More Cops Sent To Hudson River Park After Weekend Crowds Go Viral

WEST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN — More cops will be stationed in Hudson River Park after crowds of people enjoying the warm weekend weather — but not social distancing or wearing masks — showed that some New Yorkers are "not getting the point," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday.

The mayor said Sunday that he is asking the NYPD to ramp up enforcement in the waterfront park after there were "some real issues" concerning social distancing guidelines meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

"The vast majority of New Yorkers are sticking to social distancing. But some are not getting the point, as we’ve seen this weekend in Hudson River Park," the mayor Tweeted Sunday afternoon. "I have instructed the NYPD to increase enforcement in that park. Anyone who ignores instructions by an officer gets a summons."

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The announcement comes after photos of a packed Christopher Street Pier, with almost nobody wearing a mask per Gov. Andrew Cuomo's orders, drew the ire of Twitter users.

The photo was one of several taken of the pier on Saturday that showed lounging New Yorkers far less than six feet apart from one another.

And it appears officers from the West Village's 6th Precinct have already taken de Blasio's request to the streets.

The precinct posted dozens of photos to its Twitter page Sunday of officers handing out masks and checking on social distancing in Hudson River Park.

The West Village photos are far from the first time overcrowding at New York City parks raised concern about New Yorkers following social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently raised the fine for breaking social distancing rules from $500 to $1,000 to encourage local governments to better enforce the measures. Cuomo, who has also called out crowding at Prospect Park, pointed to issues at Astoria Park in Queens, Union Square and Brooklyn's Domino Park while he explained the decision.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Sunday that officers had issued 51 summonses on Saturday, most of which were social distancing.

He added Monday that officers will use reports of social distancing violations to determine where they need to deploy more officers.

"As always, we'll take a look at what we do with the after-action reporting, try to learn from this weekend and we'll go forward to make sure that we do everything possible to keep people safe," Shea said.

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