With Neighbors Like This....

Okay, imagine it's a really dark night.
What do you see?

Since late 2019 when the Hudson Islamic Center purchased the vacant lot at the southwest corner of the intersection of Columbia & South 3rd Street, they have had a really difficult time understanding that it is their responsibility to clear the snow off of the sidewalks surrounding their property. 

 And it's a lot of sidewalk they continue to ignore. Today, 2 full days after two inches or more of snow, the only people who have touched the snow, slush and ice surrounding the HIC's property are pedestrians trying to get somewhere safely. You know, regular folks, old folks, disabled people, women holding children or pushing strollers, you name it -- all of them through the fucking snow that the HIC has decided for the past several years not to touch after every snowfall.

Across the street, surrounding their seemingly abandoned mosque building project with the broken marble still on the ground in front for all to see, the people at HIC do regularly shovel the snow on both sidewalks, albeit as narrow a path as one snow shovel can create.  So, you see, the people at HIC -- our neighbors-- seem to understand what they are responsible for to be good, upstanding, responsible neighbors while at the same time not seeming to understand it at all.  It is an enigma that makes my head spin and makes me wonder if the people at the HIC are with us or not. 

For two years I brought the HIC's sidewalk snow code violations to the attention of the Hudson Code Enforcement Office as well as both of the 2nd ward council members.  What a fucking waste of time that was.  What a fool I was to believe that would have gotten anything changed and even one shovelful of snow removed from a sidewalk. 

A much too familiar scene that the HIC 
and the City of Hudson are
apparently fine with

Last year or the year prior, 2nd ward council member Mohammed Rony told me that there appeared to be some confusion about ownership of, and responsibility for, the sidewalks surrounding the HIC's lot.  He was under the impression that National Grid - not the HIC - might actually be responsible for clearing the sidewalk.  Code Enforcement was supposed to figure it all out.  Two years ago!  Oh, so helpful!  I'm sure that Mohammed followed up with Craig Haigh and did his best to figure out who is actually responsible for clearing the snow off of those sidewalks in the ward he represents and where residents from all over the city and visitors from all over the world can be found walking.  Obviously, he followed up!  The proof is on the sidewalk right now and for possibly the next week or more, as well as after any additional snow we get this year.  Count on it next year, too!