Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Clarendon Park's Rat Factory

A reader sends in the following photos and info:
This is a photo (above) of Clarendon Park’s toilet bushes, where those who sleep, drink, get their groove on, day and night on Park District property, do their "toilet business." Yes, those are empty liquor bottles, discarded underwear, piles of feces and used toilet tissues in the photo.

Next are photos of the rat colony, located in those same bushes, which has grown to over 45 feet in length. In fact, that is the same rat colony that existed in the toilet bushes last year and the year before that, when we constantly called it to the attention of Chicago Park District (CPD) Lakefront/North Region Management, the Clarendon Park Staff, the Park District Forestry staff, the Street and San’s Rodent team, and the Park District Maintenance staff -who conveniently operate out of a maintenance yard located directly across the street from the toilet bushes and rat colony. Meanwhile, the City of Chicago and your alderman, have posted many signs along Marine Drive to remind you that DOG feces attract rats.

14 comments:

  1. I'm sure the rampant littering that goes on in this neighborhood doesn't help matters either. Generally when I see it happen, it's kids doing it, but I saw a middle-aged man tossing a plastic bag away on Montrose. I called him out on it, telling him there was a garbage can right across the street and he picked the bag up, looking embarrassed.

    This morning as I prepared to bike across Marine Drive on my way to the Lake Shore Drive bike path, a cabbie threw a used Kleenex and an empty juice bottle out the passenger window. As I passed, I kicked a small dent in the door and yelled, "Litter in your own f*cking neighborhood!"

    Okay, it was a bit extreme, but the reason people litter is because they know that most people are too afraid to confront them about it. Adults do it because it's convenient and kids do it because it makes them look cool to their friends to be blatantly disrespectful to their environment, similar to adding graffiti to a wall.

    Public embarrassment is an excellent deterrent in most situations (that is, unless you're pissing in the Wilson station). The reason people litter and do other unacceptable things is because they know it is tolerated.

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  2. I agree with Will. People choose their behavior. Its not a rich vs poor agenda, yuppie vs those receiving welfare. Just because you have no money or if you are a millionaire does not excuse personal responsibility to maintain social order.

    If you are poor, it doesn't mean you have the right to destroy other people personal property or the publics property. If you are rich it doesn't skirt your responsibility to help those in need.

    Far too often those without money take from the system because they feel its due them. Its not. Pick up a piece of trash you see on the street even though you did not place it there. Can you imagine everyone picking up the area around them. the streets would be clean.

    Those with money, picking up trash will help reduce costs on the system and helps lead by example. The additional money saved can be used for social programs that are proven to be useful.

    We have reached a place economically where it is not viable to keep throwing money at a system without result. Those refusing to take personal responsibility for their actions will only continue to destroy what is left of this country. The poor must take on their responsibities to try to improve their lives. Free money will not come without a cost. Those with money need to foster those less fortunate but helping improve the lives less fortune.

    Personal responsibility is universal. It can start with something as simple as placing a piece of garage in a trash can.

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  3. OK, clueless question time...what do you mean "Day and Night?" I was under the impression that there are public restrooms in Clarendon Park and they are open for use for most of the day.

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  4. Bravo Will! We need more like you that not only witness wrongs but take action to do something about it.

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  5. Reading articles here, I often think of Bill Cosby's famous "Pound Cake" speech. The text is available online.

    http://www.eightcitiesmap.com/transcript_bc.htm

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  6. SO back to the rats for a moment if I may- Rat poison, comes in forms of pellets, can buy it at Crafty Beaver. Drop it down the holes. Rats eta it and die- 'nuf said.

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  7. Nash, the next step after rat poisoning is stopping people from crapping in the park because this is feeding them.

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  8. I hate freshly thawed poops int he spring and even back in the day when I smoked, I would clean the butt of the degradable material (making sure it was out) and threw it in the garbage (in my pocket if there wasn't a garbage around). A public space is like a living room in a family or a kitchen sink. It is shared and respect means that you leave it in good use for the next person.

    So I am anti-littering, big time and I applaud Will who will speak up for it. Something I might start doing more often when I see it happen.

    However, I do not want individual citizens putting posoin of any kind in the public park. Their are kids, animals (whose owners equally hate it when other owners don't clean up after there animals, but still love their animals).

    DO NOT PUT poison of any kind in public park. That is equally irresponsible.

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  9. I think getting people out of the park is a better idea.

    I have noticed rats in a number of alleys, usually the ones that are full of garbage despite numerous unlocked dumpsters. I can't believe people would be so lazy and disrespectful...oh wait, yes I can.

    Once again I reiterate...and this goes for practically every problem I read about on UU...people will do whatever they can get away with. People don't have shouting matches, drink openly, or piss on the street in the neighborhoods south of us because their culture is different and because the thugs know they're in for trouble if they do it.

    An example: years ago, I lived in Hollywood and worked in Beverly Hills. There were many homeless people in Hollywood, partially because of the many tourists there. Nobody said anything when someone screamed in the street or walked around with their pants around their ankles because they were scared...instead, they gave each other sideways looks like "Yeah, but what are you gonna do?"

    One Saturday I was in Beverly Hills and a homeless man made a fuss in a Starbucks...I don't know if he wanted to use the bathroom or wanted an empty cup, etc. Anyway, about 2-3 minutes after his tirade, four BHPD cars pulled up, put the guy in a van, and I never saw him again.

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  10. This is disgusting on many levels.
    The park district should just pull ALL those bushes up so NO ONE can find a hiding place in the park to have sex, take a dump, and sleep there. If the park was just an open park with only trees, benches, and grass, there would be no place for these people to do nasty things like this.

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  11. How timely, yesterday I had walk around a big pile of human waste on the Wilson El platform. I guess the Red Eye has another use, by the looks of it. I am pretty sure this person did not pay at the turnstile, which I see violations on a daily basis. O how the new Target consumers are going to love Wilson Stop. New item alert at Uptown Target - The Human Pooper Scooper. Also good for Uptown politics.

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  12. I live right across the street of Clarendon park by Montrose. I see the rat packs running around the bushes and I also see the people that the park allows to camp on park property that leave garbage all the time when they wake up and leave in the mornings. I contacted the park management many times but by the messages I leave none are ever returned or anything is done to make this unsafe and unhealthy condition better....

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  13. usually I see some tenants of lake view towres consatantly picking up around there. But I'm assuming that the toilet areas are out of bounds. The city dosn't provide hazardious waste bags

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  14. It's one thing to tell someone to throw a tossed plastic bag into a garbage can, and another to tell someone taking a dump in "toilet bush" to pick it up. If people feel comfortable enough to completely disrobe there (since someone got naked enough to leave their underwear), it's secluded enough for them to find a body. I don't advise Will go kicking anything belonging to one of the homeless, or a crackhead, behind the local turd bush. I personally think Will's actions, in regards to the cabbie littering, are completely inappropriate, and in fact, criminal. I detest litter, don't litter myself, and would always politely suggest someone dispose of their waste properly. I should also add that I'd find driving or walking by some guy who's YELLING, "Litter in your own f*cking neighborhood!" equally offensive, and a form of noise pollution. Likewise, thinking it's "OK" to damage someone else's property to "make your point", is just as irresponsible, and criminal, as someone thinking it's "OK" to damage our property... the environment.

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