“The largest public park in the South Bronx was once a refuge in a neighborhood marked by poverty and neglect. Now, many residents actively avoid it,” writes the New York Times. The article outlines the current state of St. Mary’s Park – which is often frequented by people who use drugs and often filled with hazardous waste – and how it’s emblematic of the problems in the South Bronx. Two organizations that are working to clean the parks and provide services to the people within – Samaritan Daytop Village and OnPoint NYC – are highlighted.
“Within those trees you see the poverty, you see dirt, you see trash,” says Sam Rivera, OnPoint NYC’s Executive Director. “And that’s not because these are bad people. This is what our folks have been given.”