NYC park-goers threaten to spit, cough on cops enforcing social distancing

It’s dangerous to be a city parks enforcement officer these days.

Several officers told The Post on Tuesday that some park-goers are so angry over being called out about social distancing amid the coronavirus that they threaten to spit or cough on them if they try to enforce the safety rules.

“They will say, ‘Screw you, I hope you get coronavirus,’’ a Parks Enforcement Patrol officer said. “People do not want to listen.”

Another officer said, “You have situations where we are educating people about social distancing, and they are threatening to cough on you as a means to break the law and get away with it.

“There’s even people out there that are threatening to spit on you.”

The officers said the biggest problems occur at parks such as Washington Square in Greenwich Village in Manhattan and Astoria in Queens.

At Washington Square, people are gathering to skateboard, sing and pass around pot and booze, the parks officers said.

“That is the kind of park where people go against the grain,’’ an officer said. “People are still passing the bottle around. They are still setting up picnics and hanging out with their friends.

“The only ... (Read more)

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