Past issues
The Paper in print
RSS feeds
Print edition (PDF)
Email Alerts- The current issue
- Neighborhood Map
- Bay Ridge
- Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights
- Brooklyn Heights
- Downtown, DUMBO
- Carroll Gardens
- Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Boerum Hill
- Fort Greene
- Clinton Hill, Crown Heights
- North Brooklyn
- Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick
- Park Slope
- Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace, Greenwood Heights
- GO Brooklyn
- Brooklyn Cyclones
- Not Just Nets
- Police Blotter
- Perspective
- Parenting
- Politics
- Transit
- Podcasts
- The Brooklyn Bride
- Brooklyn Boom
- Classifieds
- Merchant news
- About The Paper
- RSS Feeds
-
Print this story
digg
del.icio.usIt his first major act since losing the race for Congress, City Councilman David Yassky (D-Park Slope) is taking aim at so-called “ludicrous” laws, which prohibit such “crimes” as washing laundry after midnight or hosing the crud off sidewalks in the morning.
According to Yassky, whose bill was passed on Wednesday, such arcane laws are rarely enforced, but they still manage to have a chilling effect on small business.
“When you have things on the books that are not enforced, it inhibits people,” said Yassky. “It’s important that the written code keep pace with the times.”
Some of the rickety laws date back to the 1930s, like the one that forbids people from selling second-hand goods after dark.
Other doozies include a rule that forbids food vendors from displaying non-perishable products on their carts.
Needless to say, not one of these so-called ludicrous laws is of more modern vintage.
“None of the ones I’ve authored qualify,” said Yassky. “I think they’re all really great… That was a joke.”
©2006 The Brooklyn Paper
Enter your comment below
By submitting this comment, you agree to the following terms:
You agree that you, and not BrooklynPaper.com or its affiliates, are fully responsible for the content that you post. You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening or sexually-oriented material or any material that may violate applicable law; doing so may lead to the removal of your post and to your being permanently banned from posting to the site. You grant to BrooklynPaper.com the royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual and fully sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such content in whole or in part world-wide and to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or later developed.
