Cambridge, MA City Council Ignores Private Property Rights

Is Councilor Toomey the only elected official who recognizes private property rights? What about the 100 year old tree on the library lawn that was removed? Then there are the scores of trees cut down by Harvard University every year. Why is there perpetual silence from public officials about the widespread abuses by the 900-pound gorilla with a $37 billion endowment who runs the city?


Trees are not just for people

http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/news/20160622/60-seconds-uptick-in-package-thefts-tree-protection-discussed-at-city-council/?Start=1

60 SECONDS: Uptick in package thefts, tree protection discussed at City Council
By Natalie Handy
nhandy (at) wickedlocal.com
Posted Jun. 22, 2016 at 1:00 PM
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle

USPS Carriers Get Angry and Greedy

Daniel Darby leaves Brooklyn federal court on Dec. 29.
Photo: Stefan Jeremiah

[From article]
A Queens mailman was so stressed by the number of holiday cards and gifts he was supposed to deliver this year that he simply dumped hundreds of them in the trash, court papers claim.
Ozone Park postman Daniel Darby, 25, was “overwhelmed” by the uptick in his early December mail, so he went to a neighborhood Stop & Shop the night of Dec. 2 — his first day on a new route — and bought three white garbage bags, according to Brooklyn federal court documents.
Darby then allegedly stuffed the holiday mail in the bags and dumped them in a residential garbage can. They were discovered two days later.



The cooked courier admitted to “ripping open” some of the mail “to see what it contained,” according to the criminal complaint.
He was arraigned on charges of unlawfully delaying and destroying the mail Tuesday — as was another alleged rogue postal worker.
The second mail carrier, who worked in Brooklyn, is accused of swiping about 50 gift cards from envelopes and then treating himself to $1,000 in goodies over the past year, according to court papers.


James Hayden
Photo: Stefan Jeremiah

http://nypost.com/2015/12/29/overwhelmed-mailman-tosses-hundreds-of-holiday-presents-in-trash/

Overwhelmed mailman tosses hundreds of holiday presents in trash: officials
By Priscilla DeGregory
New York Post
December 29, 2015 | 4:25pm

Online Food Delivery May Not Be From Where You Think

[From article]
Chew on this — the food you order on GrubHub and Seamless may have been cooked in a low-grade, or even totally unregulated, “ghost kitchen.”
Many restaurants listed on the food-ordering Web sites are not the ones that actually cook and deliver your food, a new report has found.
Many restaurants listed on the food-ordering Web sites are not the ones that actually cook and deliver your food, a new report has found.
A survey of 100 of the top customer-ranked restaurants on the popular sites revealed that just over 10 percent were “ghost” listings whose name and addresses are nowhere to be found in the city’s database of restaurant-inspection grades, NBC New York said.
Take the GrubHub listing for Really Chinese, at 235 E. 31st St. in Manhattan, for example. There’s no listing for such a restaurant in the city database, and there’s no physical restaurant at that address.
[. . .]
Worse, some of the fake listings could actually be fronts for people cooking out of their own kitchens or in off-the-grid rogue restaurants, the DCA warns.
“New Yorkers should not be deceived by fake listings when they are ordering food online,” city Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin said Wednesday.
Her agency has reached out to Seamless and GrubHub — which merged in 2013 but maintain separate Web sites — asking them to check that all of their listings are, in fact, registered with the city Health Department’s database of inspection grades.
Seamless and GrubHub are now doing so, a spokeswoman for the Web sites said — adding that the listing for both Really Chinese and Abby Chinese have already been taken down. “We are partnering with New York’s Department of Consumer Affairs to address this issue and remove inaccuracies from our platforms,” the spokeswoman said Wednesday.


http://nypost.com/2015/11/11/your-seamless-order-may-have-been-cooked-in-a-ghost-kitchen/

Your Seamless order may have been cooked in a ‘ghost kitchen’
By Laura Italiano
New York Post
November 11, 2015 | 3:53pm

Harvard University Art Museum Truck Depot Thrives Violating City Ordinance September 30 to November 7, 2015

The following entries are a compilation of suspicious events since September 30, 2015 at the loading dock for the new improved ($500,000,000) Harvard University Art Museums Truck Depot. Most of the violations occurred at night when my camera was unable to capture images. Some of the images in this post are from earlier events, as noted. 

City noise ordinance Chapter 8.16.080 Non-measured noise disturbances.
Noise Disturbances Prohibited. The following acts are declared to be loud, disturbing and unnecessary noises in violation of this chapter, but said enumeration shall not be deemed to be exclusive.

E. Loading and Unloading. Loading, unloading, opening, closing or other handling of boxes, crates, containers, building materials, garbage cans, or similar objects between the hours of nine p.m. and seven a.m. the following day on weekdays, or between the hours of nine p.m. and nine a.m. the following day when the following day is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty feet from the lot line of the lot on which such activity is located, or to be plainly audible within a noise sensitive zone.

Wednesday September 30, 2015, at about 6:40 AM I heard the annoying back up beeper warning from a truck. I looked through my window and saw a US Food trailer truck backing into the loading dock at the new improved $500 million Harvard Art Museum, on Broadway between Quincy and Prescott Streets. The truck left after about 30 minutes. It is a frequent occurrence of early and late pickups and deliveries at that location. I've complained for many years about the abuses of the trucks and buses. Just the latest one.


File photo

On Wednesday September 30, 2015 at about 11:25 PM as I approached the intersection of Broadway and Quincy Street, I saw two trucks leave the driveway of the loading docks of the new $500 million improved Harvard Art Museums. One was a Ryder rental truck, which drove onto Quincy Street toward Cambridge Street. The other was a larger (30 feet) Be My Guest truck, which drove east on Broadway. About 4 or 5 individuals left the Broadway entrance of the museum at about 11:30 PM.

Friday October 9, 2015 at about 10:05 PM I arrived at my residence building. I noticed two black luxury vans with their motors running, parked on the north side of Broadway between Prescott Street and Quincy Street. I approached the drivers who were having a conversation, and said, "Excuse me. I live here. The exhaust from your buses go into my apartment. If you move the vans I will say thank you. If you do not I will call the police. It's a No Stopping Zone." as I pointed to the signs. When I got into my apartment I looked and saw that the two vans had moved. Then I heard some noise and saw one of the vans again parked outside my window.

I called to the Cambridge police dispatcher on their non emergency line. I gave my name, phone number and the location of the problem, after hearing the warning that the call was being recorded. Dispatcher Belmont asked me to repeat my name, phone number and the location of the event. I repeated the information. Good thing it was not an emergency. I've read about some of the tragedies due to the relaxed attention of emergency dispatchers. In my case the dispatchers, when they hear it is me, just ignore my calls. I gave her additional notice that the vans were operated by Harrison Coach. Their company van numbers are 1162 and 1169.

Within two minutes that van left also. I called back and relayed the updated information to the dispatcher whose name I was unable to understand. I said it was unnecessary to send a patrol car.

Thursday October 15, 2015, at about 10:00 PM walking along Prescott Street from Harvard Street toward Broadway. A full sized black bus was parked on the west side of Prescott Street near the Harvard University Faculty Club. It was parked with the engine off. I was pleased to see a different (other than outside my windows) illegal parking space chosen by the tour buses for an event at the new and $500 million improved Harvard Art Museum.

As I approached Broadway I saw a smaller white van-bus (Sunse Van Service) parked on the east side of Prescott Street in front of 24 Prescott Street, with its motor running. I crossed to the west side of Prescott near the entrance to the Art Museum. There were two black vans, with their motors off. There was another van behind them out of the two-space Loading Zone. Then one more van backed into Prescott Street and stopped in the middle of the street blocking the way. The driver began a conversation with the two drivers standing on the sidewalk. I told my bus driver joke, got some laughs and went home.

All in all it is an improvement over the tour buses and trucks parked alongside my apartment streaming exhaust fumes into my home. But it indicates that the removal of the 26 spaces on Prescott Street is still causing a problem in this neighborhood.


File photo

On Saturday morning (Friday evening) October 23-24, 2015 at about 12:30 AM I heard then noticed two trucks at the loading docks of the new improved ($500 million renovated) Harvard Art Museums. Men and or women were loading the trucks. I do not know when they arrived. They left shortly after that at about 12:35 AM.


Cherry-picker crane delivered at 5:30 AM October 26, 2015. Image captured during daylight. Seen here parked mostly on sidewalk. 

On Monday morning October 26, 2015 at about 5:30 AM I heard a truck idling on Broadway between Quincy Street and Prescott Street. It was parked alongside of the new improved Harvard University Art Museums, the south side of Broadway. The driver lowered the ramp to off load construction equipment which was driven onto Harvard University property. A cherry picker crane was left for the use of Harvard University in the loading dock driveway by the driver. 


Cherry-picker crane delivered at 5:30 AM October 26, 2015. Image captured during daylight. Seen here parked on sidewalk and part way into the street. 

One of the lights for the loading docks came on as he worked in the driveway. Being thankful for small favors, (the truck was not parked on the north side of the street alongside of my windows), I did not call to the emergency dispatcher. Complaints about Harvard University do not get the attention of the police dispatchers. They often call the Harvard University campus police who do not have jurisdiction and they do not stop the nuisances as they are in progress. Sometimes the dispatchers just ignore the calls completely when I identify myself. They seem to react to my calls as if they are imaginary. The driver left the location at about 5:50 AM.


Cherry-picker crane delivered at 5:30 AM October 26, 2015. Image captured during daylight. 

Thursday November 5, 2015 at about 10:30 PM two trucks were loading or unloading equipment at the two loading docks of the new improved ($500 million renovated) Harvard University Art Museums. One truck had just arrived sounding his back-up warning signal.


Cherry-picker crane delivered at 5:30 AM October 26, 2015. Image captured during daylight. 

At about 10:55 PM a large truck from "Be Our Guest" corporation was parked on the south side of Broadway facing east in a No Stopping Zone with its emergency lights flashing. The truck blocked the single lane of eastbound traffic on Broadway between Quincy Street and Prescott Street, forcing automobiles across the double yellow line into oncoming westbound traffic. By 11:15 PM all trucks had left the loading docks and the No Stopping Zone.


File photo

Saturday November 7, 2015 a large (25 feet?) "Be Our Guest" truck was parked on the south side of Broadway between Quincy Street and Prescott Street in the No Stopping Zone. It is not clear if this truck was waiting for an open loading dock or was waiting for its companion (also "Be Our Guest") truck after doing its business at the loading dock. The 25-footer blocked my view of the loading docks. In either case it is two hours beyond the city ordinance permitting such loading.

At about 11:45 PM the 25 foot "Be Our Guest truck which was backed into the loading dock in the driveway of the new Harvard Art Museum, moved out of the driveway and back on the south side of Broadway standing in the No Stopping Zone, with its motor running. Then another "Be Our Guest Guest" truck, this one about 18 feet, sounded its warning back up beeper signal, and backed into the driveway and up to the loading dock. At about 12:05 AM Sunday November 8, 2015, both "Be Our Guest" trucks drove away. The loading dock doors were closed.

Package Deliveries Stolen From Harvard University Housing

Harvard University Housing is the latest name for bureaucracy managing apartments owned by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Problems with package safety in those buildings, include but are not limited to: (1) campus police, residents and building superintendents leaving doors propped open; (2) contractors roaming the halls, looking for what they can steal; (3) UPS, DHL and FedEx leaving packages outside locked doors; (4) superintendents and police employees (not just HUPD), going into apartments without permission; (5) packages delivered to wrong addresses.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/2/24/police-respond-package-theft/

Police Respond to ‘Uptick’ in Package Thefts
By BROOKE A. BOURGEOIS and BRETT DOWLING

Harvard CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
February 24, 2015

Delivery Service Pays NYC $5 million For Avoiding Cigarette Taxes

[From article]
A Virginia-based delivery company on Wednesday agreed to shell out $5 million to the city to settle a lawsuit accusing the business of illegally assisting upstate Indian reservations in delivering untaxed cigarettes to Big Apple residents.
The settlement in the Manhattan federal court suit against LaserShip Inc. also mandates the company agree to end all cigarette shipments and strengthen its compliance practices.
The city alleged Lasership failed to charge the required $5.85 per pack while delivering about 120,000 cartons of cigarettes in some 23,000 deliveries citywide from 2011 until June 2013.
The $5 million payoff exceeds the city’s actual $1.9 million tax loss.

http://nypost.com/2014/09/24/delivery-company-in-un-taxed-cigarette-racket-to-pay-5m/

Delivery company in un-taxed cigarette racket to pay $5M
By Rich Calder
New York Post
September 24, 2014 | 7:07pm

Livery Driver Shot Dead in Bronx

[From article]
Aboubacar Bah, 62, was fatally shot in his black Toyota Camry after being set up by his passenger, sources said.
Bah had just chauffeured the man to the 700 block of Bryant Ave in Longwood about 6 a.m. when the thug shot him once in the back of the head, sources said.
At least three other men then converged on the car, ripping the mortally wounded Bah out of the front seat and tossing him to the pavement, sources said.
“They threw this guy to the ground like he was garbage,” a law-enforcement source said. “They just left him there for dead in the middle of the street.”
[. . .]
Bah, who worked for three decades at Webster Car Service in Tremont, was pronounced dead on the street.

http://nypost.com/2014/08/12/livery-driver-fatally-shot-execution-style-on-bronx-street/

Livery driver fatally shot execution-style on Bronx street
By Jamie Schram and Shawn Cohen
New York Post
August 12, 2014 | 6:38pm

Fed Ex Charged With Distributing Illegal Drugs

[From article]
FedEx Corp. was indicted for delivering prescription pain pills, sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs and other controlled substances for illegal Internet pharmacies. A conviction could be “material,” the company said today in a regulatory filing.
The operator of the world’s largest (FDX:US cargo airline was charged by the U.S. with 15 counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and misbranded drugs and drug trafficking that carry a potential fine of twice the gains from the conduct, alleged to be at least $820 million for it and co-conspirators.
Yesterday’s indictment in San Francisco federal court comes more than a year afterUnited Parcel Service Inc. UPS:US agreed to forfeit $40 million in payments it received from illicit online pharmacies under a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.
[. . .]
The company knew it was delivering drugs to dealers and addicts, with couriers in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia expressing concerns circulated to senior managers that FedEx trucks were stopped on the road by online pharmacy customers demanding packages of pills, according to the indictment. Some delivery addresses were parking lots or vacant homes, prosecutors said.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-07-17/fedex-indicted-for-distributing-controlled-drugs-online

FedEx Indicted for Shipping Drugs for Online Pharmacies
By Karen Gullo and Mary Schlangenstein
July 18, 2014

FL Pizza Delivery Driver Shoots Dead Alleged Robber

Frederick Kelly Jr. was shot and killed during an alleged armed robbery of a pizza delivery driver at a West Melbourne Days Inn. 
(PHOTO/Florida Department of Corrections)

http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/8/24/would_be_robber_shot.html

Would-be robber shot, killed by Domino's pizza driver
By Jerry Hume, Reporter
Last Updated: Saturday, August 24, 2013, 12:48 PM

Mass Woman Gets Marijuana Meant For Another, Fedex Alerts Other Party

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/mass-woman-sues-fedex-over-erroneous-marijuana-delivery-says-dealers-looked-for-package/2013/03/01/3d2859ee-8278-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html

Mass. woman sues FedEx over erroneous marijuana delivery; says dealers looked for package
By Associated Press,
Washington Post
Updated: Friday, March 1, 8:59 AM

NY Teen Pizza Delivery Boy Charged With Rape

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/year_raped_pizza_delivery_boy_allegedly_9ZNhrUa5SuAElvbLOYpP1N

16-year-old pizza delivery boy 'raped' woman after dropping off pie
By REBECCA HARSHBARGER, CANDACE AMOS, SABRINA FORD and KATE BRIQUELET
New York Post
Last Updated: 9:52 PM, September 29, 2012
Posted: 12:09 PM, September 29, 2012

Thieves Follow Delivery Trucks

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/12/04/thieves-accused-of-stealing-packages-from-stoneham-home/

Thieves Caught Stealing Christmas Gifts From Stoneham Home
By Lauren Leamanczyk, WBZ-TV
December 4, 2012 11:00 PM
Lauren Leamanczyk

USPS, Survival May Require No Saturday Delivery

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49992517

USPS Chief Lays Out Plan for the Agency’s Survival
Wednesday, 28 Nov 2012 | 9:20 AM ET
AP

Postman Delivers Marijuana In Florida

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/Marathon-Mail-Carrier-Busted-With-10-Pounds-of-Pot-144893765.html?dr



Veronica Johnson

Marathon Mail Carrier Busted With 10 Pounds of Pot
Postal worker was paid to deliver packages of marijuana: Police
By Brian Hamacher
Thursday, Mar 29, 2012 | Updated 11:13 AM EDT

CA Delivers Medical Pot

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/health/Day-in-the-Life-of-Pot-Delivery-Guy-111417299.html?dr

Day in the Life of Pot Delivery Guy
Did you know some cannabis businesses offer home delivery?
By GARVIN THOMAS
Updated 12:43 PM PST, Tue, Dec 7, 2010