Tuesday, December 15, 2009

NYPD illegally hangs posters to promote upcoming holiday event

There are dozens of posters around the East Village to promote the 9th Precinct's Annual Children's Christmas Party...such as this one on 14th Street near Avenue B...



...and this one on Avenue B and Fifth Street...



Perhaps those responsible for hanging the signs may want to consult Section 10-119 of the New York City Administrative Code, which reads that it "shall be unlawful for any person to paste, post, paint, print, nail or attach or affix by any means whatsoever any handbill, poster, notice, sign, advertisement, sticker or other printed material" upon any public utility or light pole or traffic sign pole.

Several years ago, I was helping a friend hang a handful of innocuous flyers for an apartment moving sale. The police stopped me on Avenue A and 11th Street. They said that they could write me a summons. I looked at the light pole where I just taped up a sign. Nearly every pole along A was full of flyers. I mentioned this. Their response? "You got caught." Then! When I failed to produce an ID, there was talk of taking me "downtown" and what not. They finally let me go with a warning.

8 comments:

evi said...

Hilarious. Maybe you could go down to the ninth precinct and conduct a citizen's arrest.

Bowery Boogie said...

nypd should have better things to do than that.

glamma said...

this is why i love this blog.

evkid said...

This party is being put on by the Ninth Precinct Community Council (thenewninthprecinct.org), not the NYPD. The Community Council, to my knowledge, does not use taxpayer money and is not part of the NYPD. I would venture to guess that civilians put these up, not officers.

EV Grieve said...

Thanks glamma!

EV Grieve said...

Thanks, evkid. I figured police officers probably didn't put these up... I'm curious if the 9th Precinct even knew that fliers would be distributed...if so, someone may have reminded the volunteers against posting these on the street...

Ken Mac said...

maybe it's the always classy FOP!! Stop calling me will ya?

Grooshlik said...

Really? The police are giving out gifts to kids and your gonna complain? You Grinch!!
Get a life!