Cops bust seven men playing chess in upper Manhattan park

Is there anything as thuggish and brainless as an American cop? One policeman or a park ranger politely moving them on would surely have been enough

A squad of police officers in bulletproof vests swooped into an upper Manhattan park in New York and charged seven men with the "crime" of playing chess in an area off-limits to adults unaccompanied by kids - even though no youngsters were there, the New York Post said.

"Is chess really something that should be considered a threat to the neighbourhood?" Inwood resident and mum Joanne Johnson wrote Mayor Bloomberg, the City Council and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly after the raid.

"This incident is an embarrassment to the officers from the 34th Precinct who felt that it was necessary to use their badge and authority to issue such a random summons." All seven suspects were issued with desk-appearance tickets, the site said.

The chess tables where they were ticketed for "failure to comply with signs" are in a fenced-in area where posted notices read: "Adults allowed in playground areas only when accompanied by a child under the age of 12."

Police said the rule protects kids from paedophiles or others who might want to harm them, the site said.

A police source added, "It’s the broken windows theory ... small things can turn into bigger things. Some citizens may see it as police harassment, but God forbid something happens to a child, people would be complaining, Why didn’t the police enforce these rules? That’s what they would be griping about."

Original report here




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