Another Example of The Illusions of Freedom

[sly_wolf 199]

Seven Men Busted for Playing Chess in Manhattan Playground

Police demonstrated their staunch commitment to enforcing the law when they arrested seven men in an Inwood Hill playground – for playing chess.

A swarm of bulletproof vest-clad police descended on the group of men last month and issued them tickets for playing chess in an area reserved for adults who have children with them.

Yes, it's a crime to be in there unaccompanied by minors, even if there are no kids in the playground at the time, which was the case with the men who got busted.

After reviewing the tickets, Jose Navarro, Captain of the 34th precinct, told DNAInfo he backed his officers.

"Under my direction, uniformed officers routinely enter the parks to enforce closing times and other regulations; all designed to protect the community," Navarro wrote in an e-mail to the website. "The NYPD allows for officers to issue summonses in lieu of effecting an arrest for appropriate offenses."At least one area resident thinks these guys got rooked.

"This incident is an embarrassment to the officers from the 34th Precinct who felt that it was necessary to use their badge and authority to issue such a random summons," Joanne Johnson, a mother who lives in the area, wrote in a letter to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council after the bust, according to The New York Post. "Is chess really something that should be considered a threat to the neighborhood?"

The official charge levied against the men, each of whom received a desk-appearance summons, was "failure to comply with signs." They were playing chess in an area demarcated with a fence and dotted with signs that read, "Adults allowed in playground areas only when accompanied by a child under the age of 12."

As one Inwood Hill resident put it to DNAInfo, "Couldn't they just move the tables?"

The "hooligans" are due back in court December 28.

http://www.nbcnewyor...-108963354.html

[Ban Hammer 13,474]

they've been pawned.

[alienlovechild 75]

Yes, it's a crime to be in there unaccompanied by minors, even if there are no kids in the playground at the time, which was the case with the men who got busted.

Never heard this ordinance before. Is it because they assume child molestors are hanging out in the park?

[sly_wolf 199]

Never heard this ordinance before. Is it because they assume child molestors are hanging out in the park?

No idea but If that was really the case I would agree totally with the police action.

[slim 1,530]

No idea but If that was really the case I would agree totally with the police action.

We should have laws to protect our kids instead of parents being responsible for them. Why would anyone allow a kid under 12 to play without supervision (thus negating the "must be accompanied by a kid under 12" clause) is beyond me.

Nanny state, anyone? (Pun definitely intended.)