In the immediate shadow of our report on dogs poisoned comes new, verified stories of excruciating animal deaths. RIOC should be all over it, but of course, it is not.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Above: Mid-afternoon on Friday, a resident photographed this squirrel. It was dead. It had probably ingested rat poison sprayed in the vicinity of West Main behind 405 and 415 in Southtown.
Animal Deaths Pile Up on Roosevelt Island
Following our reports of dogs sickened near Riverwalk Commons comes stories of more deaths. This time, they’re the excruciatingly painful deaths consistent with ingesting rat poison. The victims are squirrels.
Like other animals, squirrels hide when they get sick, avoiding exposure to predators. When they die out in the open, it’s unnatural, sudden and brutal.
RIOC is emphatic. They discontinued all spraying of pesticides. This decision came after the killing of at least ten small animals in July. At the time, the state agency first tried lying about it but backed down when confronted with evidence. For that reason alone – since it never admitted wrongdoing – any claims must be taken with a grain of salt. A big grain.
There is one verified sighting of Related contractors spraying less than fifty feet from where the squirrel shown above died. Another resident has video but is fearful of retaliation of its release. Multiple Roosevelt Islanders in the past have been retaliated against after reporting misconduct. For the record, I’m one of them. Rossana Ceruzzi, Ben Fhala, and others who stood up against RIOC or its real estate managers also faced retaliation.
Spraying or otherwise leaving rat poison out in the open is illegal in New York City. It’s a threat to children, small animals and everything else. Although some spraying has been verified, it’s not clear that it was rat poison. It has been verified that Related never posted a sign. This is required by law for all pesticides, including rat poison.
Who’s Responsible?
This is not the first time, and even if it were, it would not be acceptable. On Friday, we asked RIOC for any information on this recent outbreak of animal deaths. While conceding that it had gotten similar reports, the state agency did nothing. Or next to nothing.
And it had nothing to tell us because, other than verifying the complaints, it did nothing more. No one investigated. No one contacted NYPD or the Health Department.
As far as we could gather, RIOC’s only response was an email to building managers. It advised them about the rules for pesticides, rat poison, etc. This is a classic example of closing the gate after the horses are already out of the barn – with the added feature that some of the horses have died.
We Ask Again: Where the Hell is PSD?
Since back in the days when Jack McManus ran RIOC’s Public Safety, the department’s website said this: “PSD assists in enforcing all State and City laws. PSD officers are the front-line problem solvers for the Roosevelt Island community.”
Really? So, why as animal deaths piled up in the past week was PSD invisible? It lists an “Inspector” earning a six figure income. They have “detectives” on payroll and a Chief pulling down a cool $167K a year. Why weren’t they all over this?
Maybe they’ve been too busy handing out backpacks and bragging about a success because kids line up for freebies. Dogs have been injured, and at least one dog has died. There have also been multiple other deaths of small animals. PSD has been anything but “front-line problem solvers.’
The result: With all this going on, nothing was done. Nothing. Zero.
The Latest Animal Deaths: Time To Reassess?
Common sense demands that RIOC, which gobbles up over $30 million from Roosevelt Islanders every year, should do more. It should not shrug its shoulders when crises arise. More than $5 million of that pays for a 50-person Public Safety Department. It also pays for vehicles, other equipment, and prime commercial space. The community has a right to expect better. Much better.
Until new leadership arrives or past leadership returns, no pathway exists for improvement. And even when that happens, remote Albany interference from Team Hochul and her mostly superannuated board must be fought.
We’re not preaching optimism, but stay tuned.
Old RIOC, New Lawyer
President Jones has become better at saying RIOC cares.
And then there is the sudden disappearance of mushrooms everywhere on the Island. What caused it? Where did they go? Seriously— they used to be everywhere. Where did they go?