They’ve Got to Be Removed

The Sixteenth Avenue sidewalk — between Market Street and Island Avenue in the East Village — is known around the neighborhood as a hangout for the homeless. At night and on most days, they can be seen with bedding spread out on the sidewalk or they’re camped inside tents.

Dorothy Lazenby, a disabled downtown resident, pleaded with the city council on April 13 to help in clearing the area during the day. According to Lazenby, she has had problems navigating the sidewalk when trying to go to her storage facility on the corner of 16th and Market.

“How do you expect to use a wheelchair on the walk when it’s blocked in the daytime?” asked Lazenby. Lazenby says she has difficulty reaching her storage space with blankets all over the sidewalk. “Good old mayor lets them sleep at night; I have no problem with that. When daytime come, they’ve got to be removed.”

Lazenby says that she will keep going before the council until the matter is addressed. “People can’t get access to their storage. I pay high fees, if I didn’t pay high fees down there — I could care less.”