If smoking is not allowed in NYC parks why do they still allow it.

[Tony Ramirez]

And not do a damn thing about it really. Every damn park I been too people been lighting up and I have to keep moving around really pissing me off. It's to the point now where they have this rule and yes I googled it even up to 2024 even up to articles a month old and yes the law is in effect but no one gives a damn to even stop or do anything.

I can't afford to go into a cafe to enjoy fresh air to read my Bible or message my friends or listen to music. Also I want to enjoy the outdoors now that the weather is getting warmer. Really.

 

[Judge]

And not do a damn thing about it really. Every damn park I been too people been lighting up and I have to keep moving around really pissing me off. It's to the point now where they have this rule and yes I googled it even up to 2024 even up to articles a month old and yes the law is in effect but no one gives a damn to even stop or do anything.

I can't afford to go into a cafe to enjoy fresh air to read my Bible or message my friends or listen to music. Also I want to enjoy the outdoors now that the weather is getting warmer. Really.

Believe me, no one understands your plight better than I can. That said....

Take the win, as it could be- and used to be so much more worse than you can ever imagine. Smokers have learned to compromise. So must you. Especially in a democratic society where there are plenty of laws which are not enforced and never likely will be. Often subject to the caprice of law enforcement.

Imagine having to work indoors surrounded by smokers. Hell on earth for me. That was my working environment, until one fateful day in 1981 when the city of San Francisco effectively banned all smoking from public indoor venues. Forcing any and all nicotine addicts outdoors. Would this have occurred anywhere else at the time? Probably not.

So when outdoors it's your cue to move elsewhere when a smoker soils your airspace. And it's their cue to not even think of lighting up indoors in a public building. Like I said, it could- and was much worse. This is as good as this particular scenario will likely get for you.

 

[MC1Rcat]

I hear ya! I live in NYC and it bothers me too. Being exposed to smoke of any kind has gotten a LOT worse ever since they legalized marijuana here. Before they legalized it, I rarely saw people smoking anything, including tobacco, in the park, the subway or on the sidewalk anymore. Maybe only 1 or 2 people per outing, if any at all. It was a lot easier to avoid/ move away from people who were smoking back then. I think it has become pretty common knowledge that smoking tobacco is really bad for the health and a lot of people either quit smoking or just never started. But now, every time I leave my house, I smell marijuana (often mixed w/ tobacco) before I have gone 1 or 2 blocks. I also smell it a lot blowing in my windows from the street. People smoke it in the subway cars and platforms that are full of people too, even with everybody glaring at them. All the subway ads that are telling people not to, and that they should be considerate of others when smoking weed in public... do no good at all. It's just awful. I think people should be able to smoke anything if they want to.....but I think they should follow the laws and be respectful of other people in public settings. I don't like being exposed to toxic fumes, or drugs that make me ill, to the point of not being able to get away from it very easily.... and I know a lot of other people feel that way too. Especially in places where there are children, like the subway or the park. Unfortunately, in NYC right now, they generally don't enforce the laws for very much of anything anymore. I think that's why so many people are openly breaking laws without a care. They know that nobody is going to do anything about it. All kinds of crimes are at an all time high. I see all kinds of things happening in the parks and elsewhere that shouldn't be happening...stuff that is unsanitary or health hazards, and flat out criminal activity. Hopefully, it will change for the better one day. Maybe when we get different lawmakers, judges, etc, things will be like they were a few years ago, and you can go outside and not have to breathe in smoke all the time.

 

[AspieChris]

Good luck. I guess it’s just one of the issues that come with living in the big city, like rats and crime.

 

[Shevek]

It's the cost of enforcement, and the lack of glory for doing it. A non-smoking area would be more likely to get respect. Overall, I'd rather smell the smoke than be surrounded by addicts in withdrawal.

 

[jsilver256]

I moved away from Seattle when picking up needles before letting my kid play on the playgrounds became a thing. I'm surprised smoking is the biggest of annoyances at a NYC public park. Lack of enforcement is a real problem in big cities in the past decade.

 

[Judge]

I moved away from Seattle when picking up needles before letting my kid play on the playgrounds became a thing. I'm surprised smoking is the biggest of annoyances at a NYC public park. Lack of enforcement is a real problem in big cities in the past decade.

Violent crime is likely to always be more prevalent in any major urban environment, displacing any real concern or priority for law enforcement regarding non-violent offenses.

But some problems can produce some pretty serious liability concerns for major cities as well. -Point taken.

 

[WiffingWaffles]

I would put it in the same realm as J walking, yes, it s a law, but no one really cares.
It's not really a threat to anyone (in any real manner).

 

[MC1Rcat]

I moved away from Seattle when picking up needles before letting my kid play on the playgrounds became a thing. I'm surprised smoking is the biggest of annoyances at a NYC public park. Lack of enforcement is a real problem in big cities in the past decade.

Smoking is a minor thing compared to much of what I have seen. Some of the worst is people using the bathroom (# 1 and 2) behind the flagpole ( in the park nearest to my apartment), on a regular basis, instead of using the open public bathroom 40 feet away from it.... and I mean, like women and children too, in the daytime. I cannot comprehend why they do not use the toilets there in the park. They aren't that dirty. There are also quite a lot of junkies and homeless who make their home in the parks, and people who are doing sex favors for money, as well as just plain freakazoids who will approach you or stare at you and you just don't know what is gonna happen. I don't ever go to the park alone.