The Junkmen Hit W. 42nd Street

Forwarded to me from the FHNA

A neighbor in the 1100 block of W. 42nd St.

Wanted to alert folks that today around noon I caught two “junk metal” guys taking bicycle frames from our yard/driveway on the alley side. We had a few frames and wheels sitting there to rebuild/recycle into other things. I saw the guys taking the frames, went out and stopped them. They had also picked up my metal tomato cages, a whirligig my husband had made (mounted on the fence!), and a scooter. I retrieved my items from their truck. The guys said, “We thought they were trash.” Aside from the fact that these things were nowhere near the super can, I pointed out to them that whether it was trash or not, they had no business COMING ONTO MY PROPERTY. These things were not remotely IN the alley, which is a dead end alley. The guys weren’t just “passing through.” Basically, they were taking whatever metal was loose in my yard, so I wonder if other things people have in their yards might be fair game for them as well.

I did call the police, gave a report and later saw a police car driving through the neighborhood.

A friend on Springhill says they have had problems with this same truck. It’s a large white pickup with metal bars around the top. There were two African American men doing the collecting. Today they had a washer, a lawnmower and other bikes in the truck. I didn’t get the license as I was
too flustered. Wish I had. I will be on the lookout from now on for the truck to report it.