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Redistribute the parking spaces!
Forest Hills Gardens residents were forced to remove their cars from the streets Sunday ahead of a rally with mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani and lefty darlings Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Locals in the well-heeled neighborhood fumed over the ban on in-demand parking near Forest Hills Stadium after they were given just 24 hours from the NYPD before the planned rally in support of the democratic socialist.
“Due to the nature of tomorrow’s event at Forest Hills Stadium, please have all vehicles removed from the vicinity of the stadium by 9AM,” the NYPD’s 112th precinct said in a statement on Saturday.
The notice didn’t mention the ban was for the Mamdani get-out-the-vote event with Sen. Sanders and AOC, who is now serving in Congress.
Forest Hills Gardens resident Jenna Cavuto blasted the late notice as “completely unacceptable.”
“The city has been VERY well aware of this event, as they issued the Public Assembly Permit. So why is the community being given less than 24 hours notice?” she said on X.
“Where is the planning & coordination?” This is completely unacceptable,” she said.
Resident Max Londner railed against the move, calling “it really messed up.”
“Are you kidding me???” he wrote. “What about people that are away – people that may not be home?
“And the Forest Hills tennis stadium actually allowed an event like this to take place?” he added. “A week before election day? I’m staying home boarding my windows and chaining my front door. I’m paranoid to go out as it is.”
The order further inflames tensions between locals and the city and the stadium.
The homeowner’s group the Forest Hills Garden Corporation filed a federal lawsuit against the city just last week, alleging that police “unconstitutionally” took control of private property on more than 30 concert days this summer to help the Forest Hills Stadium rake in millions of dollars.
The corporation and its nearly 4,000 members are seeking compensation for the alleged takeover.
“The NYPD patrols the public streets around Forest Hills stadium and does critical crowd control before, during, and after events,” the NYPD said in a statement on Sunday. “Due to the nature of today’s event, the NYPD will have a larger presence in and around the stadium to ensure the safety of all involved.”
Cavuto told The Post that is “what the lawsuit is about.”
“They’re taking over our streets again,” resident Cavuto told The Post early Sunday. “It’s not an emergency. It’s really troubling.”
Sunday marked the second day of early voting in the municipal elections.
Mamdani is facing off against his main rivals — Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running on an independent line.
The ticketed stadium event, which the Mamdani campaign called “New York is Not For Sale” was sold out.
The stadium can seat up to 15,000.
Sanders last month held a “Fight Oligarchy” event at a Brooklyn College concert hall where Democratic nominee Mamdani was the featured guest.
English (US)