From CBS 2:"As far as I knew it was a piece of garbage sitting on the curb," Paul Lawrence said.
But what Lawrence didn't know when he decided to pick up a discarded air conditioner sitting on the sidewalk in Middle Village, Queens is that once trash hits the curb, it's technically city property.
And he was breaking the law.
"There was a lady here. I asked the lady can I take the air conditioner. She said go ahead take it. It's garbage," Lawrence said.
But not only was he fined $2,000 by a sanitation officer who watched him do it, the car he was driving was impounded.
And its owner -- Lawrence's Aunt, 73-year-old Margaret Colavita, was also slapped with a $2,000 fine.
"I said what is this and she said well we have to serve you with this. You're the owner of the car and it says I gave him permission," Colavita said.
Department of Sanitation officials said it's not always illegal to pick up something from the street. It's only when you're driving a vehicle that the law gets triggered.
Recycling is a revenue source for the city and sanitation officials said the law was "designed to deter organized rings of recycling thefts" that cost the city more than $300,000 a year.
CBS 2 HD took the issue to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"Two thousand dollars is a pretty hefty fine and I don't know what law was broken," Bloomberg said.
Lawrence said he now knows all too well and plans to fight his fine in court.
19 comments:
remember, the CAR is an accessory to the crime (I'm not kidding) and because it's NOT a person, it is GUILTY until proven innocent
I pick up computer, printer (lasers only) stereo eq etc. every week. I wash them, make necessary repairs/upgrades and give them or sell for the cost of bought parts to the workers in my restaurants and their families. I don't make nay money on this, it's a hobby and it is nice to see the difference it makes especially to families when their kids have a machine at home like most others in their classes do.
As of this Wednesday it will be at 71 systems. The items not taken by citizens are simply crushed in the DoS trucks at collection. I see this every day.
The City is full of shit on this issue, and if some civil servant wants to arrest me..fine. I have plenty of resources and good corporate lawyers. I'll be the case that knocks this crap down.
There are literally armies of people roaming the streets in this neighborhood picking up stuff..It's true recycling at it's most effective NOT the scam recycling "events" that the City gives to some brother-inlaw which wastes perfectly good items.
The -only- legitimate recycling issue is the CFC gas in reefer's and AC's.
"$300,000 a year" -what is that to a city with a $63 billion dollar budget.
Really Bloombag give that guy his car back. Stop disgracing our town.
There is "the letter of the law" and then their is "the spirit of the law",known as discretionor common sense.Since the B-berg administration is in control it's hammer time.......I miss Giuliani
If the city is serious about making money from recycling, it would arrest annoying old ladies who keep picking my curbside trash can looking for plastic and glass!
The law is full of crap; the government cares about nothing except how much money it can screw us out of! That's all this is about.
If the city is serious about making money from recycling, it would arrest annoying old ladies who keep picking my curbside trash can looking for plastic and glass!
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You have little old ladies? Cute!
I have mid-aged Asian and Hispanic women on my block.
The same ones will come around 5 times in a night with their giant shopping cart, because you know, ONE more house *might* have put out a soda can since they last came by!
LOVE what it does for my neighborhoods ambiance!
I just love that we get these people coming to NYC for thousands of miles away just to pick through my trash!
They dont get much from the though. I take off the labels!
I am in favor of the law. Last thing i need on my block is some guy in a beat up van circling around my area. Its just such a welcoming sight.
What about those low life scumbags that pick up those BED BUG INFESTED mattresses off the street? Oh I forgot they have more rights than the rest of us:( Vibrant and Diverse!!!
Why dont they fine the Sanitation workers that pick up scrap metal and take it to the private recycling yards that pay them directly! Hmmmm?
Does this mean that people taking bottle and cans out of my recycling pail are also subject to arrest or fine?
the annoying lady in your can is a member of a can/bottle team ,usually asian, that have taken over the local super market recycle machines. when you line up with your 20 cans,behind the team member who is nearly finished,behold another team member reloads her cart with 50 more cans. they store them in cars at the lots.
take your cans/bottles inside and complain. the supermarket will refund from the desk.
they can not police the machine constantly. these teams are very aggressive. probably illegals form s.e.asia
they are potential s.e.i.u. union members. you will pay the pensions?????
Yoo hoo. Someone was slaughtered across the street from me in Astoria park. Do you think you can spare a few people from garbage patrol to actually jug some murderers?
When I catch them strolling down my driveway:) Tresspassing!!! I let my dogs out:) ROFLMAO!!! They run like hell :) LMAO
"cherokeesista said...
When I catch them strolling down my driveway:) Tresspassing!!! I let my dogs out:) ROFLMAO!!! They run like hell :) LMAO"
Well genius-ett, if one of your mutts bites someone..that fine abode may belong to someone else....And you in bankruptcy.
Not if they were trespassing on her property.
Queens Crapper said...
Not if they were trespassing on her property.
You will want to check with your lawyer before testing that out.
Any injury incurred on your property can lead to (at least) a civil suit.
Case in-point: A public school near me had a problem in the 80's with frequent break-ins. The custodian determined that they were entering the building by climbing over and jumping from a chain link fence. During one summer he placed smashed glass from fluorescent lamps and bottles under the school side of the fence.
Several punks who jumped over got cut up and the custodian faced both civil and criminal charges.
One of our managers (in Bklyn) had similar break in problems and decided to wire the door knob and some other metal parts on an inner vestibule door. He connected one lead directly to an outlet. My partner saw this and fired him right there. We spoke to our lawyers about this and they told us, in no uncertain terms what we would have faced if someone had even been shocked.
Another idiot in Astoria told me that he was going to "protect" his detached garage by placing magnetron tubes from an old microwave oven near the entrance to go on and presumably burn someone if they entered without shutting the unit off.
He was asking me how to do this properly. I told him to go soak his f'ing head.
Look, we have the same stuff going on here in the city with garbage scavengers. Only ten times worse.
The solution to the mess these people can make is to tell them to clean up and close up the bags when they are done (this works!) or keep bags out of reach by locking them in an enclosure or not putting them out till the morning of collection.
Sicking dogs on them is asking for trouble.
the sanitation pick up is usually at 1-2 am in my area in queens.
the asian teams do not speak english.
if you are going to extreme defensive mode ,be sure you are licensed and shoot to kill.
as a man in long island found out,it also helps if you are afro-american in the judicial system in America,when you kill a intruder on your property.
i would opt for my dog on a leash though.
Everone, relax! The only people who have to worry about this law are white people. They dont ticket illegals and especially the ones that dont speak English. The foreigners get a free pass. They have more rights than us. Sanitation only go after white people in good neighborhoods (Middle Village). They figure they can target them because they can afford to pay the ticket.
why don't sanitation go after those vans that pick up garbaged mattresses.. and especially with the rise of beg bugs.. instead of picking on people who asked if they can take it and the person throwing it out saying it's ok.. $4000.00 in total are you fxxking kidding me!! how dare this city do that. wow what the hell is going on with NYC!!
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