Thursday, June 11, 2009

DOS cleans up East Elmhurst backyard

"NY1 For You" first reported this story last month, after Terita alerted NY1 to the unsanitary condition.

"I have never really gone that close to look because I am afraid of what might jump out at me," said Terita Murphy.

While they might not have jumped out at her, there were both rat droppings and a dead dog in the trash heap, according to the Department of Health, which sent inspectors to the site after NY1 called. The DOH removed the dog carcass and set out rat poison, but the garbage pile remained and grew.

Legally, the owner of the building, whom NY1 could not reach for comment, is responsible for cleaning up the trash heap. However, since he did not respond to the violation issued by the DOH, the department initiated a several day cleaning process. The agency also issued a summons to the owner, which can result in a fine as large as $2,000.

For the Murphys, however, the legal responsibility is irrelevant. With their next door neighbor's backyard starting to clear, the Murphys can now breathe a sigh of relief, and not have to worry about smelling garbage.

29 comments:

georgetheatheist said...

I periodically make forays onto my neighbor's property when I know he's not home and clean up the mess that's there. I pull out overgrown weeds, discard his dilapidated rain gutters, and squirt the pigeons on his roof with my garden hose. Talk about disgusting, last year, I came across a pigeon nest there with eggs ready for hatching which I immediately cracked open. The stupid bird made a nest out of the usual street and tree detritus and, get this, a dead pigeon as well.

Anonymous said...

George, isnt that tresspassing?
what if your neighbor shared your belief in the nra

linda said...

lmao, he did say when his neighbor is not home. i hate pigeons, they're flying rats and it pisses me off that this women here in maspeth feeds them and now we have over 500 sitting on the lines, crap everwhere. once tried talking with the wacko but nothing, she continues and feeds all the cats too. some people just don't care, are slobs and don't respect the neighborhood.

georgetheatheist said...

Linda, do what I do, get a can of bug spray and spritz the bread crumbs with it that she leaves for them.

Do any readers know where I can purchase a slingshot or a blowgun?

Anonymous said...

a blowgun would be a little conspicuous wouldnt it?

slingshots can be bought from cabela's

Anonymous said...

Queens is a pigsty, and the clubhouse long ago discarded the old Anti-Litter Campaigns - the Archies were giving our new residents a hard time.

I love "Honest Joe" Crowley said...

Me donin no why ya complainin. Em my cooontri we toss the garbitch on de grownin un de rain hard everi day it buri de trash in da mud.

De garbitch it gonin by de nes da.

Anonymous said...

I had a neighbor who was a Hindu who left food out in the backyard for the Gods or something.

His God must have been stray cats or rats.

No problem.

I hope is voted the right way - that is all that matters, right?

Anonymous said...

Would anyone like to do something about that pigsty of an abandoned house on the corner of Otis Avenue and Xenia Street in Corona?

The building has been cemented and boarded up for years, likely waiting for some contractor to buy it and knock it down toadd a crappy apartment building (like they did across the street.) I can go on about this building..it attracts stray animals...there are Rat Poison warnings...gang grafitti on the garage...and a fire broke out in the backyard last year.

The DOB IS very aware, since they repeatedly stick violation tickets to the gate, one on top of another.

I don't live on the block, but need to pass it on the way to the bus. I walk in the street to avoid it. There are many young children on that block, and I don't understand why the neighbors simply sit back and do nothing.

linda said...

george you said that out loud, lmao. i could never and i think the city should do more about cleaning up the mess and going after people like this wacko. she feeds the entire community of cats and piegons. now that DOS had clean up this backyard fined the owner, maybe next they can come on my block :) the idiots who own a large lot needs to be fined 3x's that amount. this lot, garbage is dumped, cats, rats and racoons are living back there. looks like a jungle back there, we all called and complained and no one has done shit yet. omg someone could dump and body and no one would know, not giving ideas out there. the city better step up and clean this shit hole.......

Anonymous said...

This stuff was unthinkable years ago, but with a transient population and absentee landlords, press all but non-existant, pols worrying about world hungar and the Bangladeshi floods, and city resources directed to tweeder programs and devlepment, nothing will happen.

This does not exist on the mayor's block, so he doesn't care.

This does not exist in Brooklyn Heights, so the mainline presevation community doesn't care.

This doesnt exist in Bayside, so Queens Civic Congress doesn't care.

Anonymous said...

I love "Honest Joe" Crowley said...
Me donin no why ya complainin. Em my cooontri we toss the garbitch on de grownin un de rain hard everi day it buri de trash in da mud.

De garbitch it gonin by de nes da.

Thursday, June 11, 2009
--------------------------------

Before anyone says anything like "Why don't you learn English" or something like that, bear in mind that this is an idiot faking the accent.

I llike "Honest Joe" Crowley said...

Before anyone says anything like "Why don't you learn English" or something like that, bear in mind that this is an idiot faking the accent.
---

Harmless fun ...

Unlike the idiots faking running government.

Anonymous said...

I llike "Honest Joe" Crowley said...
Before anyone says anything like "Why don't you learn English" or something like that, bear in mind that this is an idiot faking the accent.
---

Harmless fun ...

Unlike the idiots faking running government.

Thursday, June 11, 2009
----------------------------------

Racism is harmless fun. Check.

Anonymous said...

How is faking an accent racist? Is it racist to say Noo Yawkas tawk like dis?

Anonymous said...

People are so damn sensitive over stupid nonsense. Comments on a blog post send them into a hissy fit, yet their pols can run roughshod over their communities and they just smile and nod.

Unknown said...

WOW the owner of the building will only get a $2000 fine! Thats cheap for all the clean up a cart away that was done. If you hired people to do it you'd spend a lot more.

Anonymous said...

People are so damn sensitive over stupid nonsense. Comments on a blog post send them into a hissy fit, yet their pols can run roughshod over their communities and they just smile and nod.
----
amen brother amen

Anonymous said...

bear in mind that this is an idiot faking the accent.
--

how would a smart person like you write it?

Anonymous said...

Why dont we have anti litter campaigns?

that is easy. it would tear them away from renaming everything for policital hacks, and giving each other plaques for yet another year of avoiding doing anything useful.

Anonymous said...

It originated in the city council pig pen or from Bloomberg himself...NYC's chief porker!

Anonymous said...

Sorry...my post was meant for the swine flu...the cursor hit the wrong box.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
bear in mind that this is an idiot faking the accent.
--

how would a smart person like you write it?

Thursday, June 11, 2009
---------------------------------

I wouldn't.

Anonymous said...

I guess all those authors who try to inject some realism into their books by writing accents like this are idiots, too, then.

Anonymous said...

Good news!--apparently the DOB reads Crappy!

Following up on my earlier complaint about the monstrosity on Xenia and Otis in Corona, two brand new violation tickets were issued and posted yesterday!

I was so impressed, I went home, grabbed my camera to photograph it. We'll see if there's any follow-up, since the owner is clearly AWOL.

Thanks Crappy!!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
I guess all those authors who try to inject some realism into their books by writing accents like this are idiots, too, then.

Friday, June 12, 2009
=================================
When it's used to inject realism into a setting, of course not.

When it's used to purely advance racist humor and is totally irrelevant to what's being discussed, of course.

Anonymous said...

Actually, it's totally relevant to what's being discussed here. Different parts of the world have different hygiene standards, which is a contributor toward cases like this. The accent which you thought was "supposed to be funny," was actually just giving you a clue as to what really goes on in the vibrant diverse world we live in and its inevitable importation here.

Anonymous said...

It's not relevant because the article does not give you enough information to know anything about the owner of the property who could easily be white American.

Reasons that this type of thing happens range from out-of-control-development to overwhelmed heirs trying to deal with property tangles when someone dies.

It is not constructive to make such remarks. It is constructive to give out fines and make the guilty parties bear the cost of rectifying the situation.

Anonymous said...

In East Elmhurst it's really not probable that the owner is white American. Sorry.