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Crispus Attucks Park, Brooklyn: The Power of Group Persuasion

James Perry, president of the Lefferts Place Civic Association, wanted to change things. The parkhouse in Crispus Attucks Playground, at the end of his block, was sealed shut. Instead of children and their families, the park was full of drug users and other illegal activity. The playground could be a tremendous neighborhood resource, Perry thought. The parkhouse would be the perfect spot for the computer classes he wanted to offer to the community, and the playground would be an ideal site for family days and festivals. Perry wanted to bring people into the park, and he wanted the parkhouse reopened. But he faced a challenge greater than he knew. In 1992, City of New York/Parks & Recreation (Parks) had spent $400,000 to renovate the parkhouse in Crispus Attucks. Within two weeks, vandals had totally gutted the building, destroying the wiring systems, the plumbing, ripping out radiators and bathroom fixtures, breaking windows and destroying walls, light fixtures, and even the boiler. Understandably, Parks officials were reluctant to invest any more funds into the playground.

But Perry was committed to his vision of children playing in the park and using the park house as a community center. He called Lauren Sullivan, Partnerships for Parks Brooklyn Outreach Coordinator, who worked with him to establish a regular presence in the park through clean-up projects and events. The group held St. Patrick's Day and Easter events for neighborhood children and clean-up projects in March and April. The events gave the Civic Association a track record of commitment to the park. Sullivan, meanwhile, researched with Parks' Shops Services what the cost would be to refurbish the park house.

In late March Perry and Sullivan met with Councilmember Annette Robinson to discuss the park. Using the information provided to her by Shops Services, Sullivan prepared an information sheet for the meeting, listing the needs and costs for repairing the park house. Councilmember Robinson was very open to the proposed initiative and pledged general support to the park and the community.

Throughout the spring, the group continued to be active in the park, participating in "It's My Park!" Day-a citywide greening day sponsored by Partnerships-and holding regular meetings. The Lefferts Place Civic Association had already forged a partnership with the Pratt Area Community Council to work in the park, and at the end of May Seble Tareke from Pratt organized a meeting of all the relevant local constituencies: Pratt, the Civic Association, the 79th and 88th precincts, the local merchants' associations, a block association, two churches, and Partnerships. The meeting covered a wide set of community concerns, including the revitalization of a major intersection near the playground, improving Crispus Attucks, and re-opening the nearby elevated subway station to increase development in the neighborhood. Representatives from both police precincts discussed the anti-crime and drug efforts they are making in the area.

Tareke then called the Councilmember's Chief of Staff to discuss Councilmember Robinson's commitment to supporting the park. At Robinson's request Sullivan sent a packet of information to her detailing the involvement of the community in the park-including all the groups at the meeting called by Pratt. The wide array of groups showed the Councilmember that a diverse constituency was committed to improving Crispus Attucks, and helped provide assurance that the park house would be looked after if it were repaired again. Councilmember Robinson responded to the appeal by allocating $100,000-the cost of the renovations to the park house-to the park for fiscal year 2002.

Today Crispus Attucks Playground is locked every night, and the fence has been repaired so that locked means locked. James Perry was entrusted with the key by the park supervisor, who knew of the Civic Association's efforts from Sullivan. He or another member of the organization locks and unlocks it every day, helping the police to enforce the rules about when people are allowed to be in the park. The Lefferts Place Civic Association uses a closet in the park house to store recreation and cleanup equipment, which they use during their frequent events. The playground is full of children, just in time for summer.