix the major issues the field faces. The underlying issue still remain: the field is an ugly sight to some and an unsafe place to others, especially to the Pace community.
