Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
The Sept. 11th Memorial Mural was unveiled during a ceremony at the underpass last year.
By Michael V. Cusenza
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, hundreds of Howard Beach residents gathered at the underpass on 84th Street between 157th Avenue and Shore Parkway for a stirring ceremony befitting the unveiling of the Sept. 11th Memorial Mural.
Since then, Eddie Earl has been visiting the hallowed site at least three times a day—not to pay his respects but to chase off persistent pigeon feeders and clean up after illegal dumpers.
Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
Pigeon waste can be seen all over the site.
“I don’t miss a feeding,” Earl, the Flag Man of Howard Beach, remarked on Monday with a hearty laugh.
Despite Earl’s efforts, trash piles up just outside the underpass as hundreds of pigeons swoop down on pedestrians admiring the artwork. Earl reported that he has cleaned up food scraps that run the gamut of gastronomic tastes, including spaghetti, manicotti, rice (raw and cooked), dry dog and cat food, bread, cereal, and yes, even chicken.
“These people probably think they’re doing something good,” Earl posited. “But it’s disgusting.”
Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
Earl has posted homemade signs all over the underpass asking visitors to refrain from feeding the wildlife.
Earl has posted homemade signs all over the site kindly asking visitors to refrain from feeding the wildlife. They have largely been ignored, he said.
“It’s like a drug dealer,” Earl postulated, “chase them away from one spot, they’ll just set up shop somewhere else.”
Earl also noted that “it breaks my heart” to see aggressive pigeons frightening runners or young mothers pushing carriages through the underpass.
Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
Eddie Earl holds up an empty 20-pound bag of bird feed left behind at the site.
“It would blow your mind,” Earl said. “It looks like a horror film.”
While he fends off bouts of frustration, Earl said he’s not discouraged.
“I have better things to do,” the retiree noted. “But I’m dead-set on stopping this quality-of-life issue.”
Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
Garbage piles up just outside the underpass.
At least one area resident appreciates Earl and the daily effort he puts in to maintain the underpass and the mural it hosts.
“Eddie has become our gatekeeper,” Jay Frango told The Forum on Monday. Frango is the retired City firefighter who donated the funds needed to establish the mural. “It used to look like a landfill.”
This Sunday, March 20, Earl and his “Howard Beach 11414” group are spearheading a community cleanup of the site.
“I don’t mind doing it,” Earl said. “Someone has to.”
