Taking matters into their own hands

From the Daily News:

Stop spying on us. Stop harassing us. Enough is enough.

That’s the message business owners along Dyckman St. in Inwood want to send to camera-wielding residents, who have been a ubiquitous presence along the bustling strip.

The citizen-snappers loiter in front of restaurants, taking photos and videos in an attempt to prove that the owners are turning their eateries into illegal after-hours cabarets.

"It's horrible," said Ingrid Rodriguez, 34, a waitress at Papasito Mexican Grill and Agave Bar. "They walk around taking pictures on the sneak tip. They're always spying on us all the time."

It’s one of the tactics that has taken root in recent years, as Dyckman St. has been transformed into a nightlife magnet from Broadway to the riverfront, where booming La Marina has become a notorious hip-hop hangout.

The buildup has fed a full-scale feud, putting the merchants on the defensive as residents insist the revelry and traffic is ruining their lives.

Residents, complaining that some eateries have skirted the rules by morphing into late-night dancehalls, have been making plenty of noise of their own.

“I want to see restaurants stay restaurants and don’t become nightclubs,” said Nancy Preston, who lives at Dyckman St. and Seaman Ave. “If you’re a nightclub, say you’re a nightclub.”

Frustrated by what they call a lack of enforcement, the residents have taken it upon themselves to document the activity.