Jackson Heights Life

Quote from: twmeb on June 26, 2021, 08:47:24 PM

The people discussed in this thread are human beings with substance abuse and/or mental health issues. Instead of calling for policing and punishment, how about some compassion? If one feels strongly about not wanting to see people passed out drunk on the sidewalks in the neighborhood, consider joining or starting a group to give them the help and support they need to get them off the streets and simultaneously improve their well-being and the health of the neighborhood.

I'm just going to be the one to say it. I am maxed out on compassion. Empathy, compassion, excuses, and endless understanding/coddling is getting us as a community nowhere and clearly not helping these individuals either. I have called DHS/311 many times and personally witnessed a refusal of outreach efforts as well and the situation keeps getting worse, not better. We're complaining about 82nd street, but has anyone even been to the corner of 83rd and Roosevelt? It's literally a poop-strewn toilet now. Literal poop on the walls and sidewalk. What is HAPPENING to this neighborhood?

Back to 82nd Street...I've had to leap over a streaming flow of urine in realtime. I have to hold my breath to walk down the block to get to the subway. I actually LIVE on the block and I am now strongly considering moving out of the neighborhood because I am realizing that I am just not aligned to what's happening here. Living like this is not acceptable to me. It's stressful, unpleasant, and there just seems to be a general apathy from our elected officials. They'd rather focus on 34th Avenue, as if that's the ONLY block that matters in Jackson Heights.

Quote from: abcdefghijk on June 28, 2021, 10:04:48 AM

Quote from: KGDHP on June 28, 2021, 09:37:09 AM

Quote from: twmeb on June 26, 2021, 08:47:24 PM

The people discussed in this thread are human beings with substance abuse and/or mental health issues. Instead of calling for policing and punishment, how about some compassion? If one feels strongly about not wanting to see people passed out drunk on the sidewalks in the neighborhood, consider joining or starting a group to give them the help and support they need to get them off the streets and simultaneously improve their well-being and the health of the neighborhood.

I'm just going to be the one to say it. I am maxed out on compassion. Empathy, compassion, excuses, and endless understanding/coddling is getting us as a community nowhere and clearly not helping these individuals either. I have called DHS/311 many times and personally witnessed a refusal of outreach efforts as well and the situation keeps getting worse, not better. We're complaining about 82nd street, but has anyone even been to the corner of 83rd and Roosevelt? It's literally a poop-strewn toilet now. Literal poop on the walls and sidewalk. What is HAPPENING to this neighborhood?

Back to 82nd Street...I've had to leap over a streaming flow of urine in realtime. I have to hold my breath to walk down the block to get to the subway. I actually LIVE on the block and I am now strongly considering moving out of the neighborhood because I am realizing that I am just not aligned to what's happening here. Living like this is not acceptable to me. It's stressful, unpleasant, and there just seems to be a general apathy from our elected officials. They'd rather focus on 34th Avenue, as if that's the ONLY block that matters in Jackson Heights.

The irony is that folks are paranoid about COVID but the public health consequences of excrement in the streets is Third World...and disease from that situation is possibly worse than COVID.

The public health implications are real.

KGDHP, I'm inclined to agree with you; we shouldn't need to put up with this. Our elected officials will likely continue to be useless until after the election since they don't want to risk losing votes. And let's face it, they weren't all that helpful to begin with. I guess the only thing we can do is continue to put pressure on the powers that be to do something. It's exhausting though...

This morning I sent an email to Councilmembers Francisco Moya and Daniel Dromm, asking them to arrange for a meeting with the JHBG, 82nd Street Partnership, the 115th/110th Precincts and the Department of Consumer Affairs (and any other agencies they think necessary) to address the concerns around inebriated homeless people and street vendors that have made our "main street" of 82nd Street an absolute mess.  I sent them the link to this thread so they can understand it is more than just one person's complaints.  I will keep you apprised of the progress.  We shall see.

If we do not hold our elected officials and City agencies accountable, who will?   And how about those running for office - when will they ever want to address these types of issues?  Pathetic.

I have been away for over a week since posting the photo of the cesspool in front of Burger King.  Looks like nothing has changed, except that the stench is possibly more vile...I suspect that if this encampment (and some of the others that are sprouting up all over Jackson Heights) were in front of Danny Dromm or AOC’s or any of the other local pols’ offices, something would have been done a long time ago.   Do we really need to be subjected to these 3rd world conditions in our backyard?