Now At The American Playground: Chicken Feet

The above photographs come courtesy of a(nother) lady named Heather. She writes:

What’s up with American Playground!!! For the past two days they’ve been burning what smells like plastic on the next door construction lot (illegal?), today there was chicken parts all over… my son picked up a foot – yuck! and drunk bums that broke a pint bottle and just left the glass! Aaahhhh – is there anyone that I can give complaints to that will actually do something?

Some of you might recall I encountered a live chicken in this park two years ago: Larry Bird. This may seem like an inexplicable occurrence but when one takes into consideration that there is a poultry facility located next door it is not unreasonable to presume this is from which my feathered friend originated. As for the above-depicted item, well, I seriously doubt it simply walked there.

When I strolled down Noble Street this morning the gents at Eastern Poultry were busy hosing out their trucks.

Don’t let their dour, business-like demeanor fool you: my presence was a source of considerable mirth. Or at least that’s what their wolf-calls and whistles would suggest. Amusingly enough when I started filming they got “shy”. No worries, when I stopped they resumed their “merrymaking”.

I have already expounded upon the standard operating procedure for this complaint (and any other, for that matter): call 311, file a complaint, get a complaint number and tender this number along with any and all details to your local community board*. Given that we’re probably dealing with illegal dumping of material that is (or I would consider to be) hazardous I would also forward this information to:

1. The New York City Parks Department (who, I would like to note, had an employee cleaning this space when I walked by this morning).
2. The New York City Department of Sanitation
3. The New York State Department of Environmental Protection
4. Our City Councilman: Steve Levin
5. Our State Assemblyman, Joseph Lentol

If anyone out there has more advice for my friend Heather please tender them via comments. This is not only unacceptable, it is disgusting and a public health hazard. Our community deserves better than this.

Miss Heather

*It should be noted that Community Board 1 (which serves Greenpoint and Williamsburg) is having their monthly meeting TONIGHT.