Weekend shootout at Green Brook Park has disturbing characteristics

Shooters fired from the woods at rear into the parking area.

Further -- and disturbing -- information on Plainfield's Memorial Day weekend shootout at Green Brook Park is emerging.

All I knew Sunday evening was that there had been gunplay in the area of the playground as Brother Al Stembridge's Unity Cookout was breaking up.

I have since been told that the incident is a further escalation of the hostilities between two rival gangs. Allegedly, members of the West 3rd Street gang lured Libside gang members to the Green Brook Park locale, near the porta-johns in the driveway of the playground area.

When about twenty (I am told) 3rd Streeters opened fire on the Libsiders from the woods behind and above the porta-johns, the Libsiders fired their guns in turn and then fled.

A commenter on my earlier post had just arrived with her daughter to use the playground and reported --

There were many children there at the time the gunfire went off. THose bastards could have shot an innocent child or adult. We had just arrived at the playground and were getting our daughter out of the car when my husband was scoping the scene and saw a large group of men wearing white tees and jeans descend down a hill. Hubby thought they looked suspicious and confirmed his uneasiness when he saw several of the men put their hands on their handguns concealed under their clothing. He told me, "those men are armed, let's get out of here". We didn't even put our little girl into her carseat and made a hasty retreat out of the playground parking area....60 seconds later we heard about 6 gunshots and when I looked out the rear window I saw people running scared down the road behind us. We pulled over when we were far enough away to put our baby in the car seat and I called 911 to let them know there was trouble. I was shaken up and worried for the innocent people and children there. Mostly, I was thankful my husband was with me because I did not notice anything suspicious and had I been alone with my daughter, I would have proceeded to the playground and would have been too close for comfort when the shootout began.

Some folks may be relying on all the hype generated over the past year about how dramatically crime is down, and may just want to view these most recent shooting incidents as 'a spike' that will go away.

I am reminded of the comment by reader Frank D'Aversa, who says 'a shooting is just a murder that was unsuccessful'.

Here are some of the truly disturbing characteristics of the weekend melée, which should give pause to anyone who takes this over lightly --

• The incident did not take place in the usual gang territory;
• It took place not at night, but in the daytime;
• Large numbers of gangstas were able to get to the area undetected though police are supposedly on high alert; and
• In a busy county park on a holiday weekend, with many innocent attendees at a barbecue put at risk.

After the much-touted 'Operation CeaseFire' of a couple years ago, there has not been much discussion or evidence of a 'gang task force' in operation, even though gangs are suspected of being behind most of the violence and gunplay in the community.

The thought that innocent Plainfielders may be put in danger in daytime as well as at night, and in 'safe' neighborhoods as well as those thought less safe, should disturb everyone, not least city officials.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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