NEW YORK—New York City Park Advocates’ President Geoffrey Croft and attorney Norman Siegal joined local musicians in the Bethesda Terrace Arcade in Central Park on Sunday to protest the Central Park Conservancy’s ban on performers in certain areas of the park.
“The introduction of enforcement of quiet zones, resulting in the loss of freedom of expression, is an intrusion on the public space,” Siegal said. “It is unacceptable and impermissible.”
There have been eight designated “quiet zones” in the park since May 23: Bethesda Terrace, Conservatory Garden, Conservatory Water, East Green, Shakespeare Garden, Sheep Meadow, Strawberry Fields, and Turtle Pond.
Croft says these quiet zones were put in place because of complaints. However, the Department of Parks and Recreation would not disclose who made the complaints, how many there were, or what they were specifically about.
“This is not a new issue. Years ago, when I attended the Civil Liberties Union, there were problems similar to this,” Siegal said.
He contacted the Parks commissioner to ask what was going on and found out that there had been many complaints. “I said, ‘Where are the complaints coming from?’ ‘Oh, across the street, on Central Park West,’ [he said]. I remember his face when I said to him, ‘I live in that building,’” Siegal recalled.
Siegal said he had asked his neighbors if anyone had complained and couldn’t find anyone who had. “I stood in front of my building on Central Park West, right across the street from Strawberry Fields—you could not hear any of the sounds. You could not hear any of the singing; you could not hear any of the music.”
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe has said that these eight quiet zones only make up 5 percent of Central Park.
A capella singer John Boyd said he had been getting warnings before any signs were put up designating the quiet zone areas. He said he’d told the park enforcement that in order to enforce a rule like this, performers should be legally notified beforehand.
“This is a first amendment issue, and freedom of expression is very important to me,” Boyd said in the Bethesda Terrace Arcade. “In two instances [of summons], it was for singing with a classical guitarist. There was not even an issue of the loudness of my singing. The issue was simply that I was here.”
Many other musicians have been asked to stop playing or singing “about every other day,” and they typically comply to avoid an arrest or summons, said Boyd.
“For at least a century, performers have used this area. The acoustics, as anyone will tell you, are magnificent,” Croft said. Musicians in the Bethesda Terrace Arcade play without amplification because of the great acoustics.
Victoria Karp, a spokeswoman for the Parks Department told WNYC that music is welcomed by visitors in most sections of the park, “but if an area is overwhelmed by musicians, particularly with amplified sound, they can be asked to move.”
“This has resulted in numerous summons, and even arrests. This is unacceptable,” Croft said. “We recently found out that one of the reasons they want to clear out this area is to accommodate a café, in which, incidentally, the highest price on the menu is alcohol. I think it’s very clear what they are trying to do.”
The Central Park Conservancy, which manages and maintains the park, states on its website that alcohol is prohibited in the park—per regulation affecting all city parks. The community board has not yet approved the café.
Siegal said he plans to contact the lawyers of the Department of Parks and Recreation to see if this “growing controversy can be amicably solved.”
