Just a reminder that the St. Nicholas Park dog run fundraiser is tomorrow. The event is being held in Friends of St. Nicholas Park President Shawn's brownstone.

Although rumor has it checking out Shawn's brownstone alone makes the event well worth it, attendees should know that the dog run will benefit both park goers and neighborhood residents with four and two feet.

I stole some time last Saturday to help clear brush around the dog run and learned that it will be a place for dogs to run free and be dogs, and more. Obviously, when dogs have a place of their own to be off leash and romp around, concerned park goers will not have to worry about aggressive behavior from uncontrolled pets. This will help with park safety. Dexter, the dog in the photo, is certainly excited, as he was helping clear brush himself.

What I didn't realize is that just the run being cleared will help with safety in other ways. We were clearing out brush and undergrowth around the future dog run to provide a safety-enhancing line of sight for visitors. The brush we were clearing was littered with drug paraphernalia and some condom wrappers (no bodies though, and someone did recap a needle that was there). Additionally, the park lamps in the area were aggressively smashed out, and a pair of sneaks hung from a tree limb. (The Community Officer at my precinct let me know that a hanging pair of shoes signals that drugs are sold at that spot.)

The area is obviously being used for nefarious purposes. The dog run will put an end to that.

Check out the invite here.