The Friday-night brawl at Brooklyn's renovated McCarren Park Pool was only the first sign of trouble at the pool. A second fight started on Monday night when police were called in to assist lifeguards with unruly youths and ended with charges against three youths after one police officer was punched in the face and another injured. Deemed "minor incidents" by the Brooklyn parks commissioner, who sees the pool's reopening as an overall success, the problems at the pool have left many apprehensive about its future.
"I'm not happy and not because of the pool, but because of the fighting," one pool neighbor told The New York Times. "It's not good for the community. It's trouble. All kinds of kids are coming here."
Large crowds and racially charged allegations, as well as complaints of littering and graffiti from neighboring businesses have spurred the New York Police Department to place added security around the park, including plainclothes officers and a "temporary headquarters vehicle" parked nearby.
