February 27, 2008
UES Chosen Ones Choose Their Own Parking Placards
In a few days the city will begin its promised crackdown on the glut of parking placards issued to civil servants. But according to Uncivil Servants, a website that documents illegally parked cars displaying city permits, employees of Park East, an Upper East Side synagogue, have been using bogus DIY parking placards for years. And since they don’t even work for the city, their privileges won’t be affected by the new rules.
Uncivil Servants says that on an average day one can spot "8 to 10 of Park East employees' personal vehicles" parked in zones marked NO STANDING or NO PARKING 7AM - 7 PM. Park East makes their own placards for the drivers, which the local Community Board has approved, though they lack the authority for that according to City Councilman Dan Garodnick. Synagogue director Joel Baum explains to the Post that the privilege is enjoyed by teachers at the synagogue's school, in the same way some public school teachers use official parking placards. Feh!
After the arrangement came to light, Community Board 8 announced that the synagogue will gradually limit the number of illegitimate placards over the next two years, reducing the number to two by June 2010. It is unlikely the compromise will satisfy Uncivil Servants commenters like Dick Tracy: "These people are talking about illegal bogus placards made on a synagigue [sic] xerox machine as needed. This is beyond belief. A police precinct commander who doesn't know right from wrong empowered to enforce the law and a community board with no moral compass."
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We aren't sure if they are legal, but the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary has white on red windshield stickers (like you would find issued by suburban towns for parking permits) which you can find on vehicles parked on 13th Street between First and Second Avenues. Although there are some parking regulation signs mention it by name on the street.
Oy! Kudos for this story.
Dick Tracy should publicise the name of the top cop in the precinct and all the names of the community board and increase the campaign. Shame on the CB and the ticket agents/cops. I love their stones though, but, the Park East employees as well as uncivil servants, should be ticketed and towed, just like you or I.
We aren't sure if they are legal, but the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary has white on red windshield stickers (like you would find issued by suburban towns for parking permits) which you can find on vehicles parked on 13th Street between First and Second Avenues. Although there are some parking regulation signs mention it by name on the street.
Could be Ivan Boesky's temple??
Just another example of NY Hasids sense of self entitlement. They think they run the city and don't have to answer to anyone.
You would all be shocked at what they do to buildings they own. Violations are written but squashed days later when the mayor's office calls down to DOB or FDNY.
In places like borough park, almost every hasidic home is exempt from property taxes. They falsely claim to be synagogues yet are all private & multiple dwellings.
I love how the city is up in arms about parking permits, yet the Hasids get away with stealing tens of millions from the city and state, and make all the illegal renovations to buildings they wish, without fear of consequence.
#5, it's not a Hasidic synagogue. Orthodox, yes. Hasidic, no.
#5 - Volumes could be written about what you don't know about the Orthodox and Chasids.
Volumes could also be written about your obvious anti-semitism.
Also, Jen, and John, could we have at least one story about Jews without the requiste yiddishism - like "Oy" and "Feh"? This isn't the New York Post.
CR - STOP calling people ANTI-SEMITIC - instead address what the actual issue.
I'm so tired of everything thats critical of something people who happen to be jewish do, the debate ends when someone yells anti-semite. You can't talk about parking or 9/11 or Iraq or Iran honestlty. Its pathetic.
"#5 - Volumes could be written about what you don't know about the Orthodox and Chasids.
Volumes could also be written about your obvious anti-semitism."
Not anti-semetic at all. You provide no contrary to the points I bring up.
The 'Sids get away with murder in NYC as far as taxes and real estate go, and the Mayor is making parking placards the issue...shocker.
It's a fact. Hasidics file their Private and Multiple Dwellings as synagogues so they escape taxes. The alterations they make to their real estate are also ridiculous and dangerous...yet they get away with it.
Call 311 and complain. You can also try the 19th precinct directly -- all their contact info is at http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/precincts/precinct_019.shtml
It would be great for one of the shame-on-you/problem solver TV types to catch this, and shame everyone involved into doing the right thing and cutting this illegal and unethical perk.
The next thing that would be great to tackle are the endless "volunteer ambulance" private vehicles (mostly luxury SUVs) with lights and sirens that park illegally. And wouldn't you know -- just about all of these folks are chosen too. The medical services they actually render in a given year in NYC (especially Manhattan) are probably pretty damn near zero.
#8, 9 - "Just another example of NY Hasids sense of self entitlement. They think they run the city and don't have to answer to anyone."
Repeated usage of the word "they" tends to speak volumes about racism. They ALL act with a sense of self entitlement??? ALL building violations are squashed by the mayor's office??? They ALL get away with murder as far as taxes and RE are concerned???
Also, saying the "The 'Sids" doesn't help matters much either.
Hasids, Orthdox, whatever...how many freakin' new synagogues do you need in one neighborhood let alone one block? The rate of multiple residential teardowns to build mega-synagogues/yeshivas/schools is astounding. How do they get away with erecting 8 story buildings in the middle of 2 story residential neighborhoods? Feel sorry for the poor homeowner who lives next door to one of these who suddenly has to deal with a thousand people every weekend in their once quiet neighborhood. How
They're going up faster than Starbucks, WaMU and Commerce Banks.
I'm curious about the legality of the guys in the Diamond District who have police sirens and lights mounted in the grills of their Crown Vics.
burger deluxe,
you mentioned the volunteer ambulance service scam!
you must live near me, these dopes are constantly flashing their sirens & lights and running reds on a regular basis, never ever actually seen them do anything except ride around like they are above the law.
"Reckless rabbi" busted in amazing TV investigation.
http://www.salon.com/ent/video_dog/misc/2007/01/29/rabbi_too_good_for_gridlock/index.html
The volunteer ambulance scam is especially bad on the UES and diamond/garment district.
The best part is that in Westchester, where in many towns the only ambulance IS the volunteer ambulance, EMTs there don't usually bother with the special plates, lights, and sirens. Some have the useless green light, most just don't bother with special treatment.
But in NYC, where these scammers don't go on calls and we have pros (FDNY, hospitals) who are working 24/7 in REAL ambulances, the police/fire/EMT buffs are all over the place.
I think the whole mess started with Shelly Silver and Cuomo back in the 80s.
Where's Snoopy??????
I'm not familiar with the volunteer ambulance guys in the Diamond District or UES, but down on the LES, the volunteer ambulance guys are legit and much appreciated. I see them going on calls all the time (both in their ambulance and in their private cars with VAS plates), and many folks who live on the LES (myself included) would dial Hatzalah before they'd dial 911 in a medical emergency.
Synagogue employees getting free parking placards is s different matter, however.