Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
chinatown_tow001.jpg

It looks like 5th Precinct Commanding Officer Gin Yee, the Sheriff of Chinatown, is laying down the law once again. A Streetsblog tipster spotted these tow trucks as they were removing government placard abusers from their illegal parking spots in Chinatown. While it's refreshing to see the police "towing their own," the tipster notes that as soon as the trucks pulled away a new group of placard abusing government employees swooped in to claim the empty parking spaces.

If you squint your eyes, you can almost see the temporary "No Permit Parking" notice in the photo below. It looks like a piece of printer paper taped beneath the red "No Standing" sign. Manhattan Community Board 3 has asked the Department of Transportation to install "No Permit Parking" signs throughout Chinatown. Perhaps they also need to ask for a roving squadron of tow trucks to patrol their neighborhood. That would help police and court officers get the picture that Lower Manhattan is more than just their personal parking lot.

chinatown_tow_002.jpg

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Lyft Hoses Citi Bike Riders Compared to Bike-Share in Other Cities: Report

The price of a yearly Citi Bike membership has grown by 77 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars since the bike-share program launched 2013, the Independent Budget Office said.

November 19, 2025

Most People Don’t Drive To Court Street: DOT

And more people bike than drive on the Brooklyn street!

November 19, 2025

DOT Crawls Towards Safe Battery Charging Infrastructure As Fires Rage On

The DOT is once again slow rolling the completion of public charging infrastructure as the city continues to face a battery fire crisis.

November 19, 2025

Report: Biden Infrastructure Bill Spurred Increase in State and Local Highway Spending

The Urban Institute found an overall increase in capital investment in ground transportation — mostly on highways — and flat investment in public transit.

November 19, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: The People v. Yarimi Edition

It was horrific, it was depraved, it was predictable. And it will happen again. Plus other news.

November 19, 2025

Security Blanket: Will NYPD Smother Mamdani’s Love of Transit and Bikes?

Zohran Mamdani likes taking the train and riding a Citi Bike — but the demands of being New York City’s mayor may not be compatible with his transit habit.

November 18, 2025
See all posts