Brooklyn, NY – Council Member Simcha Felder launched an outreach campaign this week to raise awareness of the City’s strictly enforced ban on placing fliers or posters on telephone and utility poles and other public property. On Monday, Felder mailed hundreds of letters to community based organizations and yeshivas informing them of the details of these rules.
“Individuals, community based organizations and businesses need to better understand this law and the fines they face for violating it,” says Felder. “I strongly discourage anyone from posting signs on public property for any purpose, including charitable events and religious meetings.”
Felder added that his office has received numerous calls from individuals and organizations who have received thousands of dollars in fines from the Department of Sanitation for violating this law by posting illegal signs. He noted that the Environmental Control Board is the only body with the power to reduce these fines.
City law prohibits any person from posting, painting or affixing any type of handbill, poster, sign or sticker upon any public property including telephone and utility poles, parking meters, trees, and traffic signs. Violations carry a hefty penalty of $75 to $150 per violation for a first offense and up to $250 for repeat offenses. There is a rebuttable presumption that any person whose name, telephone number, or other identifying information appears on any sign is in violation and subject to these fines.
Felder encouraged those with questions to call 311 or to attend one of the Community Board meetings listed below where he, along with Department of Sanitation representatives, will be present to discuss this law and respond to questions.
Community Board 11: June 11, 7:30PM at Holy Family Home, 1740 84th St.
Community Board 14: June 15, at 7:30PM at P.S. 249 (Caton Ave & Marlborough Rd.)
Community Board 12: June 23, 6PM at Community Board 12 offices, 5910 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219
Community Board 15: June 30, 7PM at Kingsborough Community College, 2001 Oriental Blvd. (Room U112)
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18 Responses
How about”Vote for Felder” signs?
I have no objection to this enforcement since it’s really gotten out of hand. I’m sure the heimish store owners would allow posters to be placed inside their store windows if asked.
What irks me the most is those MOVING $16 an hour posters which I see throughout the city on almost every lamp post. Why can’t sanitation fine the owners of the phone numbers that appear on the posters?
It is about time.
These posters make more garbage than the flyers that they stick in your mailbox.
When are they going to make it illegal to deliver signs on everyone’s doorstep, mailbox, driveway and every other conceivable place you could put all this garbage??
Why should it bother anyone that a Yeshiva or any other tzedakah, be allowed the free advertising for their dinner? Now they will have another unnecessary expense. Its mamesh Meedas S’doim, ze neheneh, v’zeh loi chosar.
It is a shame when I see pictures of gedolim on these posters and they are thrown on the floor. Unfortunately, it has gotten out of hand and is a real chillul Hashem, especially if there are laws regarding against these posters.
Sam Rose, this law applies to everyone and has been on the books long before some of these organizations existed. I guess you like ugly streets littered with garbage and grafite. The biggest bazoyone is plastering shuls with these posters. They are holy places and should not be made ugly by pasting bill boards on them. It is wonderful that the Dept. of Sanitation go around erev shabbos to pull down these signs.
This enforcement should also take happen for political signs. It would be wrong if this is only selective enforcement.
great news it is about time down with posters
#5 – because it’s not your pole, period, and it makes the neighborhood look trashy (period)
This New York City law has been on the books for a very long time and should be enforced. It is a good idea for our elected officials to make our community aware of the law not only to avoid fines but also to stop the proliferation of thes eposters in our community. Notices should be placed in shuls and supermarkets instead.
SIMCHA FELDER IS #1
HE WANTED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT EACH MOSAD HATORAH V’CHESED KNOWS ABOUT THE LAW AND ABOUT THE CHANGE OF POLICY. HE WENT AND DID OUTREACH, MAILING ETC. SO THAT THOSE WHO DID VOTE HIM INTO OFFICE AND ALL KLALL YISRAEL DO NOT GET HIT WITH FINES.
YASHER KOACH !!!!
BROOKLYN NEEDS MORE ‘SIMCHA’ !
Sam Rose, why should they advertise for free while any business should pay for advertising? Why should they ruin the already low quality of life that exists in Brooklyn? Why is it Middas Sedom to enforce laws that prohibits ugly advertising and unwanted garbage around the neighborhood? You my friend have it all wrong. To find out what Middas Sedom is take a look at the Torah in parshas Bereishis and you will discover the true meaning. We live in a Malchus Shel Chesed and just because a law is enforced that you personally don’t like, it in no way makes it midas sedom to clean up a neighborhood.
Do all you people and #7, follow the letter of the law when it concerns your personal finances or do you hedge a little here and there?? Now two wrongs don’t make a right, but don’t start applying the law only when it concerns our moisdos. On the other hand we can try to try to make sure the street isn’t littered. Maybe they should pay the guys who hang up these posters or anyone else to go around and tear them off and dispose of them properly. I’m sure there can be a middle ground here.
To #13:
There is no middle ground! This law should of been enforced years ago. What a Chillul Hashem these signs cause. Did you EVER see a Goyisha poster hanging from one of the public light poles? What do you think the Goyim are thinking when they see all the trash hanging from these poles – all with Jewish words? You still haven’t answered about the Bizayon of the poster’s falling on the ground with pictures of Gedolim and people walking & stepping on them, cars driving over them etc… Wake up! Are YOU going to stop and pick up each and every poster that falls on the ground?
Our Boro Park community is one of the uncleanest communities in the city. This is because our residents and our community leaders do not value “neatness and cleanliness”. Our children don’t begin to understand what it means to live in a healthy, normal and clean neighborhood.
I propose that we should support the efforts of Mr. Felder by talking about this value with our families, neighbors and friends and with our leaders. I think that it would be refreshing to see and hear support for such an effort. If we start believing in the value of cleanliness, everyone will see everyone else become interested in this. Let’s start with our own children. Let us not buy them “nosh” that makes filth unless they throw it in a trash can.
Also, when someone boasts getting of a ticket and somehow he fought and got away canceling such a fine, respond by not understanding. Why not pay if you violate a law. Don’t admire him, but advise him to pay the fine and obey the law the next time.
Mr. Felder, you were the first, who a few months ago gave out little signs to hang onto our properties, to stop delivering advertisements and other printed matter onto our properties and homes. By the amount of signs you saw, you can see that there is a great interest in becoming neat and clean. Look around how many of these signs are still up. Unfortunately many well-meaning people do not understand. Please note a comment from Sam Rose he wrote in Comment # 5.
“Why should it bother anyone that a Yeshiva or any other tzedakah, be allowed the free advertising for their dinner? Now they will have another unnecessary expense. Its mamesh Meedas S’doim, ze neheneh, v’zeh loi chosar.”
Mr. Rose, I am sure that you are a very fine person but I think that you are making a big mistake here. Please look into mussar seforim and you will find that “cleanliness” is one of the very important stepping stones of the development of our midos. Organizations however fine and lofty should not do things that are not in the interest of the community and they too must obey the laws. We are proud of a lot of the accomplishments we have in Boro Park. Believe me not everything is well and beautiful. If it is in our hands to improve, let us do so. Let us help Mr. Felder.
I happen to enjoy a clean neighborhood as much as anyone else and I also think it’s a bizayon to see pictures of gedoilim on the streets but a way should and can be found to let the moidos ( not businesses, concerts, etc.) advertise and still keep our neighborhood clean. Although, walking down 18th, 16th, and 13th avenues every one can see the streets are pretty filthy every day and I don’t hear anybody yelling about how ugly our streets look, and the chilul hashem. Everyone understands that in a business area, that’s how the streets look. When you have a neighborhood with so many moisdos making dinners, melave malkos, etc to raise money, we should also be forgiving if it causes more garbage than there should be.
ROSE–Ask stores and shuls and schools ect to hang up signs inside. many would be more then willing. it makes it easier and neater. We need to respect the city laws- dina dimalchusei dina. Why should tzeddeka organizations have the right to destroy public property? why should guest speakers or other community activities have a right to plaster their posters all over the asphalt?
These are the new ones, but these moving signs have been noted in
NYC 311 phone calls going back to at least 2005.
Below are some more recent phone numbers, dollar amounts as noted
on lamp posts, along with when they were first noted.
646-881-8277 ($17,Jun.’09),
908-875-6077 ($xx,Apr.’09),
347-570-1448 (19$,Mar.’09),
347-822-6392 ($16,Nov.’08),
718-621-2196 ($xx,Sep.’08),
212-729-0318 ($20,Sep.’08),
646-719-7433 ($16,Sep.’08),
718-619-8129 ($17,Aug.’08),
718-307-9849 ($18,Aug.’08),
212-729-0318 ($20,Jul.’08),
646-238-6396 ($16,Jul.’08),
718-238-3248 ($16,Feb.’08),
718-697-9911 ($14,Jan.’08),
718-748-0314 ($16,Nov.’07),
718-200-6767 ($19,Oct.’07),
347-243-4337 ($18,Aug.’07),
Want some case numbers from 2005?
2005-ML-730-5976;
2005-MLCT-000-47;
2005-ML-730-6053