De Blasio: Scaffolds at public housing are coming down

Temporary structures seen as providing cover for criminal activity

From left: Bill de Blasio, Lincoln Houses in East Harlem and Al Sharpton
From left: Bill de Blasio, Lincoln Houses in East Harlem and Al Sharpton

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that his administration had made progress on its vow to remove a public nuisance from the city’s housing projects: scaffolding.

Critics of the lingering scaffolding and construction sheds say they provide cover for illicit activity and provide criminals with hiding spots for firearms. At a press conference at East Harlem’s Lincoln Houses, the mayor said that about 13,000 feet of scaffolding had been torn down and the city would follow suit on another 30,000 feet by the spring, Crain’s reported.

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The city aims to eliminate all scaffolding where construction is not active by 2015 and prevent construction sheds from sitting unused, according to the website.

Reverend Al Sharpton, who was in attendance, praised the administration for taking action, saying, “People in public housing should not be marginalized and ignored. I want to say that I’m very happy to see that the mayor kept his word in bringing these scaffolds down.” [Crain’s]Tom DiChristopher

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