From the Queens Chronicle:For nearly 39 years Martin Price has traveled the borough’s streets — announcing himself on each block with a friendly jingle and a truck full of treats.
He does it for the kids, the 57-year-old Kool Man ice cream man said. And generations of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale children grew up eagerly awaiting his arrival on hot summer days — until last year.
According to Price, that’s when a Mister Softee driver threatened him with violence after their routes began to overlap in Maspeth.
Not one to take unnecessary risks, he gave in to the threats and pulled the plug on his Maspeth route.
But despite the shift in service and an investigation into his claims published by the Queens Chronicle last year, Price said that the threats haven’t just continued — they’ve expanded. He claims that two more Mister Softee drivers are now harassing him in both Middle Village and Glendale.
Price was most recently approached by a Mister Softee driver in Glendale last Monday, where he was harassed once again.
He took his case to the police when the threats began, filing a complaint last summer. But police said they couldn’t act — an officer wasn’t present to witness the harassment. He later went to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, alleging permit violations by the Mister Softee drivers. But the agency told him to go to the police.
