I was fined $50 for letting my 4-year-old have an emergency pee in the park – but the public bathroom was locked

A MOTHER was fined $50 for letting her son urinate outside due to an emergency in a major US city.

On April 6, Michiko Sasaki, 46, and her son Kobe, 4, were enjoying the spring weather at Battery City Park in New York City when they had an emergency situation in the bathroom.

5

5

5

The mother and son, who live in Washington Heights, were playing at Battery Playscape when the boy revealed he needed to use the bathroom.

However, when Sasaki and his son arrived at the nearest public bathroom, they were unable to enter.

The mother told the New York Post Office that the bathroom had a large sign printed on the door that said, “No bathrooms.”

She revealed that her son has anxiety issues and a sensory processing disorder.

Because of this, he often doesn’t realize he needs to use the bathroom until he can no longer hold it.

She told the outlet that her son told her he thought he was going to pee his pants and then she “panicked.”

So the mother allowed her son to pull down his pants and urinate outside the closed bathroom.

However, it wasn’t long before several park officials approached Sasaki and Kobe.

She claimed they “stalked” her, informing her that what they were doing was illegal.

“I was perplexed and very confused. [One] aggressively told me that this was illegal and it was not acceptable to use the bathroom outside,” Sasaki told the outlet.

“He said, ‘Let me see your ID, I’m writing you a ticket.’ My jaw dropped – I was frozen.

“I didn’t know what to say. I said, ‘What are you writing me a ticket for? You can’t have a playground and not have bathrooms.’”

Ultimately, Sasaki received a $50 fine and a summons to appear in court on July 2.

The subpoena, obtained by the Post, details that the mother allowed her son “to urinate on park property, near the public restroom.”

During the incident, Sasaki said one of the officers told her that she should have taken her son to a nearby office building to use the bathroom.

“They were extremely rude, very bold and derogatory,” she stated.

“Phrases like ‘how come you don’t make your child go to the bathroom first. He told me, ‘your son is old enough to hold him’.”

Sasaki reportedly called the situation “absolutely insane,” criticizing the city for issues with public bathrooms in New York.

“Of course it’s $50, and it’s not much, but it’s the beginning,” she said.

“I’m not saying we should all go out and pee on the sidewalks, that’s not appropriate for adults. However, he was a child in an emergency.”

The New York City Parks Department later insisted that two other public restrooms were open on the day of the incident.

A spokesperson told the New York Post that the restrooms were located in the back of a concession building and in the northwest corner of the park.

However, these bathrooms were supposedly on the other side of the park, where Sasaki and her son were located.

She later told the outlet that park officials never informed her of these options.

Regardless, the parks department has insisted that any public urination is prohibited in city parks.

“We want all New Yorkers to be able to enjoy our parks and feel comfortable in them, which is why NYC Parks maintains more than 1,600 public restrooms across the five boroughs for the benefit of the public and the health of our city ,” the spokesperson said. he said in a statement to the outlet.

“Public urination is prohibited in parks and we ask everyone to use the designated facilities provided.”

The US Sun reached out to the New York City Parks Department for comment but did not immediately hear back.

In recent years, several restaurants, bars, cafes and companies no longer allow the public to use their bathrooms.

The movement allegedly caused an increase in public urination in the city across the coronavirus pandemic.

Furthermore, only restaurants and other food establishment services with 20 or more seats and opened after 1977 are required to provide a bathroom to customers, according to city ​​officials.

As access to public bathrooms appears to continue to be a problem, New York State lawmakers are currently seeking to increase penalties for public urination and deification.

Set Bsick A5262 proposes increasing fines for any infraction to up to $500.

5