Prospect Park drummers push for repairs as beloved grove crumbles
News 12 has not learned of anyone being hurt by the benches. Still, members worry someone could be injured if the damage gets worse.
For generations, the sound of drums has brought people together inside Prospect Park. But members of a drum circle say the grove where they gather is falling apart around them.
On Sundays, Drummers Grove comes alive with music, dancing and spectators.
“When the music comes together, you find drummers from Africa, from the Caribbean, the West Indies, all over the world,” drummer Hector said. “We all come together and make one sound.”
Members say the space has not received the care it needs. The grove has wooden benches arranged in a semicircle around the drumming area. Some are now so worn down that screws are exposed. Other benches shake when touched.
“This is really dangerous,” drum circle member Ellen Morris said while showing News 12 the damage.
News 12 has not learned of anyone being hurt by the benches. Still, members worry someone could be injured if the damage gets worse.
Morris said she has spent more than a year contacting 311 and other agencies to ask for help. Members also want improvements made to the ceremonial space behind the drumming area.
To the people who gather there, the grove is much more than a place to play music.
“This is like church,” drummer Daoud Ibraheem said.
Members consider the land sacred and describe the grove as a sanctuary where people from different backgrounds can connect. They want it preserved for those who will carry on the tradition.
“This should be here forever,” Hector said. “Even when I’m gone, it should still be here.”
The Prospect Park Alliance said it will address the maintenance problems. The organization custom-built the benches in 2021 as part of its ReNew Prospect Park initiative, which repairs heavily used areas and equipment throughout the park.
The alliance said the repairs take longer than standard work because it must find the proper wood and rebuild the benches inside the park. It said the work is underway and should be completed soon, but it did not provide an exact date.
