On September 17th, my two-year-old daughter found some berries in the water fountain at Asser Levy Playground. She proceeded to eat one before my husband could stop her. He quickly looked up the berries online and found them to be Yew berries, which are poisonous. A call to Poison Control confirmed it and off we went to the Emergency Room. 

Luckily she wasn’t sickened by the berries, but we still spent seven harrowing hours in the ER. Had she eaten more of the berries, she could have experienced a slowing or even stopping of the heart. While the flesh of the berry isn’t poisonous, the seeds inside are, as are the leaves of the plant. Read more here.

My husband and I find it outrageous and negligent that the New York City Parks Department allows poisonous plants to grow inside a City playground. These Yew bushes surround the playground. We’ve started this petition to protect neighborhood children by having the plants removed and replaced with something more suitable to a playground. Asser Levy Playground is located at East 23rd Street and Avenue C. Please sign and share with your friends and neighbors in the area.