One or More Idiots Vandalize Delaware Park

Despicable

Idiots is too polite a word to describe them!

Fidiots! Screw the red light cameras: put more cameras here.

Disgusting, lock the thugs up when they are found.

Has the city considered offering a reward? I suspect with 100 teenagers in the area, someone must have seen something and reward money may be more effective than appealing to their sense of civic duty (although hopefully one of them will step up and restore our faith in their generation). Also, any detailed information about the vandals "tags" (their grafitti street names) can help as others may know who this is. Looks like it says "Joey" on the column but difficult to tell from the photo.

How do you wake up in the morning deciding to be an asshole as a way of life? What a sad way to live.

Was wondering what had happened... saw an ad from the Olmsted Parks Conservancy saying "In light of recent events, text PARKS to 20222 to make a one-time $10 donation"

This is so wrong.

I think this reflects the cities struggles with either political correctness, lack of man power, or will of those in charge. More and more I see riff-raff in areas of the city where they stick out like a sore thumb.

There are loitering laws, panhandler laws...etc. I'm not saying that any part of the city should welcome poor behavoir, however there are pockets of this city that people are investing heavily in. The criminals know this to they go where the money is.

How long as a business person or home owner can you pour money into and area with petti crime a prevelent factor and the occasional violent crime.

There are also long time stable neighborhoods, Love Joy, Parts of South Buffalo, University area that are at tipping points. There is limited incentive to invest, and the city seems to be reserved to the fact that absentee land lords and section 8 are the future for these areas.

It seems to me the police presence is directly reflective of how much the real estate cost. The pricer the neighborhood you never see a cop...go over the fillmore and they are everywhere. Every neighborhood in the city deserves some sort of presence. I sit on my GF front porch in parkside and watch people from clearly outside the neighborhood slowly walk down the street like they are window shopping. I've never seen a police car on her street ever. (upside is no alt. parking tix)

Rudy Guliani cleaned up New York by tackling quality of life issues first. Buffalo's stance on these issues seems to be...what do you want we have real crimes to address.

The city has some momentum in some areas its in Buffalo's best interest to help those who are putting their money on the line.

Graffiti is a terrible scourge on many parts of our city. It should be punished severely, but it very often is not.

The sad truth is that an otherwise law-abiding pot smoker is more likely to be punished than somebody who destroys everybody's quality of life by tagging public buildings. It's disgraceful.

It was probably suburban kids coming to the city to mess things up.

The lights on the stairs leading up to the AK are regularly out, the lights leading down to and around Hoyt Lake are regularly out, and I have yet to see any police around this area since the weather has changed despite their regularly being large groups of people including youths. Yet when I walk my dogs down to Hoyt Lake after dark I get the cops telling me parks closed after dark. Typical police work: never around at the right time. Like how no one ever gets pulled over on the 30mph s-curves despite most idiots making up their own 45-50mph speed limit.

Not that it means anything, but, who is the lifeless troll or trolls who have nothing better to do than run through comments in order to do thumbs down? How sad for them to have only that to look forward to each day. Maybe they can be do- gooders for a change and scrub the walls down. They obviously have nothing else to do!

My wife and I are saddened to hear the news of this senseless destruction, five years ago this July we were married in the Rose Garden so this news hit home. My question is that if the reports of upwards of 100 kids/teenagers assembling in the park are true...why was there not immediate action by the police. Given the recent rash of crime in the Elmwood Village and the City's pledge not only in the last few weeks, but ironically today as well, to step up patrols, Delaware Park's high-profile screams foot/horse/bike patrols.
Given the nature of our community I know that all efforts will be made to correct what was done by these thoughtless kids, however I fear that the same efforts will not be put forth by those who have the authority and power to enfore order and protect not only our citizens, but our collective assests as well.

Foot patrol anyone? and how about after the sun goes down as well?

The days of police patrol to protect park property are over. It's your city. Don't be a spectator. We are the eyes and ears. It's amazing what happens when a creep sees you pull over, look at him and pretend to make a cell phone call from the safety of your car. They scatter. Take ownership of your community. It works.

Perhaps a organized nighttime patrol by citizens rather than the police? This would afford 1) safety in numbers, 2) several extra pairs of eyes and ears to make sure there are no mischief makers, 3) a chance for neighbors to meet each other, 4) a sense of security for others using the park at dusk.

This is nothing that couldn't easily be discouraged by a shotgun loaded with rock salt.

Say the word, and I'm on it.

Vandalizing parks is just another example of the general lack of respect that is growing in many parts of the community.

It is also reflected in the "educational issues" and issues with youth in Buffalo and violence in entertainment districts. This lack of respect is exactly what teachers in many Buffalo schools are dealing with. I have friends who work in city schools and the students say "F-You" to teachers. I don't mean to get off topic but there is a bigger picture here that is a serious problem for Buffalo to advance.

OH MY!Another tragic event at the sacred grounds of Delaware park!Once again the Olmsted park organization is getting too much attention to the only park that they take care of.Although I don't like what happened at Delaware,the media attention is way out of line.
I think that this report should take a look at the Buffalo park system as a whole effort and not just one park.Ever walk in Caz or MLK?How about a run on the south park loop?(One section is under water 365!)When I use Delaware park or attend one of the Olmsted fund raisers I can't help but think how great our other parks could be if they got the attention and detail that Delaware does.

To the teenage vagrants: punk is dead.... Get a job.

Does anyone know if all of this damage was done on Saturday night? It looks like the slide was broken open for awhile, based on the dirt and debris inside. The posts look like they have several layers of vandalism.

Where did the report of a hundred teenagers congregating in the park come from? Does anyone know who these teenagers are or a approximate age. Were those 100 teenagers mostly 14 year old or 20 years old?

Also the vandalism on the wall looks a lot like the lettering that is on the bridge over Scajacuada creek. That was done a few months ago, where was the outrage when the bridge was vandalized? We might have prevented this vandalism if we addressed the older vandalism when it first happened.

Sad commentary on the state or the city's schools, families, and police force. While it would be great to see these a**holes locked up, Buffalo has some larger problems to sddress in order to keep these things from happening. My wife and I are having our first child in November and every day I get a step closer to the suburbs. It's bad enough that we can't send our child to a decent public school here (unless we get lucky in a lottery) but if we can't count on using clean, safe parks then why should we stay? This just makes me so sad.

Graffiti is a tough subject. It is a deplorable display of a couple of kids putting up gang markers or drug way-finding and defacing our city jewels to do so.

BUT... there is also a counterculture of artists that start as graffiti and do their "art" in pulblic places to get "cred". That is clearly not the case here, these tags are just sloppy clearly done by idiot amateurs.

Shepard Fairey is probably the best example of outsider art, with his Obey series, and the famous Obama "Hope" poster of 2008 (which no hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in DC).

http://obeygiant.com/about

Graffiti is something that will NEVER go away, the best way to deter it is to patrol important public spaces with cameras or cops, and make the punishment really painful.

I don't recall when this type of behavior initially manifested itself but it's evident to me that we have an entire generation - likely several - who have no regard for the public treasures in their midst and readily ruin those assets at the expense of the rest of us.

I agree that this is a terrible thing to happen, not because it's in Delaware Park (the showpiece of the Olmstead system, and most used) but because it's a public space, and it was done to a playground and a public garden & building used by people from all over the county. Don't kill me, but I don't live in the city & I go the parks every week.
There's a couple key issues here: 1. where were the residents of the neighborhood when 100 people were gathered in the park (probabaly not being quiet or reciting Shakespeare), and how did it get to the point that nothing more was done? I know from my days working on an ambulance in the city that when it gets hot, people get restless, and rowdy and more bad stuff happens. So yeah let's shift the neighborhood patrols, but how about the neighborhood step up and take some ownership - they cearly have the financial capacity for it. 2. This is really a result of parents, families & neighborhoods not teaching character and responsibility. I'm not some old fart - I'm in my 30s - but I'd never have done something like this even in my rebellious years. So yeah we could arrest them, or we can give them community service, and maybe teach them to take pride in their city. I bet these kids also were from the neighborhood, or not far away, so maybe parents in the area should question why their kids have cans of spray paint, or smell like aerosol in the AM. And to the rest of us who just watch this idiocy happen - you're just as guilty as the knuckle-dragger with spray paint tearing apart the slide.

Its pathetic.....who held the party or gathering at the park? Hold them responsible...We have an unbelievable neighborhood in the Elmwood district wedged between some sadly worn down neighborhoods on both the west and east side and we are starting to feel it in regards to safety and vandalism....I am sorry to say it but its true...If we want to keep people moving into the area and enjoying what we have to offer then we need someone in the political district to make a stand and demand more foot patrol, bike patrol etc....I see it everywhere in the city...Chippewa used to a great place for all ages to go and have fun, now its an uneasy place to be past 11:00...Main street and Pearl near Towne Ballroom is the same...Its embarrassing, people are getting mugged, robbed, shot, stabbed....Graffiti all over the place....What to do?

Just do a little research, apply a little strategic pressure and these urchins will roll on one another, guaranteed.

I used to be a teacher at a private alternative school that treated emotionally disturbed kids mainly from the city of Buffalo. These were kids who got kicked out of city schools or suburban schools due to suspension or the fact that they were too poorly behaved to handle a normal environment. I can see that there are so many problems pouring out from the schools and the fact is that there is little hope for a lot of these kids, especially in the city. Raised in broken homes with no food, homes in neighborhoods where they hear gunshots, fear of robbery, drugs, and all the usual crimes. What's scary is this is all spilling into the few good neighborhoods in the city of Buffalo (South Buffalo, North Buffalo/Hertel, Elmwood, Parkside, Delaware districts) and it's horrible and turning these into uneasy neighborhoods to live in. I left teaching to become a stay at home father and the funny thing is that my wife and I have to worry about our son having to stay away from all the filfth and disgusting kids that committ crimes like these. It's a horrible situation that needs some immediate resolution to take place! Enough is enough! Start locking these punks and thugs up!

Totally senseless behavior.

Catch one or more of these perps and make an example out of them. It might sound extreme, however, a lot of other vandals may then think twice about following in their footsteps.

I hate all you little asshole kids out there who think your badass for vandalizing public parks and neighborhoods. You are scumbags and you make Buffalo look like shit. All the hard work that has gone into bringing Buffalo closer to how it once was is wasted when you do things like this. Why can't you be respectful of your neighborhood? Your parents did a real shitty job raising you! I'm 23 born and raised in Buffalo and I was raised with good morals and common decency so i know that vandalism is a terrible thing to do...NO SHIT IT IS! I can't believe there are people out there who would rather live in a run down, shitty looking city than a clean, respectable one. And i know it's not just the kids to blame, but the parents as well. I feel like a nerd saying this but i believe the golden rule should be learned and followed by all. How would you like it if i came to your house and spray painted the front of it for all your neighbors to see? You wouldn't like it now would you? Same goes for our city. Don't do anything to it that you wouldn't want done to you. Everyday i see people throwing garbage on the ground when there is a trash can 5 feet away. I see lazy ass people who use the system and give nothing back. They just continue to bleed our city dry and run it into the ground. Things have got to change before it's too late.

Although not as evident as Delaware Park, the remaining Larkin Administration Building fence pier was recently vandalized with spray paint. The small group of volunteers who maintain the area is determining how to remedy the situation. It is very disheartening.

lol...every city should just delineate anarchy zones and let those who would do the rest of us harm go live happily in them with no rules and consequences...totally voluntary. Those found guilty of crimes against humanity outside the anarchy zone would be sentenced to live within the anarchy zones (not voluntary). Just let the Lord of the Flies scenario play out. Graffiti, drugs, guns, you name it. Watch as folks degrade themselves into total savages living a caveman lifestyle. Just lets the cards fall as they may.

Unsupervised youth running through the night. Bored, disrespectful social scum likely the products of parents who shouldn't be. Low-rent social disease with terribly warped values and social mores. Absolutley physically nauseating. People should be licensed to have children. It's no longer a right. It's a major responsibility and supervision and direction are required and there isn't enough of either.

And another thing?? "Thousands of dollars" in damages?? Really..call me simple but it looks like they tagged a couple of brick walls and some basic columns...not "priceless" works of art in the Albright knox that will require high quality chemicals and art restoration experts from the vatican.

Couple of hundred dollars in chemicals..maybe a thousand for the slide..and some free labor from volunteers..a little dramatic this time around.

Dismayed, but not surprised. I rode through s. Delaware park on Sunday around dusk and thought how cool it was to see such a diverse collection people enjoying area: hipsters, skaters, couples, families, etc., I was pleased to see the activity and hope it continues.

Concerning the cretins, find them and put them to work cleaning up the parks -- hard, physical labor. No need to waste excessive funds prosecuting the twerps, just make them pay with lots of sweat and a bit of blood.

A pro-active zero tolerance graffiti policy in the Park and in the whole City could put the vandals on notice that jail time will be waiting when they choose to do stupid painting ...

This is a shame but nothing new, vandalism has been going on for generations. I can remember similar incidents back in the 60's and 70's. This isn't the fault of the city schools, parents, or police force. This is not a "city thing" either, vandals are also quite active in the suburbs and rural areas. The only people responsible for this are the little punks that did it, hopefully they will be caught.

As many mention on this site graffiti is art, so why take issue. Its beautiful. Live and let live. Peaceprints

They really need to increase the police presence at the park. I understand that it's impossible to patrol the entire park, but how about just the area around Hoyt Lake near the casino? I have witnessed many groups of kids hanging around in front of the casino, smoking pot, drinking beer, urinating in public, etc. I'm not talking very late at night (say 9:30-10:00), and by no means is it in a secluded area of the park. By allowing this to go on, it sends the message that nobody knows or cares what's going on in the park.

OUR COPS ARE LAZY. I live around the corner from the park and last week we had 30 cars broken in to. We NEVER EVER EVER have police on our street, but they are always at the pizza joint or the Mobil on the corner. We need police reform in this city, and until we get it, nothing will happen.

police dog patrol

Apparently the zoo doors were left unlocked because there were monkeys everywhere in delaware park that night...over 100 of them doing what they've done to Chippewa, Elmwood and every other prospering area in buffalo...ruining it for everyone. They even have been knocking people out and robbing them on Elmwood in the village. 4 beatings and robberies in EV in last 2 weeks. Lock em up back in the zoo

Since the City of Buffalo Police cannot initiate more foot patrols due to manpower issues, here is a suggestion to the people of the Elmwood Village Society, Olmsted Conservancy. Why not call up the Buffalo Special Police? They are a fully insured, city chartered, all-volunteer police auxiliary. This is a no-brainer, especially when you have the people WILLING to volunteer their time to help the city.

The Special Police have many members who are fully qualified public safety officers and work as Corrections Officers, Sheriffs, Emergency Medical Technicians, etc. They have talked for years reutilizing them, as does the NYPD with there successful auxiliary. We could have them "walking the beat" in Delaware Park, on the Elmwood Strip as those extra eyes and ears.

Donn Esmonde's article has some more info from a witness:
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/columns/donn-esmonde/article435694.ece

Apparently it was done by a bunch of "clean-cut white kids, guys and girls" from Buff State. Sort of an evil flash mob.

I think they should find the Facebook event, and arrest everyone that responding "I Am Attending". Then put them to work for the rest of the summer cleaning the parks. No, sorry, you don't get to go back home to Long Island.

I was in the Japanese gardens around 1:30 am walking my dog on this date and I saw tons of kids hanging out there.The police had 3 cars that drove down Nottingham terrace with their spot lights directed into the park. This of course sent kids swarming in all directions. I'm wondering why no one was caught even though there were police in the area?