Located in the area under/adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge, on its Manhattan side, the Brooklyn Banks is a New York City cultural and historical landmark to both local and international action sports enthusiasts since its construction in 1972. Designed by renowned landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg, the Brooklyn Banks is most identifiable as a red brick plaza with large embankment structures on the east side of the park. In June 2010, the plaza was closed and fenced off to accommodate for renovations of the Brooklyn Bridge.

In early May 2020, the recent removal of the bricks, on the one side of the banks between Rose and Pearl streets, sparked outrage, fear and sadness throughout the skateboard community, action sports community at large, and even the local community in the neighborhood. We do not want this very cherished piece of history and culture to be altered beyond recognition and function.

We wish for this monumental space to continue serving the community in the same ways that it has for nearly 40 years, and our worries about the future of this space are nothing short of reasonable. The destruction of Love Park in Philadelphia, the attempted renovation of London’s South Bank into retail stores, as well as most recently the city’s attempt to turf over the north west corner of Tompkins Square Park, all serve as well-documented cases for the constant threat that these important community spaces face.

The Brooklyn Banks have been an epicenter for action sports, street art and culture for generations. It has been serving as a safe space for these groups to exist when we have historically been kicked off the streets and into overly crowded skate parks, which in many cases are poorly designed/precast concrete parks as opposed to custom built like L.E.S. (Coleman Oval) skate park. The destruction of the Banks has, in part, already begun; if a renovation is necessary, it should keep the existing design of the space so that it may serve the groups that have historically used it for generations.

If reopened with its original open-plaza design, the space will attract events and visitors from every part of the globe, inevitably contributing positively to our local economy. Our concern extends beyond the current section that is under renovations between Rose and Pearl Streets, to include the smaller banks that are between Park Row and Rose Street.

UPDATE 01/26/2023:

We are one step closer... please share and add your support in the comments section of the New York Times article written by Winnie Hu. For more information, visit gothampark.org

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/nyregion/brooklyn-banks-skateboarding-nyc.html 

https://gothampark.org/ 

*If you donate, the money goes to change.org to keep petitions in circulation. Donations do not go towards the Brooklyn Banks.*

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

-Jonathan Becker, David Carozza, Steve Rodriguez 

Contact info: @famousbecks, @dave__city, @stever_nyc

jrjb24@gmail.com

davidcrza@gmail.com

steve@5boro.com