Harlem Streets Blocked By NYPD Barricades, New Report Shows

HARLEM, NY — Police at nearly all of Harlem's six NYPD precincts have set up barricades and parked vehicles that block neighborhood streets for drivers and pedestrians, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer found that 19 out of 22 Manhattan police precincts had barricades blocking streets and sidewalks when inspectors from her office visited at the beginning of August.

That included five out of Harlem's six police precincts. Only the 23rd Precinct, on East 102nd Street in East Harlem, had no visible obstructions, the report found.

At East Harlem's 25th Precinct on East 119th Street, barricades blocked the sidewalks as officers stood guard outside. Cars were able to pass through the street unobstructed.

At the 26th Precinct on 126th Street in West Harlem, barricades blocked much of the sidewalk, especially near the entrance on 126th and Amsterdam Avenue, the inspectors found.

Kym Roberts, a parish associate at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, which sits across the street from the precinct, told Patch that the barriers had been more severe earlier in the summer, in some cases preventing residents from accessing the church's food pantry.

In mid-August, after the church's pastor spoke with precinct officers about the blockages, the barricades on the church's side of the street were opened up, although the precinct side remains blocked, Roberts said.

At the 28th Precinct, on 8th Avenue in Central Harlem, barricades block the precinct entrance while parked police cars block the streets, bike lanes and vehicle lanes around the precinct, the report found. Both bike lanes on nearby Saint Nicholas Avenue were completely full with parked cars.

The 30th Precinct on 151st Street in northern Harlem has "de-facto closed its section of 151st street to any vehicular traffic," the report found. The inspectors pointed out that the NYPD's barriers on 151st create a trap for drivers who head north on Convent Avenue on the east side of the precinct, since they cannot go right or straight (both one-way) or left (barricaded), forcing them to make a three-point U-turn on a narrow street.

Finally, at Central Harlem's 32nd Precinct on 135th Street, barricades block the building entrance and police vehicles partly block the sidewalks, the report found.

Brewer asked Commissioner Dermot Shea to remove the barricades in a letter dated Wednesday, arguing that they "block pedestrian and vehicular traffic at a time when public outdoor space is more vital than ever."

Residents around the city have complained for months about NYPD barricades blocking streets, sidewalks, and sometimes entire blocks near police stations. Many of the closures began in June, amid widespread protests against racism and police violence following the death of George Floyd.

The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment about the barricades or Brewer's letter.

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