Several Yonkers residents in downtown Yonkers have complained to City Hall, the Yonkers Police Department, and Yonkers Rising, about two recent, Saturday night, parties at O’Boyle Park on Buena Vista Avenue. The parties have been taking place between midnight-4AM, with hundres of cars, and more than 1,000 people tying up Buena Vista Avenue.
According to one resident who lives near the park, “I am writing to you today about the issue at O’Boyle Park on Buena Vista Ave. If you have not been made aware, the past few Saturday nights, O’Boyle has been used as a party area starting around Midnight. There seem to be about 1000 people in attendance. Tickets are being sold to enter the park. Food and Liquor are being illegally sold. And the DJ Booth set up is disturbing neighbors and violating city noise ordinances. The poor park is being left in complete disarray.
“Almost worst is the number of cars lined up on Buena Vista waiting for entrance into the party. We have almost 100 cars waiting on the street. They are blocking our driveways, throwing their pre-party food/drinks in our gardens and our sidewalks. We even had random partygoers parking in our driveways overnight. Not only was my husband unable to get home due to the line of cars, but when he finally negotiated his way through, he couldn’t even park in his own driveway because other cars decided that our private property was for their use.
“This behavior cannot continue. It is violating many health codes between the large amount of people gathering without masks to then eat food cooked with no safety measures followed, only to be washed down with liquor–which no one can be sure of without a liquor license in place. There is glass from the illegal drinks being sold all over the children’s playground. Not only am I not allowed in the park myself without paying, but I cannot even use my own private property due to the party-goers.
Many of us have called the police the past two weekends but this behavior will continue if it is not stopped at the start. The cars start lining up around 10pm to be the first to pay their entrance fee. The bar and the DJ Booth are being set up shortly after. What can we do to ensure these problems do not persist?”
Another resident of the downtown and a member of the Mayor’s Quality of Life Task Force that we spoke to said, “Even in a pandemic, how is this happening? Especially in a pandemic. Becky Nova is a responsible property owner in our neighborhood and very interested and involved in making the area better. How is it that she and her immediate neighbors have no recourse in having to endure this? Does this all fall in the lap of the Mayor and City Hall? Please let us know your thoughts and let’s work together to stop this very real aggravation and before this coming weekend. This type of blatant disregard for law and order spreads as a virus does,” writes John Davis, a member of the Mayor’s Quality of Life Commitee.
Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller responded in an email instructing his Deputy Chief to “Please have this addressed by reaching out to Ms. Nova to get any additional specifics such as who the “promoter” is as well as the DJ. Might be something on Facebook the Gang Unit can locate. Let’s work to head this off for this coming Saturday. Identify a responsible patrol lieutenant to oversee any plans and have them send us an email about what action was taken as well as the identities of any organizers.” Mueller’s quick response was appreciated.
Lt. Dean Politopoulos added, “we are looking into this and will take appropriate enforcement actions.” If a third weekly party takes place, it will be on Saturday August 29.
