Monday, October 17, 2011

Is the Fine Fare recycling center 'destroying' East Fourth Street?

Patrick Hedlund has the story today at DNAinfo ... Some fed-up neighbors are saying that the recycling center on the East Fourth Street side of the grocery store at Avenue C continues to cause problems. Such as: Noise. Drinking. Public urination. Fights.

Sounds like just another weekend night outside [insert pain-in-the-ass bar here].

Residents have been talking with the 9th Precinct and local elected officials this past year. Last Thursday, Hedlund reports that 15 residents met again with the 9th. Per the article:

“Essentially they live there,” said one block resident, who complained of having to pick up human feces “every day” and noted that some of the regulars hassle other people who often use the machines.

“This is a problem for us seven days a week.”

17 comments:

Pauline said...

"Screaming fights" okay, very annoying. "Physical altercations" also very annoying. "Drinking and littering" Can't he recycle that bottle? "Passing around the bottle" As with the above, really? Look at these two guys and then think to the squealing gaggle of twenty-somethings charging down the street on a weekend night. "Regular recycler engaging in public urination" Look, that's gross, but you've got to see that the man is TRYING to be respectful. He's TAKING his piss with him instead of smelling up the place. Again, contrast this with the weekend drinkers. "Recycler changing his clothes on the street" Heavens! I've never seen such...oh, wait..."Women and children forced to weave through the men" This is just reaching! We ALL have to "weave" through sidewalk traffic. Those men didn't seem to harrass them or even notice them! Look, I know there are problems here and I can imagine how annoying this must be, but this video comes off as a little precious. Please keep in mind that these are poor people engaged in a little bit of industry instead of panhandling. I don't know, am I being unsympathetic? I guess if I lived across the street I might feel differently. I just wonder if we should cut these unfortunates a little slack.

Anonymous said...

Yikes. Nightmare. Did not know that environmentalists would be so uncouth.

nygrump said...

Part of the problem is the inability of stores to take recycled bottles. Delis don't accept returnables.

"“Sometimes I call the cops,” he noted, “and they don’t do anything.”

Hmm, you don't think the cops are working to create this problem and let it get out of control? i think they just don't want to deal with the mentally ill people there.
.”

“We’re not against recycling,” said Ayo Harrington, who is president of the block association. “[But] we absolutely want this place gone.”
NIMBY.

Lux Living said...

Looks like a third world country!

Pauline said...

After leaving my last comment, I read the post on DNAinfo. I should have done that before I commented. It DOES sound pretty bad. I apologize for my rashness.

Anonymous said...

I have never been bothered by these people. At night the similar version can be found at the Frat Bars. Only sayin..

glamma said...

CROSS THE STREET and I have absolutely no issue with this and have never been disturbed personally by any of these people or their activities. SHOW A LITTLE HEART PEOPLE! there is a notion called compassion for those who have less than you.
"oh let's go pick on the can collectors now..."
give me a break.
whoever made this video has a serious, serious problem. get a life!!
the frat brats are a MILLION times worse than these poor people, leave them alone for chrissakes.

Marty Wombacher said...

Dancing with the Stars?

EV Grieve said...

I removed the video. It started automatically every time you visited the site...

Anonymous said...

I live across the street and intend on moving out once my lease is up. Between the noise of people fighting at 3 and 4am on an every-other-day basis infront of the 24 hr deli and the trucks honking/people recycling at 5am... it makes it near impossible to get sleep. I've had guests over who have since commented on "how you can live there." Noise in NYC makes sense... but the degree of noise on that corner is just absurd.

Lux Living said...

@Grieve THANK YOU!

Anonymous said...

No one who does not live with the noise and filth outside their home 24/7 has any right to judge the sentiments of the people of East 4th St.

glamma said...

meant to say I LIVE ACROSS THE STREET, for the record.

glamma said...

and if anything these people should be at least be warned about these complaints.

blue glass said...

i have often walked by the corner of avenue a and 7th street on a sunday mid-afternoon and thought "god, i'm glad i don't live on this block. it is so noisy" - the noise of folks having brunch and talking.
and sometimes i yell out my window at the 4am screamers walking down my block, or rant at the constant honking of horns.

this neighborhood is full of noise.
if there was something i could do to reduce the noise i would.

glamma says "whoever made this video has a serious, serious problem. get a life!!
the frat brats are a MILLION times worse than these poor people, leave them alone for chrissakes."

noise is not an economic barometer unless you are talking about how the police treat noise on sutton place as opposed to the east village.

it is unfair to expect people to accept excessive noise whether it emanates from the poor or the frat brats.
no folks - from any neighborhood - should be subjected to 24-hour noise or sleepless nights.

glamma said...

fair enough bluegrass but it is flatly wrong how the police refuse to well, POLICE the frat brats, while the underclass is consistently treated like garbage while everyone looks the other way. the real miscreants are moneyed and act as if they are totally insulated from the law, which apparently they are.
my comments about the videographer were largely because i found the subtitles obnoxious and reaching.

blue glass said...

glamma, i did not think the video was helpful or offensive. and while they could have left out the subtitles there is a problem. just as there is a problem with rats in TSP. the fact that those complaining about the rats are precious or yuppies does not change the facts. a problem is a problem whether caused by frat brats, the homeless, or the stupid. noise, rats, garbage, puke, etc. we should not have to put up with that. the police should be as active no matter who causes the problem or how valuable the real estate.