ErinMaiden --

I will bring it to the attention of the City Council next week.

In the meantime, ErinMaiden and everyone out there -- keep your eyes on the parks when you are walking or driving by. If you see something out of the ordinary, call it in to the police. If you get no response, post it here. Let the City know we are watching how they react to threats to our community.

Concerned-Citizen

The problem with crime at the park on Johnston has increased recently. The fact that it is summertime is a factor to consider but the lack of any substantial preventive policing effort from officials running the City has something more do with the increase.

Why has Viola Richardson not spoken out about this?

The Mayor?

The Police Chief?

What is this doing to our city as we try to make it better? Why are these crimes being swept under the rug? So that we don't scare development away?

The tournament-style community basketball game took place during the early evening on a Tuesday as the PGA Tour was setting up shop a mile or so away. Many people were there, most well-intentioned. The crime was committed by passers-by, the bad element on the fringe, not by the people involved in the game. In my view, a police presence at the basketball game would have created a perfect opportunity for the police to build trust within the community by being a positive presence at the game by acting as a deterrent to that bad element, rather than a negative force coming in when something bad happens.

Perhaps a police presence could have prevented the more severe shooting the next week. Perhaps the shooter would have thought to himself that this park is too risky to shoot someone, the cops are always around.

There are no cameras that I am aware but maybe they could help.

I come home from work late and sometimes see police patrolling in the area, but have also seen people hanging out in the park too late. People hanging out in a park too late creates problems.

I read in a post a woman complaining, rightfully so, that a man was sleeping in a children's playground at Van Vorst Park. Maybe it seems harmless to let a homeless man sleep in the playground. But what if this person uses drugs and hasn't paid his bill. Suddenly, there's a shooting and someone is dead or wounded when this crime could have been prevented.

Don't our parks close? Can't our police force and our government identify problem parks and make sure they get patrolled more often.

Liberty State Park closes at 10PM and is barricaded by the New Jersey State Patrol and Park Police.

What else can be done? Give your opinions.

Concerned-Citizen

Why is there no substanial police presence at the park on the corner of Johnston and Pine Street?

We've had two shootings in the last two weeks at this park. One of which was not reported. The man that was shot in the head early Tuesday morning we heard about, but what about the shooting that occured last week during a neighborhood basketball game? A large number of the neighborhood turned out to watch the game, a dj was present, food vendors, refs, etc. when a car drove by and fired shots into the crowd. No police were present at this game, a perfect opportunity for them to be there to show their commitment to the community by keeping the gangs and bad element away. Councilwoman Viola wasn't there, no one was there, except for families with their kids. Luckily no one was seriously hurt and this event was quietly swept under the rug.

But look what happens... the next week a man is shot in the head.

WAKE UP JC GOVERNMENT! WAKE UP JERSEY JOURNAL!

We cannot tolerate this escalation of violence. Good people are trying to live in this community, raise families in this community, improve their propery in this community.

Let's clean up this park!

Concerned-Citizen