It was another night of debauchery in New York City's Washington Square Park on Saturday in what has become a flashpoint for the city's out-of-control crime rate.
Large groups of party goers dancing and playing music well into Saturday night and into Sunday morning, breaking a midnight curfew.
But as of 1 am, no serious violence had been reported in the park, as had been in prior weeks. The NYPD told that no major incidents had been reported, but they wouldn't know until later Sunday morning as to whether any arrests would be made.
A group of young revelers gathered in a circle with a dancers in middle while others congregated around a drummer. Some people lounged on the grass or sat around the fountain.
A mobile DJ was set up with a mixing station and a large speaker. Amplified music has been a key complaint of neighbors, but their complaints haven't stopped the loudspeakers and crowds revelers.
Earlier in the day, a pride march ended with marchers dancing in the fountain.
A group of party goers gather in a circle to watch dancers twerk in Washington Square Park on June 26
Other park goers gathered around the fountain on June 26 with Washington Square Park's iconic arches in the background
Drummer performs for the crowd in Washington Square Park on June 26
This is what the crowd looked like by 9:45pm in Washington Square Park on June 26
Some park goers frequented the park's merchants, like these jewelry sellers, on June 26
Some merchants, like this T-shirt salesman and designer, is trying to get their styles out to the public
In the trash can was the partiers' wares left behind, including a box for a bottle of Moet Champagne
A table selling CBD-based goods was set up at the park
People hung out around the fountain and other sitting places enjoying the good weather
Some people came on bike, but others came on motorized bikes within the park, where crowds gathered
On the grassy areas of the park, people ate late dinners, drank and carried on
At the main fountain in the park, people danced and partied and were hanging around well past midnight curfew
Huge crowds of people gathered at the park - some dancing, and some on motorized bikes
A mobile DJ was set up with a mixing station and a large speaker. Amplified music has been a key complaint of neighbors
Saturday night was a stark difference to Friday night's Fight Club-type scene, where fighters compete in unlicensed boxing matches complete with a referee and time keeper.
The Manhattan park appeared more like Madison Square Garden as boxing matches took place in front of hundreds of people, all of which were caught on camera.
At least five matches took place close to the famous arch in Greenwich Village with participants paying five dollars to take part.
One contest appeared to last for six rounds as bloodthirsty spectators cheered on the fighters.
One fighter ended up dislocating his shoulder during the knockabout and had to have another man shove it back into its socket.
The NYPD did not enter the park to stop the fights, and it's unclear if these fights were legal.
At least five illegal boxing matches took place on Friday night with timekeepers and a referee
Later in the night on Friday, illegal fireworks were also set off dangerously close to the surrounding buildings.
A few arrests were made with one man taken into custody and charged with two counts of menacing for allegedly threatening two Parks Department employees with a wine bottle and a brick.
Tayvon Turner, 28, from Brooklyn allegedly picked up a wine bottle and threatened a worker in the park who was a 50-year-old woman.
He then threatened to hit another worker, a 47-year-old woman, with a brick, although nobody was physically harmed.
The NYPD also said Turner was charged with vandalism after spraying graffiti in the park.
The gathered crowd appeared to cheer on the pugilists in the square on Friday night - June 25
The fights had a makeshift quality about them with some wearing pants
The boxing is the latest in a long-line of anti-social behavior that has been occurring in the park despite efforts to clear the area, usually by 10pm.
NYPD tweeted a photo of the Taser, disguised as a flashlight, and a knife with a curved blade. A stampede begun when McDermott brandished the weapons in Washington Square Park
That hasn't been enforced, and there's been major incidents in the last three weeks, starting with a wild, all-night rave ended with multiple people beaten and stabbed, and a diner cook being thrown through a window during the June 12 weekend.
Last week, a man, later identified as Jason McDermott, 42, was arrested and charged with menacing, reckless endangerment and weapons charges as his lawyer argued that he acted in self defense.
The court heard on Sunday that, shortly after midnight on Friday night, McDermott pulled out a knife and a Taser, which police said was disguised as a flashlight, the New York Post reported.
Horrified onlookers, seeing those weapons, fled in terror, leaving a 43-year-old woman trampled.
She was seen with blood pouring from the side of her head, and was taken to Bellevue Hospital with cuts, scrapes and bruises. She was treated and later released.
Throughout June, with Covid restrictions easing, Washington Square Park has been the site of rowdy all-night parties, stabbings and drug taking, to the fury of well-heeled local residents in Greenwich Village.
Jason McDermott, 42, was arrested at 12:40am on Saturday morning, after he brandished a Taser and a knife. On Sunday a judge released him without bail on menacing, reckless endangerment and weapons charges
A 43-year-old woman was left bloodied after being trampled as revelers fled from a man wielding a knife and a taser on June 18
From Memorial Day weekend onwards, the usual midnight closure of the park was brought forward to 10pm, in a bid to end the loud late-night drinking and partying, and limit the antisocial antics, but the efforts have rarely succeeded.
The curfew saw violent confrontations with the police, and running battles in the streets of Greenwich Village as officers attempted to force people from the park.
Earlier in the week, an illegal rave continued for several nights with revelers blasting out music on thundering sound systems.
Residents have been continually plagued by moped riders and skateboarders in the area.
Nearby residents told DailyMail.com that they won't walk through the park at night.
Revellers had been gathering around thundering sound systems for consecutive nights of drinking and smoking marijuana despite a police order to close the park after people ran away from a man who was brandishing a knife and a taser last Friday night
Revellers continued to gather in the Manhattan park last Sunday night despite a police order to shut the park at 10pm
Last Monday, Mayor Bill De Blasio downplayed the violence and chaos at Washington Square Park in recent weeks, telling reporters that he believes the situation will resolve itself 'naturally.'
With bars and restaurants facing tight restrictions over the last year due to the pandemic, it transformed into a popular party destination.
Now, as the parties and reports of crime increase - and COVID-19 restrictions have lifted - residents and ravers are coming to blows.
On the one side, young revelers say the park is public property. They question why they cannot use the space to enjoy parties and why the wealthy Greenwich Village homeowners nearby should have the power to decide who has access to it.
On the other side, residents claim the park has become a site of increased drug use and violence, leaving them scared to walk around the area and left grappling with the noise later into the night.
The violence in Washington Square Park comes as the NYPD struggle with a surge in violent crime.
Shootings across the city are up by more than 70 percent. Felony assaults are up eight percent for the first six months of 2021, compared to the same period last year, rapes are up by 10 percent and robberies - which includes muggings - have spiked by nearly 40 percent this month.
Statistics show shooting crimes have been up this year city-wide compared to last year
Crimes have been rising throughout New York City, according to the NYPD
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