NYPD issues warnings to defiant squeegee men
A defiant crew of squeegee men was back in business in the Big Apple on Tuesday — even after getting a stern warning from cops.
The window-washing vagrants were briefly shut down by cops who took their buckets and told them to lay off — only to have them grab another bucket and get back to harassing motorists after the police left the block.
“Mind your own f—ing business,” the surly man in charge of the squeegee squad snapped at a Post reporter. “Who are you, motherf—-er?”
The Post noted the resurgence of the squeegee men in a report on Monday — a blast from New York’s bad old days.
Five squeegee men worked Ninth Avenue between 39th and 40th streets starting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, taking a break only about two hours later when cops from the NYPD Business District Recovery Initiative showed up.
“We’re going to voucher their buckets,” a sergeant in charge of the cops said. “We gave them a warninng. Yeah, that’s it for now.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re going to take care of this.”
But once the cops left, the squeegee guys were back at it with a new bucket — which they grabbed from outdoor dining areas at local restaurants.
They’ve been filling the buckets with water from a hose in the compacting room at the nearby Port Authority bus terminal.
“Yes, he’s been doing that for a real long time,” the attendant in the compacting room told The Post. “He don’t hurt nobody. He’s all right.”
