Tzedakah organizations, and businesses who hang posters up on lampposts throughout the Brooklyn area should read the following article from the Kings Courier:
Those responsible for hanging posters on lampposts along Avenues J and M and Ocean Parkway had better mend their ways. Lt. Lillian Tirado, from the city’s Department of Sanitation (DOS) enforcement division, heard an earful at the recent Community Board 14 environmental committee meeting.
She [Tirado] was there as a result of complaints we were having – particularly on Avenues J and M for posters placed up on lampposts on Thursdays for religious events.
They put up hundreds of them, said CB 14 District Manager Doris Ortiz. Tirado explained that the posters – even if advertising a religious or non-profit entity — are illegal. Even politicians are fined for putting them up during election season, she said.
Tirado said this includes the larger glossy posters as well as smaller handbills and fliers advertising local shops such as nail salons and locksmiths.
These advertisements are not allowed on any city or public property and DOS enforcement agents go throughout the city and take them down, she said. Tirado said that putting posters, handbills and fliers on someone else’s property is also illegal, although DOS enforcement agents are not authorized to take those down without the property owner’s permission.
But agents can and do take down posters on city property with the idea of finding out the main culprit for putting them up and ticketing them, said Tirado.
For example, Tirado said they may remove 150 posters, handbills or fliers from the same organization or business documenting the time, date and place of where the poster was found, such as on a lamppost, street sign or other city property.
Then special investigators look into the culprits behind the posters and in some cases go into places of business and do sting operations to find out who the owners are, she said.
Tirado said that of the 150 posters taken down, the DOS enforcement unit keeps about three to take to court and the investigation usually takes two or three months to find out who is getting the revenue from that poster.
After determining who was responsible, they [responsible party] will get summonses for each of the 150 posters at $75 per poster, she said.
Putting up fliers for missing pets and missing people is not illegal, she said.
Tirado said in the case of synagogues and other religious institutions, the city tries to be more lenient. The city might just take everything down and inform the synagogue not to do it any more, but if they persist the city will take action, she said.
Tirado acknowledged a proliferation of religious posters appears to be a problem in the area and her agency is always getting complaints about posters on Ocean Parkway between Avenue I and Avenue P.
In regard to poster complaints along Avenue J and M, Tirado said if people tell her through the community board or by calling 311 of specific locations, the enforcement unit will monitor it.
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22 Responses
WOW!
ONLY JEWS CAN CAUSE SUCH PROBLEMS!!
The hanging is not the problem, the discarding properly of the messy papers after the event is a sore eye.
Did people really think this was legal?
Aside from the fact that it looks messy, who do you think takes these things down and throws them out?
I see posters stapled and taped to city property and private property alike, without any thought.
It costs the property owner time and money to remove this stuff, not to mention Sanitation fines, if the sign falls on the ground by itself.
If a store, shul or organization would like to tell people something, buy space in a newspaper, community magazine, website or on the radio.
Using private (and public) buildings or lampposts as your own private billboard is wrong and possibly g’naivah.
They ought to hang up posters to let the word out
Oh no. Now everyone will have to pay more for advertising since now they will have to advertise in a more expensive fashion, but dont worry becouse it is not a problem even though it is a uge problem….
it is amazing that only we jews have to this & how come no other organization or group does this & i am sure they have events just like we.
There is a right way to do it & that is thru a local newspaper or distribute them in synagougues,why do we have to flood the neighborhood with these posters is beyond comprehension,
Can it possibly be that i must have forget, that we own this country & we have the right to do whatever we decide, remember this is not Israel & we have to learn how to get along with our neighbors & not behave in a way to arouse thier anger,
All these Rebbis coming to flatbush just have to put on announcement in the local paper or have the poster in the shul & the gabbai announce it friday nigh & that should do it.
Finally ! The worst is when the put the same sign every 3 feet. Its sickening and a busha
i dont think that this problem is a religious issue.its just demeaning from a sanitation point of view.as such, they ,the city should do what they have to do to eliminate this condition.it would be another issue if the advertising groups hired ‘cleaner uppers’ to canvass the areas they hang up the signs and clean the mess up. this is not the case, thus, it must stop.
It is about time. These posters are a true nuisence. They just create more garbage. Organizations should put up public billboards where they can posts their messages the correct way.
These illegal posters provide employment for the Sanitation agents who’s job it is to take them down, and any fines collected will bring revenue to the city. Is this sooo bad? 😉
I only read Yeshiva World, and never even noticed posters on lamposts
Take down the lampposts,then there will be less posters! If you can put up a poster or stick one on the wall,so can I and all our neighbors. Why should anyone then pay to advertize if we can dirty up the street and other places with posters?The supermarkets should put up posters on every lamppost and wall with their ‘specials’!
I’m from “out of town” and my institution was fined for putting up signs on lamp-posts even though it was not from our institution. A shul down the block was having a shiur and they posted signs all over town and we ended up with the bill.
I think we need to get those big boards for posters on avenues M & J lke the ones in Meah She’arim, except then they would ticket people for stopping in the middle of the street. And if you happen to be driving forget it!!
Boruch Hashem this machlo hasn’t reached Manchester in such proportions. We do get some posters but only one on each street and not every week. I do wish they would remove them after the event though!
What about everyone’s parnasah?
The exect director.
The PR people.
The artist.
The printer.
The poster hanger. Etc, etc.
Now on the other hand…
The Community Board people,
The DOS, (that includes alot of people;
the inspector,
the ticket writer,
the poster remover,
the guy that shleps the taken-down posters),
The court people: The guy that sends the summons,
The Post Office people,
The court clerk,
The judge,
The court cashier
ETC, ETC, ETC
Now isn’t it worth keeping the economy flowing?
To avoid a chilul Hashem just hang up blank posters with an address on who’s responsable & everyonen’s happy. That is except for the antisemites.
Another thought: paste up the posters on the side of buildings – like in Mea She’arim – that way the buildings don’t fall down!
Happy Erev Rosh Chodesh Adar (Harishon)
why dont they hang a poster outside landaus to let us know
Only in brooklyn do complaints like this take place. If you want to hang this stuff up go to meah shearim where everyone is Jewish, don’t make everyone else suffer because you want to promote your “o so important” event.
So if we really LIKE someone, we should put up some posters of them (or their organization) — preferably with their address and phone number… ay– what will they think of next?
Of course, it is ironic that this article is in a “newspaper” thrown on my steps even though I dont want it.
In Lakewood, unfortunately, a new mishegas has developed- little signs on metal legs at every street corner. (That’s in case you haven’t read about the event in all the local papers for the last few weeks, plus Yated & haModia.) I think it’s been mentioned before that nobody seems to clean them up afterward, and this is extremely irresponsible of those who distribute them or those who hire the distributors. I am sure there is a local ordinance and perhaps this should be taken up with one of the askonim!
I don’t know about every one else, but when I see an event that interests me, I would generally note it on my calendar immediately. Except, of course, that I may procrastinate because I’ll see it another 10 times. Therefore I may miss the rare event that only advertised once!
Yeshiva world, how about taking a poll:
1. Have you ever attended an event only because you were reminded by a sign on the corner?
2. Do you think mosdos andn tzedokos should save their money for their worthy work rather than advertising so much?
3. Are there so few ways to find parnosah that the frum community must be swept up in the Madison Avenue mentality in order to provide jobs for the ever-expaninding advertising industry
I saw a “VOTE FOR HILLARY” sign on a lampost in dwntwn Bklyn (Smith St.) If anyone wants to call 311 and put in the complaint maybe she’ll get fined.