Hey, there! Log in / Register
Boston starts tying up basketball hoops in city parks to keep people from playing
By adamg on Sun, 03/29/2020 - 12:20pm
Mayor Walsh said today that after seeing reports on 311 about people continuing to play sports in city parks, workers have begun applying zip ties to basketball hoops in an attempt to dissuade players.
Walsh, again emphasizing the need for social distancing, said basketball, street hockey, soccer and even tennis are right up there in something people shouldn't be doing. That also goes for just sitting in a circle to have a chat, he added.
At a press conference outside City Hall, Walsh warned that, if people don't stop congregating like that, he'll order parks just shut altogether. He said he doesn't want to do that, because parks are a good place for folks to take a walk - at distance of at least six feet from other people - but cautioned the sportsball crowd not to test him.
"We're not going to be arresting people," or even fining them, because this is a shared responsibility, he said. He urged parents to sit their kids down and stress the seriousness of what's going on - and urge them to stop playing with friends in parks.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
I am not a complainant but complaints made sense.
Finally all my 311 calls have reached someone who also hates seeing those “kids” enjoy themselves as much as I do.
I have my own half court on my roof garden, so I am all set.
Just kidding! But if it takes ruining it for everyone, then the “kids” were probably more successful than the complainants for providing the evidence that they can’t follow guidelines.
But I bet they called out dribbling errors and fouls while playing.
They just never got the new Covid-19 rule book.
Shouldn’t they close grocery stores?
everyone in them is closer than these basketballers.
They've been trying to keep
They've been trying to keep people 6 feet apart in supermarkets.
That's not possible while playing basketball.
Race relations and the virus
How long before social media posts show white kids playing street hockey or white adults golfing and congregating at dog parks located in white neighborhoods. Bad move Mr. Mayor the zip ties will be cut and people will keep shooting hoop and the police are smart enough not to enforce the ban on basketball.
My dude!
Take a look at this article and look for "Billings Field" and "Fallon Field."
Why O Why Must People Always Do This?
Tying up basketball hoops because some selfish or otherwise misinformed individuals refuse to do their part to stem the Corona Virus is now a RACE issue? For the life of me! I didn't like the salad dressing my cousin's friend's brother-in-law gave me. I suppose you think that's a race issue too. I cut my fingernails this morning. Tell me how that's a race issue.
Police are smart enough?
What the fuck does that mean. Is that a threat to violence?
So stupid.
I want to know
His plan for entitled mutt owners at park like Fallon.
And Millennium!
There were dozens of off-leash dogs in all the different fields and on the walkways the other day, even more than usual.
Milleninum Park
The off leash dogs far outnumbered the few who were leashed. Would be one thing if they were out in the middle of the open fields (still not legal but no walkers there) but they were walking with their owners among the kids and other folks walking.
great excuse to bitch
You must be having the time of your life now that you have extra ammo to fire at the people who you hated before.
Mclean Park in East Boston
I hope they don't overlook the lesser known Mclean Park between Saratoga and Bennington Streets in East Boston, because the basketball playing there remains ongoing.
Sorry I can’t play today...
I’m all tied up. Maybe in the next month or two.
How would the city shut down
How would the city shut down parks? Most of them do not have gates and it's not like the Park Rangers or BPD has the manpower right now to do any kind of enforcement. The Suffolk DA sure as hell isn't going to enforce any citations the authorities might hand out and the Suffolk Sheriff's Department/jails aren't going to intake new inmates over trespassing in a park.
https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8aP9HAamc
I'm torn
Like, everyone, I'm also upset that people aren't bright enough to keep their distance, and are treating this like a vacation rather than a crisis.
Yet I'm also disturbed how pervasive 'rat out your neighbors' has become.
The rats could save your nana
The rats could save your nana’s Life.
Removing the net won't stop devoted tennis players
I saw two people playing tennis over an imaginary net on the court next to the Fresh Pond Golf Course headquarters a few days ago. (They were playing singles, and the only ones on the court, so I think that was fine social distancing.)
So... ruin for the people who
So... ruin for the people who do follow guidelines, like the individuals I saw shooting hoops and the pair I saw playing tennis at one park on Thursday.
Nice going, jerks.
I'm sure there was a better middle ground for Marty to have taken, but he has a lot more on his plate than just this.
A universal ban
Is much better than no ban, or the alternative: having BPD, which already has many officers out due to Covid-19, handing out citations for illegally playing basketball. Do you really think our Dear DA would enforce such citations?
Just wait
Those kids might have their faces buried in their phones anymore, but they might be able to google "scissors" and "step stool"
What!?
The Coronavirus doesn’t care where you came from who you are, what color you are or what language you speak. We all want this shit to be over. The more gathering there is the more at risk people are so them zip tying the hoops has nothing to do with race. Yes racism does exist ! It is real but this has NOTHING to do with that. It has everything to do with the Coronavirus spreading . Please do your research maybe if you knew more about how the virus works you’ll understand why this is necessary. I understand that it’s probably easy to jump to that conclusion given life experiences and maybe just facts . We have to act now. People are dying and honestly I don’t care where they came from I just care that human beings are dropping like flies and we are arguing over zip ties.