“I don’t know what they can do. He’s just a public nuisance, but you can’t urinate and defecate in the park,” one Ridgewood resident said of the man.
   The vagabond has been seen standing outside of storefronts along Fresh Pond Road and the apartment building across the street from the playground. “He sleeps sometimes on benches,” Michelle, a Flushing resident who often visits the park with her two children, said. “He smells like alcohol and urine. As a parent of two, it is very unsanitary.”
   People in the neighborhood say the mysterious man, whose name is unknown, is not violent or threatening in any way.
   “He’s not hostile, he stays to himself,” Michelle said.
   Some residents believe that the man has someone supporting him, be it family, friends or local store owners. “Someone must be taking care of him,” the Ridgewood resident said. “Every day he shows up with food in a bag; he must have family or friends in the area.”
   Even though it is known throughout the community that the man is using the playground as his personal sleeping area and toilet, officials say he cannot be arrested unless he is caught in the act.
   City Parks workers voiced concerns. They are the ones who have to clean up his waste after he leaves. They scrub the part of the playground he uses as a toilet and sometimes even sanitize the benches. “One time he stood up on the bench and urinated on himself,” the local resident said.
   Neighbors of the park agree that something must be done. “He needs some rehabilitation,” a couple who often visits the park said. “If he is arrested for vagrancy he would be out in 72 hours.”
   For now, the community of Ridgewood and Benninger Playground-goers try to stay alert and continue efforts to get the homeless man the help he needs.
   The Department of Homeless Services has been contacted about the man. “Our agency, as well as our street outreach provider in Queens, is aware of an individual in Benninger Park,” the offical said. “We will continue to engage him, as we have been doing — assessing his needs and offering him housing solutions to move him off the streets.”
   “The city should provide a place for him to stay. They should give him a shelter,” Michelle said. But it is not that simple , according to the DHS. “Homelessness is not a crime, and we cannot force anyone to come inside against his or her will,” the official said. “We will continue to engage this individual, with the eventual goal of helping him return to self-sufficiency by way of permanent housing.”