October 3, 2018
Subject: How Do You Identify a Resident?
Dear Editor:
What defines a public park and who can use it? One local official in Rockland
County thinks he has the answer while other municipal and county leaders
have been largely silent on his stance, one that will undoubtedly lead to
controversy and more if left unchecked. It doesn’t appear that he consulted
with other town officials or law enforcement before posting this declaration.
Clarkstown Town Councilman Peter Bradley should know better or have
made it his business to know better. Public officials have an obligation to
know what they are talking about before speaking and the potential
consequences. They are held to a higher standard. This latest barrage of
rhetoric that Rockland is experiencing will lead to increased divisiveness if
our elected officials and community representatives don’t denounce it.
Councilman Pete Bradley wants residents, who see people they think don’t
live locally and in a town park, to contact him directly on his town-issued cell
phone. However, he doesn’t caution people not to approach other park
visitors. On Friday, September 28th, he wrote on social media that he will
“personally conduct the security check” or ensure the appropriate town
employees do.
It is unrealistic to expect that people will agree to show their proof of
residency to a person they don’t know. They will insist on finding out
whether that person has the authority to question them. Councilman Bradley
refers to a 1974 local law limiting park usage to residents to justify his
position. It states the Recreation and Parks Department is responsible for its
facilities but he doesn’t specify that would be the department he would call.
How does Councilman Bradley expect he or other people can determine
someone or a group doesn’t live in the community without it being
considered profiling or discriminatory? There’s the risk that such an
encounter to a confrontation because some individuals will take it upon
themselves to question others.
The U.S. Census estimated that in 2017 Clarkstown had more than 87,500
residents, who are white, African American, Asian, Hispanic, and American
Indian. What will make any of them look like “an outsider” and not a
resident? Their language, their accent, their clothing, the food they are
eating, their disability, their tattoos, the vehicle they drive or their hair color?
If a person is wearing a sweatshirt with the name of an out-of-state college or
tourist destination, does that mean they don’t live in the community? Is a

 resident, who has family visiting from outside New York and uses their car to
drive to the park, going to be asked to show ID? What happens when a local
teenager, who is not an adult, comes to the park with friends from other
parts of the county? Will there be exceptions when sports teams from
different towns play each other or a parent wants to sign his or her child up
for a recreational sports league that plays in another community? Will
runners and cyclists going through a park be stopped?
It’s troubling this comment is still on social media with Councilman Bradley’s
request to “Please share this post far and wide.” Our law enforcement
agencies are supposed to monitor social media for content that can lead to
confrontations. Can it be that no other elected or law enforcement official
has spoken with him yet? We believe this is a dangerous precedent that will
cause altercations or lawsuits.
The Nanuet Board of Education followed his lead. It sent an email stating
school district facilities such as the Highview Playground are for the exclusive
use of Nanuet students and residents, and directed people to call a security
hotline if they see someone they think is a non-resident on the playground.
Are these ordinances legal? Where does this stop and when?
Nearby Mahwah, NJ recently settled a lawsuit over banning outsiders from its
parks because its ordinance violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws.
New Jersey wanted to reclaim funds given to the parks because the local
laws were contrary to the guidelines under which the money was granted.
Do we in Rockland want to go through the same experience? Then we can
pay even higher taxes in the event state or federal park grants have to be
repaid and the legal fees covered.
Councilman Bradley is wrong. We need wiser leaders to speak out and stop
this before we wind up repeating the costly experience and negative
publicity faced by our neighbors. The idea of self-appointed residents who
will decide if someone looks like they belong and who doesn’t is dangerous
and risky. Asking people without proper training to take on this role in our
parks presents a real safety issue that we all should want to avoid. It would
also send a message just as potentially damaging that Rockland County is
intolerant and only wants people who look like they “fit in.”
Regards,

Steve Gold
Chair -Community Relations Council
Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County
2

 450 Nyack Rd,
West Nyack, NY 10994
Cell: 845-639-3154