Just days after New York City Public Schools closed for the summer, kids and families flocked to Victory Park in Woodhaven on Thursday for a community and family field day organized by the NYPD’s Anti Domestic Violence Unit and supported by Community Board 9.
Organizers and supporters of the event, like Community Board 9 Chairperson Sherry Algredo, praised the teamwork and community effort to host the all-day celebration complete with the NYPD’s Sports Unit, the department’s game truck, and many other festivities.
Algredo highlighted the need for a tight knit partnership with the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct, which presides over Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill East, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, and the northern part of Ozone Park.
“It’s very important for the community and the cops to work together because it establishes that trust factor within the community,” Algredo said. “It’s all about community support.”
Community Board 9 sponsored the highly-popular cotton candy machine and a bouncy house in Victory Park.
CB9’s District Manager James McClleland echoed Algredo’s remarks, saying it is “vitally important” to promote cooperation between the NYPD and the community.
The event serves as a precursor to the annual Night Out Against Crime events held throughout the city in August, he added.
He says that the community has been dealing with derelict vehicles, sometimes parked for months at a time and on side streets, often with out-of-state license plates, throughout the district. It’s a combination of education and enforcement, he says, that are needed to combat the quality-of-life issues, including illegal dumping.
“The new commander is making a commitment to get rid of these cars,” McClelland said. “Cars are sitting idling while residents look for open parking spots. It’s all over.”
Meanwhile, a game of cricket was set up for youngsters by the 102 Precinct officers.
Raju Sukhdeo, a member of the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct, and a five-year member of the department’s cricket team, helped teach the globally-played sport to a group of kids at the event.
Formed in 2010, the cricket team consists of both uniformed and civilian members and competes in international tournaments against other police teams.
“Not a lot of people from different cultures are exposed to it,” Sukhdeo said of the sport. “Having to do this is all the more fun.”
