Rats found roaming around Fairway

Web produced by Jennifer Matarese, Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- At the olive bar in the Fairway Supermarket on the Upper West Side, an unwelcome guest has come to dine.

Glenn Herman was in the store early Wednesday morning when another customer noticed the little rat.

"The gentleman who pointed it out to me, an older gentleman, looked like someone had tazed him," Herman said. And when Eyewitness News started looking online, we saw other videos taken by customers at the store and some still pictures as well.

"Oh, don't show me that," one customer said.

"Where was this?" a man wanted to know.

The store is aware of the problem.

Eyewitness News saw rat traps set both outside and inside the store.

"The manager there did tell me that it is kind of difficult to wipe out the rat problem when they are basically walking through the front door from the subways," Herman said.

Supermarkets like Fairway are inspected by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, just once a year "unless there's something critical to cause reinspection."

In a statement Wednesday night, Fairway said, "We believe the incident was caused by the massive construction that is happening throughout the immediate vicinity of the store. We are now taking comprehensive measures to remedy the situation so that it doesn't happen again."

Joanne Grossman and her husband have seen some of the videos online.

"I said disgusting, but I didn't stop shopping here. But I guess now that I hear they were up on the olives, I'll think about it a little bit more," Grossman said.

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new york city, rats, upper west side, new york news, jim dolan

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Barricades removed from around Zuccotti Park

  By CRISTIAN SALAZARNEW YORK -- Barricades surrounding a park that served as a camp for Occupy Wall Street protesters were removed Tuesday, allowing protesters to stream back in.

The atmosphere was celebratory but calm on Tuesday evening as about 300 protesters began filling New York City's Zuccotti Park a couple of hours after the barricades were taken down and a day after a complaint about the barricades was filed with the city.

Protesters milled around, eating lasagna on paper plates and playing chess.

Security guards who were previously guarding the barricades stood off to the side, along with a handful of police officers. It was a minor victory for the protesters, who have complained about financial inequality in demonstrations that gained traction across the globe.

"Word spread pretty quickly, and we ran down here," demonstrator Lauren DiGioia said. "It's hard to remember what it was like before the barricades were put up."

Police spokesman Paul Browne said the NYPD and Brookfield Office Properties, the park's owner, had been talking about removing the barriers last week. The decision was made to remove them Tuesday because officials felt they were no longer necessary, Browne said.

Brookfield spokeswoman Melissa Coley confirmed in an email that the barricades were taken down but declined to comment further. A Brookfield employee who refused to give his name told an Associated Press reporter: "The barriers are down, but the other rules are the same."

Some Occupy protesters planned to stay overnight, DiGioia said, but it was unclear whether they planned to use tents or sleeping bags, which have been banned from the lower Manhattan park since an early morning police raid evicted protesters Nov. 15.

One security guard told a group of protesters: "No sleeping bags allowed, either, OK, folks?"

Zuccotti Park regulations, stipulated by Brookfield, ban everything from erecting tents or tarps to lying down on benches.

Those rules were not enforced until the police raid, and were only made public after protesters began occupying the park on Sept. 17.

Until then, the only visible rules posted in the park forbade skateboarding, rollerblading and bicycling.

Protester Jeff Brewer said he tried to erect a tent but it was quickly taken down by security guards.

"I was still putting in the poles when they showed up," Brewer said. "Our food is in, our library is up. I think it's going to be a big celebration for us in the park right now."

On Monday, civil rights groups filed a complaint with the city's buildings department saying the barricades were a violation of city zoning law because they restricted public access to the space. The New York Civil Liberties Union commended the removal of the barricades in a statement late Tuesday.

"We're pleased the city is finally giving the park back to the people," said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. "We hope Zuccotti Park can now resume its rightful place as a center for meeting and protest in New York City."

Since the eviction, members of the public had only been able to enter the public through two checkpoints at the park that were guarded by police officers or security personnel.

The granite plaza near the New York Stock Exchange is one of more than 500 "bonus plazas" in the city: privately owned public parks borne of a little-known compromise struck in 1961 between the city and developers. According to the compromise, in exchange for building a towering skyscraper, developers had to also construct a plaza that would provide "light and air" for passers-by. The bigger the plaza, the taller the building could be.

Virtually all bonus plazas are required to be open 24 hours a day, barring a safety issue. They are governed by specific regulations in the zoning law. For example, the law states that the layout of such plazas must promote public use and easy pedestrian circulation throughout the space.

The complaint accused the city of failing to enforce the law by allowing the barricades to exist. Buildings department spokesman Tony Sclafani said Monday that inspectors had found no problems at the park.

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Associated Press writers Meghan Barr and Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

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Kwanzaa celebrations underway around world

  Marjie Mohtashemi, Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- People all over the world are celebrating the first day of Kwanzaa.

The seven-day holiday is named after a Swahili phrase for "first fruits."

It celebrates African-American culture and history.

A candle is lit each night during the celebration.

It traditionally starts on the day after Christmas, with each day representing a different theme.

Kwanzaa ends on New Year's Day.

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