{"id":251498,"date":"2026-06-01T22:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T22:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/251498\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T22:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T22:50:11","slug":"brooklyn-residents-push-to-evict-judges-from-private-parking-lot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/251498\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn residents push to evict judges from private parking lot"},"content":{"rendered":"

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN \u2014 Local officials and community members gathered Sunday in Downtown Brooklyn\u2019s Columbus Park to demand that Kings County Supreme Court judges and staff give up their private parking lot \u2014 situated since 2008 on public parkland next to the courthouse and Borough Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s our park? Right here,\u201d the crowd chanted, waving handmade signs reading \u201cParks, Not Parking\u201d and \u201cParks Are For People.\u201d<\/p>\n

Locals want to convert the asphalt lot to green space as part of an $80 million plan to redesign Columbus Park redesign<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe disputed parkland used by Kings County Supreme Court judges and staff as a parking lot. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Rose Ryan, a \u201cborn and raised Brooklynite\u201d who lives nearby, told the Brooklyn Eagle she was \u201cinfuriated about the use of public space by these people, especially in such a transit-rich neighborhood where we have five subway lines just outside the parking lot and two up the block. It\u2019s appalling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people spend way too much time on their phone,\u201d said Public School 261 student Octavia. Spending time in the park \u201ccould be a beautiful way\u201d to get outside and soak up some Vitamin D, she suggested.<\/p>\n

\"Octavia,Octavia, a student at P.S. 261, speaks out while Councilmember Lincoln Restler assists with the megaphone. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Councilmember Lincoln Restler have allocated $21 million towards Phase 1 of the project, which includes the parking lot. The redesign was hashed out last year by Reynoso, Restler, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the design team WXY Architects, in consultation with landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.<\/p>\n

However, the Office of Court Administration opposes the idea of the judges moving their cars elsewhere for security reasons, citing an increase in threats to the judiciary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AttendeesAttendees at Sunday\u2019s Columbus Park rally make signs and sign petitions. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

The Justices already gave up one-third of their parking spots in 2008 in return for a guarantee to retain the remaining spaces, Judge Richard J. Montelione, chair of the Board of Supreme Court Justices of Kings County, wrote in an op-ed<\/a> in the Brooklyn Eagle on May 23, 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, the major issue was the security of justices. It is an even more prominent concern now with the security threat significantly increased,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Eagle has reached out for comment.<\/p>\n

\"CouncilmemberCouncilmember Lincoln Restler, right, said the time has come to \u201cevict the judges.\u201d Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

\u2018They can damn well take the subway\u2019<\/p>\n

Restler told the crowd the time has come to \u201cevict the judges,\u201d who have been offered numerous alternative places to park their cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cReynoso and I have met with the judges\u2019 Office of Court Administration six-plus times and offered every different option under the sun,\u201d Restler said, ticking off the offers the judges have so far refused: parking space in the nearby Marriott Hotel; additional free on-street parking; space with Brooklyn Law School; space in a nearby co-op.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Hank,Hank, age 4, helps with the signage. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve even offered valet parking where judges could drop off their cars here and be taken somewhere else,\u201d he said. \u201cThe judges have reflexively said no to everything. They are selfishly insisting on hanging on to this parkland that our community desperately needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

On top of that, the judges and staff are already entitled to 250 free parking spots nearby, including 170 on-street spots and 80 more in a parking garage two blocks away.<\/p>\n

Downtown Brooklyn has a drastic shortage of parkland, Restler said. The 2004 Downtown Brooklyn rezoning wasn\u2019t expected to generate as much housing as it did \u2014 it was intended to encourage more office and commercial<\/a> space. Instead, more than 25,000 apartments were built (and most were luxury, according to a Pratt Center study).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"CommunityCommunity Affairs Police Officer Wallace Council with Regina Meyer, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the city had anticipated that they were going to build over 25,000 apartments, then the city would have been on the hook to build two big new parks the size of Fort Green Park,\u201d Restler said. \u201cBut because they thought it was going to be commercial space, they weren\u2019t required to build new parkland. And so, we need this park desperately.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also pointed out that many of the judges live within walking distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet them take the subway!\u201d someone from the crowd shouted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can damn well take the subway,\u201d Restler answered. \u201cWe are telling the judges in no uncertain terms, it\u2019s time to go. We can do this nicely, or we can do this the hard way. But there\u2019s no if, ands or buts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ReginaRegina Meyer, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Best location in the city for a park<\/p>\n

\u201cThis location is one of the best in New York City, certainly one of the best in Brooklyn, for a new park,\u201d said Regina Meyer, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, which was one of the prime movers behind the park\u2019s redesign.<\/p>\n

Columbus Park could be so much more, she said. \u201cIt could have a playground; it could have a dog run. It definitely needs a skate park.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BrooklynBrooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Lara Birnback. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Lara Birnback had a message for the judges: \u201cYou\u2019re in contempt. And you\u2019re on the losing side of this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kathy Park-Price of New Yorkers for Parks said that Downtown Brooklyn and nearby neighborhoods include only about 6% parkland compared to a 23% citywide average, making the lack of green space \u201can emergency.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

If converted to parkland, the lot \u201cwould serve thousands\u201d versus a few dozen judges, she said.<\/p>\n

\"KathyKathy Park-Price of New Yorkers for Parks. Photo: Mary Frost\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN \u2014 Local officials and community members gathered Sunday in Downtown Brooklyn\u2019s Columbus Park to demand that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":251499,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[2898,30011,98,100,99,98207,3076,13345,3075,98208,9,24,5325,63,98209],"class_list":["post-251498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-antonio-reynoso","tag-borough-hall","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-columbus-park","tag-downtown-brooklyn","tag-downtown-brooklyn-partnership","tag-lincoln-restler","tag-michael-van-valkenburgh-associates","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-no-paywall","tag-nyc","tag-wxy-studio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}