Space Invaders

Interesting name, heh heh....

EXCERPTS

He charged that many of the culprits are cops.

"Chinatown is being choked to rest because the sidewalks and streets are so saturated with illegal parkers," White said. "The community is at the end of their rope because the very people with the power to remedy the situation are the worst offenders."

Two volunteers for Transportation Alternatives were detained by the NYPD for taking photos of the cops' private cars, he said.

The report contains a plethora of pictures documenting the abuse, including one that purportedly shows 5th Precinct officers illegally parked on a sidewalk - blocking a fire hydrant - while picking up lunch.

Paul Browne, the NYPD's top spokesman, said the department is taking action to address the problem, "maybe not to the level of satisfaction of the people complaining about it."

"If it continues to be a problem," he said, "it may take more efforts to address."

Stu Loeser, a spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg, said, "The mayor has made it clear that all personnel whose jobs require placards should use them appropriately."

In the meantime, though, the illegal parking is taking its toll.

...

"It's a problem when we have ceremonys," Nobiletti told The News. "There's nothing like carrying a coffin over a double-parked car."

Jan Lee, who has owned a home furnishings and antique store on Mott St. for the past 14 years, said the parking abuse has contributed to the closing of 32 businesses on his street in an area that was economically hard-hit by 9-11.

"Our own safety and our economic health is in jeopardy," Lee, 40, said. "On any given day, every single fire hydrant is parked by a car with a placard. That's creating a situation that is far more dangerous than any person could imagine."