EAST NEW YORK — Father Edward Mason does not believe “You Can’t Fight City Hall.”
That old saying gets repeated whenever anyone encounters the stifling bureaucracy of a local government. But Father Mason knows it’s possible to work with the city government to achieve important results for a community.
That’s what he did last year when he partnered with the group East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC) in urging the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to squelch illegal dumping in the neighborhood.
“They responded big time,” Father Mason said. “It was a full-court press. I saw the increased [enforcement] officers around, and I saw the results.”
The stepped-up enforcement was a limited operation that lasted a few weeks last summer.
However, according to DSNY data, the department issued 1,000 citations and conducted other tasks to curb illegal dumping (see bullet points below).
For example, they cleaned up mounds of roadside junk from a variety of locations. One was at the corner at New Lots Avenue and Cleveland Street.
Father Mason first showed that spot to The Tablet in April of last year. At that time, it was piled high with discarded furniture, broken wooden pallets, and countless bags of household trash.
Sixteen months later — Father Mason and The Tablet returned for another look and observed a couple of bags of trash and a small broken cart sitting at the site.
“It’s still much better,” Father Mason said on Aug. 26. “Not perfect, but better. Before, you couldn’t even walk on the sidewalk here. I think it did make a difference. So, it is important that we come out and thank them publicly — to give credit where it’s due.”
Father Mason is a longtime advocate of human dignity issues for people in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
He is pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, which is a member of EBC. The group comprises more than 40 churches, schools, and homeowners’ associations dedicated to improving the quality of life in the neighborhood.
The pastor gave equal credit to the EBC members who counted the various dump sites and entered the data into spreadsheets. They included photos and other pertinent details. Everything got submitted to DSNY, which then attacked the problem.
“This is a strategy that works,” Father Mason said. “We don’t sign petitions, and we don’t just complain and make noise. We organize and provide information. We did the groundwork. Churches, organizations, the average worker bee — they got this done.”
It is not clear why the streets in East New York became go-to spots for dumping. Father Mason has speculated that the perpetrators are “carters” paid to remove trash from building renovation and/or construction sites or abandoned homes.
He has said carters probably don’t live in the neighborhood and wouldn’t tolerate such behavior near their own homes.
What is clear is that the neighborhood got a reputation as a dumping ground for carters who don’t want to pay the fees associated with discarding the junk by legal means.
DSNY does not operate landfills, but it does have transfer stations where licensed carters can take the junk. Licenses for that are good for two years but cost $5,000. Additional fees range from $500-$600 for each vehicle and each carting driver.
Some carters might be willing to pay citations as a cost of doing business, but those fines range from $4,000 to $18,000.
Belinda Mager, a DSNY spokeswoman, said the department’s staff is having ongoing conversations with Father Mason. The priest said he wants to discuss the possibility of adding permanent surveillance cameras to areas that get a lot of illegal dumping.
Mager added that DSNY’s new budget, which began July 1, includes “unprecedented funding for cleaning, including $7.5 million for precision cleaning initiatives.”
Meanwhile, the department continues efforts in East New York.
“We have serviced nearby locations 23 times in the past three months,” Mager said. “And in fact, (DSNY has) been redoubling our efforts of late to keep the City clean, safe, and healthy — that’s our priority.”
But, she noted, the public’s help is essential.
“We appreciate when concerned members of the community bring our attention to areas in need,” Mager said. “Everyone has a legal and moral responsibility to put trash in its proper place. We encourage anyone who sees excessive litter or illegal dumping to call 311.”
In 2021, the New York City Department of Sanitation’s attack on illegal dumping in East New York resulted in the following:
** Issued 1,000 tickets
** Oversaw the cleaning of seven lots
** Addressed more than 250 mounds of roadside trash
** Towed away abandoned vehicles
** Picked up 22 syringes from illegal drug use
** Serviced numerous litter baskets, installed new ones
Source: New York City Department of Sanitation