Public Employee Press

Union mourns slain Local 983 member, Parks worker Damien Bowles

City Seasonal Aide Damien Bowles, 29, a Parks Dept. night watchman and a member of Local 983, was murdered at work Aug. 28 at Brooklyn’s Douglass-Degraw Pool.

At around 10 p.m., after the pool was closed, the killer climbed a locked fence, walked up behind Bowles, and with a single shot, ended his short life. The gunman then fled into the night. Police had no suspects as PEP went to press.

Bowles had worked for Parks the past five summers as a part-time pool guard. He also rapped under the name D-Black. “He looked forward to going to work every day,” said Jerome Black, a family friend. Bowles was laid to rest Sept. 8.

Family, friends, co-workers and fellow unionists were left to mourn him. “Damian was loving, gentle, sensitive, giving and smart. He had a lot of common sense,” said sister Lushana Quamina, 30, a former City Parks Worker and Local 1505 member. “We were best friends.” Other family members include his daughter, Stardashia Bowles, 9, another sister, Christina Bowles, brother Barrington Simmonds, and his parents, Patricia Bowles-Simmonds and Fenton Quamina.

“We’re very sad that this happened,” said Local 983 Treasurer Thomas Testa. “It’s a devastating day when someone goes to work and doesn’t come home. Both Local 983 and DC 37 are doing everything we can for this member’s family and to make sure this can’t happen again,” he said.

Local 983 and Lillian Goodwine of the DC 37 Safety and Health Dept. are working with the Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau of the state Labor Dept. and the Parks Dept. to investigate and to improve protection of the workforce.

“Local 983 Vice President Joe Puleo and Tom Testa and I have met with PESH and Parks Dept. personnel, and we conducted a workplace security assessment,” said Goodwine. PESH will issue a report and then all parties will review the agency’s policies and procedures.