Nothing speaks of civic dysfunction better than a burnt-out, vandalized, totaled car sitting across the street from an Assembly Member's office ... for three weeks.
But that's exactly what you'll find on Frederick Douglass Boulevard between 147th and 148th streets where, since Dec. 27, a completely abandoned, decrepit junked Mercedes-Benz sedan has been sitting in a cross-hatched no-parking zone next to the median of the stately roadway.
Area resident Wendy Frank reported the junked hulk to the 32nd Precinct on Dec. 28, and followed up with a 311 report on Friday, Jan. 14. She also said she mentioned it to staffers for Assembly Member Al Taylor, whose office is across the street from the mechanical remains.
Yet the garbage car (without plates) was still there as of Sunday night.
Here are some pictures of what you'll find if you are in Harlem:
Frank, who has long documented abandoned cars in the neighborhood, said, "This has become a problem for area residents and it is frustrating that the issue is not being addressed by the city and our elected representatives."
Taylor did not respond to an email, but the Sanitation Department is apparently on the case. On Saturday, someone with the agency updated Frank's 311 filing to read that the agency "is in the process of investigating this complaint."
We'll keep you posted.
UPDATE: On Monday, Jan. 17, hours after initial publication of this story and after Streetsblog contacted DSNY for comment, an officer from the 32nd Precinct finally "tagged" the car for removal. See picture and explanation below:
According to DSNY spokesman Joshua Goodman, authorities follow this process:
"A report comes in, we go investigate, if report is substantiated, we tag the car as shown," Goodman said. "We give the owner a few days to remove it, now that the car has been officially marked. If they don't, we tow it away."
Again, we will keep you updated.
