CBS2 Follows Up: City Official Tours Bellevue South Park After Vagrancy Complaints

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- CBS2 has been reporting on problems plaguing a park in Kips Bay, where residents said vagrants are taking over what is supposed to be a children's playground.

The stories got the attention of city officials, who toured the park on Friday.

CBS2's cameras arrived at Bellevue South Park around 9 a.m. Friday -- and it didn't take long to find someone with a bottle of liquor.

Six hours later, Robert Perez -- who says he is homeless -- was still hanging out. He even knew what he was doing is not permitted.

"This is a kids' place," Perez said.

When CBS2's Jessica Layton admitted that she had seen him with a bottle of liquor at the park earlier in the day, he said, "Yeah, sometimes I drink because I'm an alcoholic."

Around 10 a.m., two city Parks Enforcement officers showed up and started telling loiterers to move along. An hour after that, the NYPD arrived -- going bench to bench telling vagrants to move on.

"To be honest with you, in the last week they've done a pretty good job," said Tony Pinto.

Pinto, who is not homeless, said there have been a lot more patrols at Bellevue South Park since CBS2's last story here aired two weeks ago. Until then, he said he and his friends playing cards were trying to keep the trouble out.

But despite the increased police presence, the problems aren't gone.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer saw that firsthand on Friday -- taking a tour of the park two weeks after CBS2 first called her. She encouraged one homeless veteran to go to a shelter.

"I can't live with anybody," the man said. "I'm a sociopathic person."

Parents, then, wanted to know why the man was hanging out in a park near kids.

CBS2's Layton asked Brewer what she and other city officials could do, starting right away, to clean up the parks and get people to help they need.

"We will work with Police Department and Department of Homeless Services to make sure that the illegal activities that are going on in this park do not take place. That we can do," Brewer said. "The harder part is figure out how to deal with lack of affordable housing and the need for mental health services."

The Department of Parks and Recreation said Friday that in the last two weeks, it has handed out 24 tickets for people breaking the rules – for such offenses as drinking alcohol, obstructing park benches, and hanging out without children in the playground area.

CBS2's Layton is told daily patrols will continue at least two times a day.