Friday, August 21, 2015

The new lights on the Con Ed substation

Several residents who live on East Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B have told us about a group of people — anywhere from three to 12 at times – who have been sleeping on the sidewalk along the Con Ed substation this summer… according to residents, they pack up and leave early in the mornings.

One resident said that they have worn out their welcome, though declining to go into details on what this meant exactly. (The reader did say the EMTs have had to pay several visits in the morning.)

So perhaps this is why workers earlier this week installed new lighting on the substation (new lights actually went in all around the structure on A and East Sixth Street)…





There are three new lights in total (only two in the reader-submitted photo below) on the East Fifth Street side …



However, as of Thursday night, only one of the three lights seemed to work on East Fifth Street …



If the lights were put up to deter anyone from sleeping here, then they didn't work. Several people still spent the night under the new light in the middle the past few evenings.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

People have been sleeping there for a very long time -- as far back as 15, 20 years. So wWhat's the big deal?

Anonymous said...

People should not be allowed to sleep on the street, as it encourages uncivil behavior and crime. It also causes a mess on the sidewalks and streets, as these people deposit food scraps, etc. They should go into homeless shelters, or better yet, clean up and go get jobs. Another alternative is to leave NYC.

Bill

Gojira said...

Because, Anon. 7:25, now there's a whole new group of entitled young'uns around that don't like to see anything that's not pretty, shiny or luxury in their line of sight, and grungy homeless persons don't fit into their notion of what "their" 21st century New York should be. No room here now for anything but the best and most upscale!

DrGecko said...

Geckos don't bother to close their eyes when they sleep (well, no eyelids), but my understanding is that people do, and that tends to block out the light. There are also advanced techniques, such as shielding your eyes with your arm. And if none of this works, people can use technology, for example pieces of cloth.

Were the humans who decided on the lights too dumb to figure this out? Or is ConEd run by reptoids?

Anonymous said...

I plan on buying blindfolds for these human beings. I am so tired of people saying that these situations always lead to crime to justify a lack of compassion. The positive side of this is at least this is not in front of someone's home, nor as we saw with Strand Book Store a business that has retail customers and open 7 days per week. These people have problems and I suspect this is a better alternative for them than sleeping in a shelter (which are notorious for crime).

Anonymous said...

The lights are intrusive. And there are all of these cameras, I think the big round one on the corner is new?

DrGecko said...

Bill's right, but there's a bigger problem. There are all sorts of people who shouldn't be allowed out in public. Some have gross deformities, or maybe they're just ugly. I don't want to have to look at them. They should go into shelters or, better, spring for plastic surgery. Another alternative is to leave NYC.

Anonymous said...

There are a few people who sleep on 9th between B and C DIRECTLY under almost spot light caliber lights. Now I understand some lighting likely = more safe if you are sleeping on the street but literally 10 feet down it's a LITTLE darker. I don't understand their placement/how they fall asleep like this!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Bill, you really nailed it. I suppose it never occurred to any of these "street" people to "clean up and get jobs." Maybe you need to GET REAL. There are a lot of reasons why people end up on the street. This is not a simple situation. And many of those folks might like to "just leave" but they cannot. Your "solution" has the insight of a three-year-old. Glad you're not running things — you're the very opposite of compassion. There were always homeless in NYC, unfortunately because of the capitalist system there will likely always be homeless in NYC and IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT BILL, WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE (and take your vitriol with you instead of leaving your mess all over the comments board)!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @ 2:44, these people are often drug- and booze-adddled, so they need to clean up their act and get a job. My solution is more compassionate and better for them than your non-existent one. As for my being in charge, no I'm not. That happens under socialism, as under Uncle Joe and Lenin in the old USSR. Comnrade bama is a corrupt second best to Uncle Joe.

Bill

Scuba Diva said...

Doesn't anybody remember Merlin? That must have been back in the 80s or 90s, right?

EV Grieve said...

@Scuba Diva

Merlin died on Aug. 16, 1996. In previous years someone had created a memorial for him at 6th and A on the anniversary of his death. I don't recall seeing one these past two years.

Anonymous said...

It's such a part of NYC that I'm ok with people sleeping on the streets here. But as I've bitched about before: they leave several things on my steps... Let's code name them #1 & #2.
If you have this same problem and wish you could get them to move elsewhere without causing a damn tower to be erected nearby do this:
Pour a bit of ammonia or perfume on the sidewalk. It's tough enough to sleep under a light. Tougher if it smells like a flower bomb. The rest of us are the same as the homeless... We'd just like to enjoy our city - without having to pickup after some dude who isn't housebroken :P
(Google the words homeless brain injury to find out why I no longer look at them like they're all on drugs anymore. They need our help. Not our anger. Not handouts. Real help. One day it might just be you out there, buddy.)