Much to the consternation of area families, the New York State Department of Parks and Preservation has cut free children’s movie programming in Williamsburg’s East River State Park, in the wake of the Brooklyn Flea marketplace, co-founded by Brownstoner blogger Jonathan Butler, moving to the park, DNAinfo reported.
Local parents claim that with the market set up on weekends and the kids programming cut, they hardly have access to the neighborhood’s rare green space.
“This Place is a circus every weekend,” local parent Jonathan Burkan told DNAinfo of the Flea, “and you’d think they’d want to do something for the kids. They don’t seem to care about the kids who need to use this park.”
Representatives for the Brooklyn Flea and the parks department did not immediately respond to DNAinfo’s requests for comment.
However, DNAinfo noted, in previous meetings, state parks department representatives said revenue from the market would go toward park maintenance and improvements.
“It’s very disturbing that they can’t find it in their budget,” Burkan told DNAinfo of the department. “It’s ironic that they very quickly sold out our park to someone bringing in hundreds of vendors, and yet they can’t work with a local mom.” [DNAinfo] —Zachary Kussin