Yesterday, with his DOT Commissioner holding a crowbar and looking on, Mayor Adams took a sledgehammer to one derelict dining shed.

One shed. A single shed . . . when the city is littered with 12,000+.

We say, "One down, 11,999 to go! Keep going, Mayor Adams!" 

But seriously, this little bit of Mayor Adams' photo opportunism is an insult to New Yorkers' intelligence.

While the DOT has done nothing in over two years to control the blight that their pandemic-era outdoor dining program has visited on our neighborhoods, the Mayor's Commissioner stands by looking on, doing nothing. It's an all-too-accurate portrayal of the lack of leadership needed to restore our city streets, our sidewalks, and the fine sidewalk café program that once served our city. 

New York City had lovely outdoor dining for decades. "Al fresco dining" is not some pandemic-era invention. The pandemic didn't create outdoor dining. In fact, the pandemic, along with the City's response, destroyed the amazing sidewalk café program we once had — and replaced it with this rat-infested mess.

Tell the Mayor to shut all the sheds, and restore the marvelous, well-regulated sidewalk café program formerly run by the Department of Consumer Affairs.