POLICE AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS DISCUSS A DICEY DOUBLE-PARKING ISSUE

By Sasha Pezenik

Last Friday’s ticketing surge during evening prayers outside the Islamic Cultural Center on Riverside Drive and 72nd street raised tension in the area, but it doesn’t appear to have dissuaded cab drivers from double-parking so they can stop for evening prayers.

Residents say that cab drivers did seem to stop double-parking for a couple of days after the tickets were issued. But a few days later the old pattern reemerged. With the curb so densely congested, M5 buses have been forced to stop and let passengers off  in the midst of a bottleneck making them “navigate a two lane gauntlet of illegally parked taxis,” Jeffrey Morrison told us. Monday evening, he said that a taxi backing into the pedestrian zone nearly hit a woman walking her dog.

Residents have complained about the issue for years, and police say they’ve worked with leaders in the Muslim community to alert them to the concerns. But tensions were somewhat strained by last week’s tickets. Some taxi drivers say the NYPD and traffic agents have been unfairly stringent as of late. “It is a responsibility of our faith to be here,” said one cabbie. “This has never happened before.”

Abdul Razzaq Al-Amiri, director of the cultural centers on both 72^nd street and 97^th street, and Imam Chernor Sa’ad said that they’ve talked to people who pray there about the need to observe traffic laws and that any cabbies surprised by the ticketing “may have just been new.” There is more activity at the center now than usual, as Muslims are in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan.

Representatives from both the precinct and the mosque expressed their desire to communicate openly, and minimize surprises and tension. “We try to accommodate people as much as possible,” says Officer Clarke of the 20^th precinct, “They [the Islamic Cultural Center] work with us, and we work with them.” Officer Clarke also indicated he thought the ticket count that some news sources had reported from last Friday was hyperbolic. “In fact, they gave out more like 50 tickets,” and “only those disrupting the flow of traffic.”

Mr. Al-Amiri and Mr. Sa’ad said that overall the ICC has a positive relationship with local police. They have participated in several precinct community council meetings to discuss the double-parking during Ramadan, and officers typically allow an approximate 15-minute courtesy for prayer. “We all want to work together,” ICC representative Mohammad Younes said, as Al-Amiri proudly presented snapshots of officers posing with mosque-goers.

When neighborhood complaints crop up, police usually call the ICC, and announcements are made at the Friday service reminding worshipers they are not allowed to double (or triple) park – according to Mr. Al-Amiri, that’s “almost every week.” Last Friday, however, ICC representatives can’t remember being notified. “I don’t know why last Friday was different,” Mr. Al-Amiri said.

Upper West Side residents are frustrated that the double-parking continues despite the fact that police have warned members. “If the police tell them once, they shouldn’t have to keep repeating themselves,” one local said. “Double-parking is against the law; if I do it, I get a ticket.” Inconsistent enforcement — officers sometimes looking the other way, sometimes upholding traffic statutes — may have encouraged some cab drivers to test their luck.

Compounding the quandary, cab drivers tend to stop to pray at the site closest to their last drop-off. A constantly changing congregation hailing from all five boroughs makes reminding drivers about etiquette a continual process, leaders of the ICC said. “Police in one area might have given them permission, but not in another area. And a passing traffic agent might not know.”

Cabbie Mohammad Arif says taxi drivers have repeatedly had friction with traffic police: “They’re always ticketing us, always trying to catch us,” he said. Knowing this, he plays it safe: he comes a half hour early to prayer, finds a parking spot for his car, and walks to the mosque.

ICC representatives echo community concerns and police comments – they know it’s illegal, and want to work within NYC traffic criteria. They added, however, that there has been resistance from the taxi-driving worshipers, and that some individuals simply do not listen.

Some police officers have said they now feel reluctant in writing tickets, not wanting to exacerbate an already sensitive issue and potential political landmine.

“The police have to be able to do their job,” one Upper West Sider mused, “And of course, everyone should be able to observe their religion. We are all entitled to pray… but we are also all entitled to safety.”