Ridgewood Civic Group Supports Shelter Lawsuit
Sanitation Department tickets given to residents for minimal garbage on sidewalks and a donation to the Glendale Middle Village Coalition were the hot topics during the Farmers Oval Civic Association (FOCA) meeting held last Thursday, Oct. 30, at Ridgewood Baptist Church.
FOCA Secretary Alice Kokasch began the meeting by asking members if they would be willing make a donation to the coalition of residents working to block the proposed Glendale homeless shelter at 78-16 Cooper Ave.
Kokasch also discussed a $100 Sanitation Department ticket she received for a few candy wrappers left on her sidewalk by some litterers.
“We are a small group and we don’t have a lot of money,” Kokasch said. “But they are looking to get lawyers that are going to be able to fight this.”
After some debate, rhe group decided to donate $50 to the antishelter coalition.
“I really think that shelter, those Samaritan [Village] people, I don’t think they are a nice group of people,” she said. “Like all the politicians say, and I agree and I’m sure that everybody in this room says, ‘Thanks be to God it’s not me.'”
“It could be any one of us that’s suddenly without a home. Those people didn’t all start poor. The city should help them, but not in a situation that’s contaminated ground and not if it’s going to overcrowd our schools and really hurt people in that area,” she added.
When the subject turned to garbage collection and ticketing, Kokasch echoed the feelings of another civic association that has been fighting what they feel are unfair Sanitation Department tickets.
She told the group she will go to court to fight the ticket, and that she believes its unfair to ticket people very early in the morning.
The next Farmers Oval Civic Association meeting will be held at the Ridgewood Baptist Church, 64-13 Catalpa Ave. in Ridgewood on Thursday, Nov. 20. at 7 p.m.
