Illegal sex ruining Forest Park

BY TONIA N. CIMINO and STEVE MOSCO

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 12:45 PM EST

It happens in the shadows.

On any given evening, walking through Forest Park, illegal sexual activity – under the cover of dark, within the recesses of the trails – goes on.

“Where Park Lane South curves there are no lights, it gets very dark . . . That is a hotspot,” said Deborah Martinez, who lives in Richmond Hill with her husband Jorge and six-year-old daughter. “We sit on benches along Park Lane, and we see men in drag walking up and down.”

In fact, the men will often sit on the benches at the periphery of the park and wait for a “taker” to make eye contact.

Without uttering a word, then, he will go into the park and the other will follow.

When they hear approaching footsteps, the couples scatter.

One man approached Martinez, she said, because of her dog and they struck up a conversation. When she asked him what he was doing at the park, he said, “Honey, what do you think I’m doing here, I’ve been doing this for years.”

“You can tell they’re not runners or walkers,” said Martha Andrede of Richmond Hill. “You can tell by looking, they’re not here for the exercise.”

She continued, “Saturdays are a big day for them. You see it all year round, but especially during the summer.”

The local precinct, the 102nd, is aware of the ongoing problem and even has a number of officers devoted to patrol.

Captain Armando DeLeon, Commanding Officer, told The Courier that more than 100 arrests have been made, and numerous summonses have been issued regarding the illicit activities.

Martinez did acknowledge an increase police presence, and said that this, combined with the change in weather, has lowered the number of incidents he has seen.

“We’re doing the best we can with what we have,” said DeLeon, noting that it happens on both weekdays and weekends, no matter the season, though it slows with the onset of the colder weather. “When you see something for three, four or five months and it slows down and then picks back up, it feels like it never went away.”

In fact, Mary Ann Carey, District Manager of Community Board (CB) 9, said that the problem has been going on at least for the last 20 years, since she began with the Board.

“It comes and it goes,” she said. “It’s very difficult because a lot of the activity is male on male. The police are really walking a tightrope.”

In fact, said Carey, a few years ago, a gay pride organization picketed because of a crackdown.

Carey said the worst spots are around the Bandshell and along Park Lane South and Metropolitan Avenue.

“Illicit activities should not be going on in the open with children, regardless of whom,” she said. “It’s very upsetting for parents.”

“I know there’s drug activity too,” said Martinez. “The most dangerous part is the people who come here looking for action. I’ve seen Jersey plates here. Apparently this place is very well known.”

She continued, “My daughter loves this park, but it’s dangerous because you never know what’s in there. What if she falls onto the wrappers or condoms? How do we explain what they are? We moved to this area for the park. It’s not fair.”

Another local resident who sent a letter to the CB wrote, “I was mortified to be walking with my elderly parents through the park and to witness shameless acts of public sex.”

He continued, “As a taxpayer I decided to go into the Forest Park Headquarters to bring this matter to their attention and was shocked at their response, which was ‘Yes, we know, there’s nothing we can do about it, we have no money, it’s been happening for 100 years and that’s just the way it is.’”

“The Parks Department is actively addressing it,” said Carey

A statement from the Parks Department read, “Crime is down across the city and our parks are safer than ever with crime in parks down 36 percent this year. Within Forest Park, crime is down 33 percent. To ensure a safe environment for our patrons, we closely partner with the NYPD who are responsible for enforcing against crimes throughout the city, including in all parks. We encourage New Yorkers to report any criminal activity by calling 9-1-1, especially in the event of an emergency.”

“How can you cover nearly 600 acres of park,” asked Carey. “The police are doing the best they can under the circumstances . . . They do a run-through of the park before it closes [at dusk]. It’s a gorgeous park. I don’t really know what the solution is. It’s a shame to have that kind of activity.”

THE COURIER/Photo by Steve Mosco
Reports of illegal sex in Forest Park have residents fuming mad.

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Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of queenscourier.com.

Fyre wrote on Nov 16, 2009 4:20 PM:

" I'm sorry, but I've been a resident of Queens for 50 years. I've never felt unsafe, or bothered. Eveyrone who was anyone growing up referred to that little strech of Park Lane South as 'Larry's Lane'.
If these fellas don't bother me, I don't care. They aren't muggling or killing.
Instead, why doesnt' someone address the animal abandonment and cruelty going on in our neighborhood?
As was quoted long ago: "What do I care what these affectionate people do with one another, so long as they dont' do it on the streets and frighten the horses.
There are far worse things than people fooling around with each other if it's consentual. They shouldn't be littering with the condom wrappers though! "

Hank Krumholz wrote on Nov 16, 2009 7:43 PM:

" The NYC Parks Dept. does patrol this area and if anyone is caught, doing something illegal they are given a summons, which can be fairly hefty.

I have also heard of single men not doing anything being harassed by NYC Park Police during the daylight hours.

The Park Police at times are rude to people who are just minding their own business. "

K Walsh wrote on Nov 17, 2009 12:57 AM:

" Park Lane South has been known as a Larry's Lane for half a century! It goes back to the days of the Salty Dog, the Triangle Hoffbrau, Glenn's Bar, and when Jahn's was offering the Kitchen Sink for $7.95.

The police, community board, and local politicians have done nothing to drive this element away, When the boys hookup in the winter and don't go into the park because it is to cold, they jump into each others car's, and go to Babbage and Bessemer Streets between Hillside Ave and 84th Ave under what some consider an abandoned Long Island Rail Road tressel, and do their thing in their cars..

How this is possibly news to the residents of North Richmond Hill is beyond me. Sending the article to the police, community board, and local politicians will only add the the height of their inboxes.

Next you will be telling us there is no prostitution being offered on Atlantic Avenue and Craigslist.. "

Mike V.85 wrote on Nov 27, 2009 8:17 PM:

" It's unfortunate that there are NOT more important issues that the police and residents feel are essential for law enforcement and politicians to focus on.
Are these actions in the park really "threatening" your life or homes? How about more attention on "healthcare coverage for all" or assistance for more jobs for those that don't have jobs?
Your attentions are NOT in the proper area of focus! "

michael aaron frandy wrote on Nov 30, 2009 3:21 PM:

" I live in Kew Gardens, Queens with my lovely wife and our 9-year-old dog. Three years ago, we purchased our gorgeous early-'30s apartment on the sixth (top) floor of a stately four-building complex which is actually inset into the footprint of Forest Park. We are about a ten-minute walk from the major subway arteries into Manhattan at Queens Boulevard, and we're even closer to the Long Island Rail Road—which affords me a 17-minute commute into Penn Station. The neighborhood also has great shopping, dining and is in walking distance to the best art house theater in the five boroughs. Unfortunately, as ideal and bucolic as the neighborhood is, we're not without a growing problem in people soliciting and engaging in sexual activity out in the roads and trails of Forest Park.

As soon as the outside temperature reaches about 50°, there's a proliferation of adult males cruising for sexual partners on the closed (former vehicular-only, now pedestrian-only) stretch of Forest Park Drive which begins at Metropolitan Avenue and ends at Woodhaven Boulevard—and on the myriad hiking/equestrian trails. What's more, the post-coital detrita and debris (including, but not limited to, ejaculate-filled condoms and their wrappers & excrement/lubrication-smeared paper towels) are usually littered about the otherwise pristine natural surroundings—leaving a hazard for adults, children and pets alike—not to mention the questions which must be raised by naturally curious children about encountering these foreign objects.

So, what's the answer? I'll admit that I'm not sure. A band of like-outraged citizens with night vision goggles and 1,000-candlepower spotlights when the activity begins? Posting photos of the perpetrators on the Internet to perhaps embarrass them? Probably not. But, I'm of the opinion that it's up to the combined wisdom of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and NYPD to combat the offensive activity. There's a nice recap of the letter of the law here (on a naturist site, nonetheless) http://naturistaction.org/StatesFrames/State_Laws_Frames/New_York_Laws/body_new_york_laws.html

I have to emphatically state that I'm not anti-gay. I am, conversely, anti-sex in public parks—and it just happens to be the the majority of the coital participants in the sex-in-the-park game over by my residence happen to be homosexuals. Do not mistake my outrage at the issue at hand for homophobia. "

Angie wrote on Dec 30, 2009 11:42 AM:

" I agree with Mike above. Who cares? I like the park, frequent it for bird watching and to get away from the city scape, and I've never been bothered by these things. Think of Europe, if you go to Amsterdam or Berlin its legal, and there parks are very clean and the crime rate is very low. Sometimes I think it is the illegality of these activities that makes more dangerous problems happen, in the long-run. If this activity was made legal, they could put trash cans for condom wrappers around, and people using the park for illicit encounters wouldn't have to do drugs first because they have such a low sense of self-esteem. Anyways, I think its weird this article was even written, since this park has had this kind of activity since before I was born, and when I walk through it I think it is quite a beautiful park. For the city to deal with this anyways would be a waste of money. It's not like robbery or arson or gambling rings or prostitution or any of the other things that take place in Queens all the time. The city should put money into that! "