For over 30 years, the Old First Ward has been without a central neighborhood playground. In the early 1990s, the City of Buffalo demolished Sullivan Park during a period of financial hardship. Despite a written promise to rebuild, the playground was never replaced—and no state legislative approval was obtained, as required under New York’s parkland alienation laws.

Today, families in our community still lack a safe, walkable place for children to play.
Community members have worked for years to bring a playground back to the neighborhood.

This petition is to show clear, unified community support for rebuilding a neighborhood playground in the Old First Ward. Children deserve equity in their own neighborhoods, and every community in Buffalo should have fair access to safe, local spaces where families can gather and children can play and grow.