ARCH Enemies: The Battle to Save Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park was an iconic historical tourist attraction, with its music, songs, and counterculture inhabitants. The drug culture in the park during the '70s, '80s, and '90s was part of the draw for tourists and teens to the park. NSU II's scope of responsibility included Washington Square Park. Politicians and the police always turned a blind eye to the crowds and their drug use inside the park. The police officers assigned to NSU II were instructed not to enter the park at nighttime as it was too dangerous to patrol.

Officer Robert McKenna, assigned to the NSU II, made regular solo sweeps through the park despite the warnings. This was when Officer McKenna first met Slim, a park drug dealer. Slim stood six feet and nine inches tall. He was a high school basket standout at the age of seventeen. Slim was given offers from over 350 college basketball scouts to have him play for their collegiate teams.

Throughout his career in the NYPD, McKenna always gravitated back to Washington Square Park. He patrolled the park unofficially when he was assigned to the NSU II. A few years later, he was the park sergeant responsible for the day-to-day operations within the park. He was successful in ridding the park of drugs for the year he supervised the cops there. Then he was promoted to lieutenant and transferred to a Brooklyn precinct.

Two months later, a scathing NY Times article showed how the drugs returned to the park in McKenna's absence.

The police commissioner demanded that McKenna return to the park for a once and for all park cleanup.

McKenna would arrest Slim at least thirty-two times during the next seven years.

Slim grew old and sickly from his constant drug abuse while McKenna knew it was his time to retire from the NYPD, but Slim, via some media friends, asked to see the lieutenant one last time as he was dying of AIDS. McKenna granted the combatant his dying wish. Their meeting lasted over four and a half hours before Slim lost his battle with AIDS that night.

This book is about Slim's final hours.