BY BWANDERMAN@MAC.COM
I am terrified to think that old people who find a simple daily pleasure in this act are being terrorized with prison sentences as well as a ticket . Maria an 83 year New Yorker with a very good heart was summoned to appear in court to defend her right to feed pigeons. A prior summons was dismissed three years ago that was issued by the same inspector. Last month she saw a man who seemed familiar and she asked him if she knew him. She then asked if it would disturb him if she feeds the pigeons and he answered no. When she began feeding them he leapt upon her declaring that he was a inspector from the health departement.Entraping her gleefully he then followed her to her apartement to obtain her name and address. There the doorman, not wanting to be involved was harrassed into giving the inspector the number of the management of the upper east side coop building. Since Maria, is a rent stabilized tenant in the coop building and has lived there for 41 years and is living on SSI ,she is a thorn in the throat of the management who would love to get her out so they can sell her apartement. Therefore they happily gave her name to the inpector.Her court date is 6/27 and she fears a prison sentence that the inspector threatened.