Imagine living next to a slaughterhouse, the smell of rancid blood and goat guts wafting through the neighborhood as your children play. It is hard not to sympathize with St. Albans homeowners protesting the opening of a slaughterhouse planned for their residential neighborhood.
A sign in front of the building on Farmers Boulevard reads: “Coming Soon: R&B Live Poultry. Hallal meat — chicken, fowl, rooster, guinea, hen, goat, sheep, lamb.”
What were the people at the city Department of Buildings thinking when they approved this? We agree with state Assemblyman William Scarborough, who protested, “People do not need to be living next door to chickens and goats without their consultation” and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, who said, “This is not the place for this type of facility. We will utilize every strategic power to ensure that this facility never sees the light of day.”
There is no reason why slaughterhouses should be allowed in a residential area. Such businesses, while serving a legitimate need, should be located as far away from homes as possible.
Holy Hyperbole!
It was no fun witnessing the demise of Mets manager Willie Randolph. For weeks, the Wilpons let him dangle, only to fire him on the West Coast at 3 a.m. East Coast time. Randolph has been a stand-up guy who had enjoyed some success until the meltdown began last August. We wish him well.
The firing could have been handled better. There is no question that the city's tabloids competed for three days to come up with the most outrageous headlines. The Post called the firing a “Midnight Massacre: An Amazing Act of Cowardice.” The same papers that once loved general manager Omar Minaya now wanted him drawn and quartered. The people who had been calling for Willie's firing were now taking aim at Minaya and the Mets' owners.
Of course, all will be forgiven if the Mets get on a winning streak. Meanwhile, the coverage has at the very least been entertaining. We wish Randolph well and expect that the $2 million he will be getting will be some comfort.
And we hope that the leadership change, however painful, will get the Mets playing the kind of ball that they are capable of.
