Barricades Still Block Columbus Circle, 7 Months After Protests

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Police barricades that were set up around Columbus Circle in June as protests swept the city remain in place seven months later, cutting off the public from one of the few green spaces near Midtown Manhattan.

The barricades form a ring around the small park at the center of the traffic circle, surrounding the 76-foot statue of Christopher Columbus. They were set up in early June, amid citywide protests against police violence and the toppling of Columbus statues in other parts of the country.

As the new year begins, New York's protests have long since died down. Still, the circle remains off-limits, and a police van was parked behind the barricades when Patch stopped by on New Year's Day.

In a statement, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said she wants to reopen the circle, vowing to collaborate with the three community boards that helped create the park.

"I intend to work with the three CBs which have a task force on Columbus Circle and the NYPD to come up with a solution that protects the statue along with allowing public access to the street," she said.

Starting in June, residents around the city complained that NYPD barricades set up to protect local precincts were blocking streets, sidewalks and sometimes entire neighborhood blocks. A September report by Brewer's office found that 19 out of 22 Manhattan police precincts had barricades impeding pedestrians or drivers.

Many of those barricades have since come down — but not those at Columbus Circle.

"We are constantly reassessing the use of barriers and if the conditions on the ground permit, we will remove them," NYPD spokesperson Sgt. Edward Riley said in an email.

Community Board 4, which covers Columbus Circle as well as Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea, has long complained about a lack of open space in the neighborhood. Its goals for the 2021 Fiscal Year include "Creating additional green space to combat the lack of parkland."

Nearly 20 years ago, the city spent $20 million to renovate the Columbus Circle park, wrapping up construction in 2005 and outfitting it with new fountains, benches and plantings.

In August, New York Post columnist Nicole Gellinas called on the city to reopen the space, which former Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe hailed upon its opening as "one of New York's great new public plazas."

"But what is the point of creating new — and highly imperfect — asphalt parks, if we aren’t going to use the parks we have?" Gellinas wrote.

More barricade coverage from Patch:

• Midtown Community Board To NYPD: Tear Down These Barricades
• Battle Escalates Over NYPD's Midtown Street Barricades
• NYPD Blocks Midtown Street With New 'Checkpoint'