People sitting on front steps of buildings... (Washington Heights: school, landlord)
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When I lived in New York City in the 1990s my walk up was litterally hot as hell. I did not have AC neighter did a marjority of building. Folks would litterally take folding chairs and sit in sidewalk in front of building.
I dont see how you stop it. My apt was unbearable in the summer. I used to talk on the phone on the fire escape with a long cord, I would go away every hot weekend I could
BTW my old building folks enjoyed drinking tall boys on our stoop which is a god given right. It is private property I recall once we were headed out and my friends met up with me and we were hanging out in our suits after work on a hot as hell Thursday in the summer. A few girls on the way to happy hours go to us hey is that legal? I tell them I live in building so yes, jump on the stoop and down a few tall boys. Funny as all heck we had like 20 people kicking back beers at 7 pm on a Thursday and it was pre business casual so even girls were in suits.
Thanks god prudes did not live in my building. I guess they could stay in 110 degree apts rather than joiin us for some frost brews.
[quote=UrbanAdventurer;34986069]It's pretty simple...a lot of the housing simply doesn't have any usable backyard space, so the front porch/patio area becomes the "backyard". There's a house full of Haitians a few doors down from me and they always kickin' it out front.quote]
Basically... my neighbors stay grilling out around the front steps of the apartment building lol Where else are they going to do it? If you live in an urban area where backyards aren't plentiful, people still need to find time to enjoy the outdoors in their neighborhood.
A bunch of guys always sit on the front step of my apartment building, but ya know what? EVERY time I have a cart full of groceries or my laundry they are all quick to help me up the stairs with it and are generally friendly people. Just young kids who want to hang out with each other. If they are up to no good, just say excuse me and keep it moving.
I recall as a kid parents sitting on stoops, older folks in folding web chairs, and others 'hanging' out on the stoops with no issues. Many of the parents were watching their kids play, properly supervising them and ensuring proper behavior, safety, etc. As a rule, as soon as it got dark, folks went inside and the street got quiet. However in the early 1970s the demographics changed iin Kingsbridge and our stoop soon had people drinking miller beers, leaving the bottles everywhere, trash, playing loud spanish music, etc. New Puerto Rican families who moved in even threw trash out the windows! No respect for others at all. Within a year, most of the white families were gone due to the uncivil and antisocial behavior of the loitiers.
I recall as a kid parents sitting on stoops, older folks in folding web chairs, and others 'hanging' out on the stoops with no issues. Many of the parents were watching their kids play, properly supervising them and ensuring proper behavior, safety, etc. As a rule, as soon as it got dark, folks went inside and the street got quiet. However in the early 1970s the demographics changed iin Kingsbridge and our stoop soon had people drinking miller beers, leaving the bottles everywhere, trash, playing loud spanish music, etc. New Puerto Rican families who moved in even threw trash out the windows! No respect for others at all. Within a year, most of the white families were gone due to the uncivil and antisocial behavior of the loitiers.
It's spring and summer is around the corner. As weather improves, people will want to spend more time out than in other seasons. Some residents of my apartment complex gather in the front steps of buildings for hours, including overnight hours.
It's certainly a sense of community if you have the good people hanging out enjoying themselves, but most of them aren't so good intentioned. They leave their food wrappers, cigarette butts/packs, beer cans, and bottles all over.
* Is it considered loitering despite that they're residents?
* What can be done to stop it?
* Does the city anti-loitering ordinance can be enforced in this case?
Pipo,
From the sound of it, you live in the ghetto (Blacks or Hispanics or both) or in a decent area that has ghetto-minded people which is almost the same, in a way. There is nothing you can do other than move unless the landlord put up signs stating no loitering and no soliciting and then enforces it. Otherwise those kind of people are not going anywhere (unless a jail stint) because most likely their bldg. is low income housing or rent controlled. A lot of times their name isn't on the lease anyway. They live with some benevolent relative (usually full grown adult with or without children living with an older mom, grandma, or a man living off his baby mama and her children in her apartment making it crowded).
They hang outside for three reasons: 1) to get away from their crowded indoor living space. 2) Because besides going back in the house and watching tv they have nothing else to do. They don't travel for leisure or knowledge nor get involved in activities which are more intellectually stimulating and 3) because the majority of Black and Hispanics of all ages are outdoor people meaning they love to "hang" outdoors on the porch, stoop, in front of the bodega, somewhere, anywhere as much as the weather will allow to talk, laugh, play loud music, dance, fight, argue, curse-out, have a cook out, and people watch.
Many allow their children to hang outdoors without adult supervision which is one reason for some of the problems. The people that continue to hang outdoors on stoops or in large groups even late at night or overnight are most likely unemployed or on public assistance as well as the criminally minded ones which usually fall into one of the two categories just mentioned.
Last edited by Klassyhk; 05-30-2014 at 06:18 PM..
Reason: added an activity.
What and get a can a whoop opened on him or get shot to death? OP, I hope you have more sense than to follow KAP's instructions on this one. Otherwise, a pic of your face will be right under the headline about your funeral in the NY Post.
From the sound of it, you live in the ghetto (Blacks or Hispanics or both) or in a decent area that has ghetto-minded people which is almost the same, in a way. There is nothing you can do other than move unless the landlord put up signs stating no loitering and no soliciting and then enforces it. Otherwise those kind of people are not going anywhere (unless a jail stint) because most likely their bldg. is low income housing or rent controlled. A lot of times their name isn't on the lease anyway. They live with some benevolent relative (usually full grown adult with or without children living with an older mom, grandma, or a man living off his baby mama and her children in her apartment making it crowded).
They hang outside for three reasons: 1) to get away from their crowded indoor living space. 2) Because besides going back in the house and watching tv they have nothing else to do. They don't travel for leisure or knowledge nor get involved in activities which are more intellectually stimulating and 3) because the majority of Black and Hispanics of all ages are outdoor people meaning they love to "hang" outdoors on the porch, stoop, in front of the bodega, somewhere, anywhere as much as the weather will allow to talk, laugh, play loud music, dance, fight, argue, curse-out, have a cook out, and people watch.
Many allow their children to hang outdoors without adult supervision which is one reason for some of the problems. The people that continue to hang outdoors on stoops or in large groups even late at night or overnight are most likely unemployed or on public assistance as well as the criminally minded ones which usually fall into one of the two categories just mentioned.
I don't really mind people sitting on the steps of the property of where they reside, if it's peaceful. Once a crowd of 10 or more gather, the boombox comes out, if the crowd becomes highly vociferous, if they bring out the yard table and some seats and place it on the side walks and the bbq grill out on the side walk.... it's down right ghetto...
Again people need to stop turning this in to a race, hood, and or ethnic issue. Street noise from persons sitting on steps/standing in front of buildings has been a complaint by some since the year dot. It is just something that comes with high density/urban living. Some persons can adjust, others not but that is just how things are.
What does seem to be happening more and more all over NYC, especially in Manhattan is there are fewer and fewer "quiet" spaces with the advent of cell phones.
As one stated previously with growth of cell phones has come increasing numbers of persons either walking down streets, or sitting/standing in front of buildings running their mouths, often a fog horn level. What is worse they tend to smoke, drink coffee, brink snacks, write books, do their homework or whatever while they are out there. As another poster stated having steps/stoops is just like putting out chairs and tables, it invites persons to sit and do whatever.
Walk around any part of Manhattan from the Village to Yorkville/UWS and you'll see persons white, black, red, yellow, bronze, coffee coloured and so forth sitting on steps, tree bed railings, standing in front of buildings all doing the same thing, chattering away on cell phones. That or smoking whilst doing same and or using their tablet/lap top.
You also increasingly see signs in ground and first floor apartment widows asking (if not demanding) persons not stand/sit in front talking and or smoking.
Problem is again as noted above most NYC apartments are small and often crowded. To get any sort of privacy many persons head to the street. It does not help either that often cell phone signals indoors are weak to nil, which again forces persons out onto the streets. More and more NYC residents, especially young adults do not have landline telephones. This explains why they are tethered to their cell phones. Conversations you or I would have indoors they have no choice to do outside.
Noise is in the top three complaints to 311 by NYC residents. Have seen some very nasty exchanges of words if not physical action because person or persons were sitting/standing outside of a building yacking it up at all hours and a resident didn't like it at all. Years ago on a street in Yorkville someone was actually throwing eggs out their window at persons making noise/chattering late at night. IIRC no one found out who it was but peeps stopped hanging out around that building so guess whomever's plan worked.
Finally and one does not know if this is related to cell phones but have found many today both male and female are just *LOUD*. We're talking country loud where there "normal" speaking voice can be heard across the fields.
When you walk around Manhattan at night and see windows closed with AC on even during the winter/nice weather it is not for want of cooling. People just shut their windows and put the thing on "fan" to drown out street noise and persons yapping outside.
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Have to move
