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Resurgent Squeegee Men Scourge Snuffed Out (For Another Year)
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 10, 2014
Modified Aug 10, 2014
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Rich Docherty/NYC Snapped
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 10, 2014
Modified Aug 10, 2014
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This week, the NY Post cast its terrible gaze upon the very important scourge of squeegee men, who they treat like the tsetse flies on the "broken windows" of NYC. They plastered the face of squeegee king Gregg Washington on their cover with the completely hysterical headline, "Squeegee men are back terrorizing NYC streets," because what strikes terror into the hearts of New Yorkers like having a confrontation with a stranger? Anyway, at best, the Post successfully strong-armed the police into arresting Washington, as they gleefully announced today, so MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Washington, 40, was plying his trade on 42nd Street and 9th Avenue when he was arrested around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. For Washington, who has been squeegeeing since before you were a squee in your parent's eyes, this was his 178th arrest for washing motorists’ windshields and his 225th arrest overall.
Note: way down in the ninth paragraph of the story, we learn that "Washington’s 225 arrests include marijuana possession, but no violent or serious offenses."
So good job NY Post! You've vanquished squeegeeing and made the slow entranceways to major bridges and tunnels once again safe for drivers. Washington certainly won't be back on the streets squeegeeing again—it's one thing to be arrested 178 times for the same reason, but 179 would just be silly—and we certainly won't be talking about the terrorism of squeegee men ever again, unlike all those other times.
Tagged
Bad old Days
crime
de blasio's new york
gregg washington
squeegee
squeegee king
squeegee men
original
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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