Monday, September 15, 2008

Squeegee men back as city starts slow slide

Squeegee men - the window-washing bane of city streets who became a symbol of Big Apple blight and a top target in former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's crusade to crack down on quality-of-life nuisances in the 1990s - are making a comeback.

During the past three months, a quartet of squeegee men have been mopping windshields at 45th Street and 11th Avenue, an intersection used by drivers heading into the Lincoln Tunnel and onto the West Side Highway.


SMEAR CAMPAIGN

"When the traffic light turns red, they go over and start cleaning for money," said Samuel Blankson, the manager of Park Right, a lot near the corner. "Some people have gotten p---ed off. People see it as harassment."

Once the epitome of urban nuisances, squeegee men ply an aggressive trade of unsolicited windshield wipes in exchange for tips from drivers. Often, the unclean squeegees leave windows dirtier than they were.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

This used to happen to me all the time when I worked in Brooklyn. As soon as I got off the Jackie Robinson Parkway at Pennsylvania Avenue, there they were. And some of them were very intimidating.

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't you just love to see
Senator Toby and
ex C.M./rapist "Pinky" G. wielding squeegees at Queens Plaza?

Anonymous said...

there wil be lehman bros brokers doing this by wednesday

hold on to your hats it is getting ugly!!

got casH?
no debt?

save your pennies

Anonymous said...

Anyone want to buy an apple...A Big Apple?

Anonymous said...

Just say no... to squeegee men.... and dvd peddlers, and water vendors, etc.

Anonymous said...

just look around here in the past few moths we got the guy that pulls up in the van and sets his velour paintings up in the park by the old rest depot then turn the corner and u get the family selling water at 69 th and the service rd the area is turning to crap

Anonymous said...

Just say "Si se puede!!!!" to our glorious "Squeegee Men"!

(Oops, I apologize, how sexist and politically incorrect of me! Our glorious "Squeegee Persons!")

Our "Squeegee Persons" help make our vibrant and diverse city truly a great place to live!

Who needs millions in tax dollars from Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, or AIG? Who needs tax dollars to fund our decrepit public schools anyways?? Our "Squeegee Persons" at least keep the windshields of our gas guzzling SUVs clean and shiny!!!

Let's all celebrate the contributions of our glorious "Squeegee Persons" to our city!

Rome may be burning, and the barbarians are at our gates, but at least we have......"Squeegee Persons"!!!!!

Anonymous said...

"As "Bogey might have said to these former high end Wall Streeters newly turned squeegee men,

"NOW DON'T BE SILLY....YOU'RE TAKING THE FALL"!

(Spoken to actress Mary Astor in the
final scene of the "Maltese Falcon").