Prospect Park Social Distancing Concerns Draw Few 311 Complaints

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — No one appears to be complaining about crowds at Prospect Park since Gov. Andrew Cuomo helped make it the emblem of poor social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak.

Or, at least, they're saving their gripes for social media and not lodging them with 311.

The city's 311 operators logged just eight complaints about social distancing problems at the park since March 28, city data shows.

That's the first day 311 operators started adding a "social distancing" descriptor to calls and exactly a week after Cuomo promised to visit city parks to see reported crowds firsthand.

"This is a public health issue and you cannot endanger other people's health," he said.

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A day later, Cuomo showed a photo of a packed Prospect Park farmers market and literally labeled the scene a "mistake." He encouraged city officials to develop a plan to stop overcrowding, prompting worries they'll close parks.

Officials instead opened up a smattering of city streets and instead focused closures first on playgrounds and then dog parks, basketball courts and tennis courts.

NYC Parks also tweeted — and Prospect Park retweeted — a call for people to call 311 to report social distancing violations.

But it appears New Yorkers are loath to make complaints about parks.

Parks and playgrounds accounted for just 365 of 4,270 social distancing calls made to 311, according to city data. Some park calls may have been categorized under other categories, but they likely would still lag behind the hundreds more complaints related to crowded stores.

New Yorkers may also be heeding Cuomo's and other officials' social distancing warnings. A Patch reporter visited Prospect Park on March 14 and posted a social media video of crowds with the caption "Lot of social distancing going on."

The throngs of picnickers, volleyball players, joggers, field nappers and more visible on the cusp of the city's "stay-at-home" days weren't there nearly about three weeks later. The same reporter took a video showing the same field during a nice weekend day, but far fewer park goers.

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