To The Editor:
Mayor Bloomberg claims that tents are not allowed in New York City parks. Ask him to explain the giant tents being set up right now in Union Square Park and in Central Park at Columbus Circle for the corporate-run holiday vending markets.
These tents are set up for more than a month straight, 24 hours a day. They completely displace pedestrians, residents and park visitors for a fee of millions of dollars.
Mayor Bloomberg says generators are not allowed in New York City parks. Yet the holiday markets operate huge generators as do most of the Greenmarket vending stands in Union Square Park. There is even a weekly Greenmarket set up right outside the Mayor’s Office with huge tents and generators.
Instead of pretending that the mayor is a defender of free speech, perhaps the media can ask him to explain these totally inconsistent policies.
Robert Lederman
Lederman is president, ARTIST (Artists’ Response to Illegal State Tactics)
