A Park Fit For The Elderly And Infirm

Parkgoers at Brooklyn’s Empire-Fulton Ferry Park are happy to be able to enjoy an open space were virtually everything is forbidden:

“They need to lighten up,” said John Soster, 39, a teacher and cyclist from Bushwick who was reprimanded for walking — not riding — his bike through the park last summer.

“I’ve been chastised,” he added. “What are they so uptight about?”

Another parkgoer told the Daily News she has seen rangers tell kids to stop playing ball – and teenagers complained they’ve been scolded for running around in the park.

“A couple of my friends and I were told to stop running and horsing around or we’d have to leave,” said Kenyon Harris, 17, who now avoids the state park because of the rules.

Empire-Fulton Ferry also has rules against commercial photography and filming, both of which require a permit. Parkgoers said hard-nosed park rangers can take this regulation too far.

Louis Benitez, 31, a Queens marketing manager, said a ranger made him put away his hand-held video camera Рeven though he was just filming his fianc̩e and passing boats.

“I was like, ‘Come on. It’s just for our leisure,'” said Benitez, who recently was forced out of the park because he was there with his friend’s dog. “They’re pretty strict.”

. . .

On Sunday, The News chronicled the widespread frustration that the Empire-Fulton Ferry closes its park at dusk — and even earlier. Parkgoers charged they are often abruptly kicked out at one of the nicest times of the day. At least one day last week, the park closed at 6:30 p.m.

Following an inquiry by The News, a state parks spokeswoman said they “were looking to expand” the hours to 11 p.m., at least on weekends.

Community Board 2 district manager Robert Perris said he has gotten complaints about the strict rules at Empire-Fulton Ferry — and the sometimes overly aggressive rangers.

“They sometimes treat people like they’re doing something really wrong for relatively minor things,” said Perris. “The response can seem much heavier than the ‘crime.'”