Pooch patrol clashes with Peter Cooper residents

Pooch patrol clashes with Peter Cooper residents

By Sabina Mollot
Town & Village, April 2009

What had started as an attempt by Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village’s security force to get a few residents and their dogs off the lawn in Peter Cooper ended up in a physical fight that left one resident complaining of injuries and local dog owners feeling threatened.

According to a Peter Cooper resident who was involved, the fight between residents and security began last Thursday afternoon when three of his neighbors had their dogs on the grass, which is against complex rules.

Robin Weiss, 62, who is not a dog owner himself, happened to be walking home with a bag of groceries at that time when he saw a neighbor, Paul Strauss, arguing with a security officer, not far from 441 East 20th Street.

According to Weiss, the officer, Gregory Anderson, was accusing Strauss of trying to “sic” his rat terrier, Terry, on him and was pushing him, despite Strauss’ attempts to leave.

“They ripped Paul’s shirt off,” said Weiss of the argument. “It was a disgrace.”

Strauss later told T&V he had actually been getting choked with his own shirt, and it came off in the struggle. He declined medical attention and later said he was fine, though he said he did want to make a police report. A cop at the scene, however, “wouldn’t let me,” Strauss said. “She said, ‘nothing happened.’”

But something did happen, according to bystanders in the crowd which had grown at that point.

When seeing Strauss arguing with a security officer, Weiss stepped between the two of them. That’s when someone attacked him from behind, he said, sending him flying face first into the grass.

“I don’t remember it,” said Weiss, who found out he’d been knocked unconscious momentarily by another security officer after two girls who had been walking nearby asked him if he was okay.

“I said sure, I’m fine-I had no idea what happened.”

He was also handcuffed by a member of security, he was told, though he doesn’t remember that either.

Later, when a police officer arrived and asked Weiss if he was okay, he attempted to respond, “but I was incoherent,” he said. “It came out, blehhhhhh.”

Police told T&V they had no record of the incident.

Five days later, on Tuesday morning, the only evidence of Weiss’s contact with the ground was a yellow bruise on his right temple. Not having any medical insurance, he never went to a doctor. He said his neck still hurts and his head “isn’t right.”

“Every day I get more angry about what this guy did to me,” said Weiss, a former business attorney. “I have no idea who attacked me, but whoever it was is a criminal. I’ve been thinking a lot about what could have made his action proper-nothing. No one was screaming ‘help me’ or ‘stop thief.’”

On Friday, Weiss complained to the security department and said the department’s chief officer, Bill McClellan, apologized for the officers’ behavior.

A spokesperson for Tishman Speyer told T&V Anderson has been relieved of patrol duties “pending the outcome of our review of the incident” and that “it would be premature to comment further until after we have concluded this process.”

While unsure exactly when or how the argument became physical in the first place, Weiss recalled McClellan mentioning that security had been having problems with some dog owners’ behavior around the complex.

“But,” he said, “I don’t have a dog.”

Dog owners petition for dog run

Ironically, critics of the dog-friendly policy enacted in ST/PCV over a year ago have complained that security hasn’t done enough to stop the actions of irresponsible dog owners like allowing their pets to bark continuously and not cleaning up after them.

But other residents who do own dogs said last week’s incident was proof that the community is sorely in need of a dog run.

Kathy Gross Compitus, who recently started a petition in the hopes of getting a dog run open in ST/PCV, said she believed a dedicated space for dogs would help soothe relations between those who are pro and anti-pooch.

“It would make things a lot better,” said Compitus, who recently earned her master’s in animal behavior and communication from CUNY. “I’ve had people yell at me for walking my dogs near the trees. One woman, if your dog steps on the grass, rings a cowbell out of her window, and she starts screaming, ‘Shame! Shame!’ I was like, lady, what are you doing? It’s 9 a.m.”

Compitus added that dog runs available at nearby parks aren’t the answer.

“Stuyvesant Park is only open certain hours. Tompkins Square is one of the most dangerous dog parks in the city. There are a lot of fistfights, like your dog looked at my dog funny. Madison Square Park is nice, but it’s kind of far.”

Her petition is online at www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stdogrun and her dog blog is at www.wigglypups.com.

Another petition for a dog run in ST/PCV, begun by Peter Cooper resident Howard Sloane, is also online, at www.pcvstdog.com.

At one point, Tishman Speyer had advertised a special area for dogs in the complex on its official website  (www.pcvst.com), but according to Compitus, noise was the reason that plan was scrapped.

“I was told by security that where they wanted to put it, it would have echoed off the buildings,” she said.

Like many dog owners in ST/PCV, Peter Cooper resident Cliff Medney said he supports the idea for a dog run in the complex. And, despite what happened on Thursday, he feels the influx of dogs in the community has been mostly positive. For one thing, he said, it has spared many animals from having to be put down, like his own rescue dog, an Airedale named Abby. It has also brought neighbors together who might not have otherwise become friends.

“It’s had the unintended consequence of people getting to know their neighbors,” said Medney. If there’s a generation gap or an economic gap, all those gaps go away through dogs.”

He and his wife, Josana, are just two people in a group of dog walkers that meets every morning in front of 511 East 20th Street. On a typical morning, the “7:30 a.m. group” consists of about 10 people and their four-legged friends, all socializing outside. This often involves dogs on the grass.

“But if that’s the biggest thing going on in Stuyvesant Town or Peter Cooper, come on, get over it,” said Cliff.

That said, he agreed owners who don’t clean up after their dogs should be fined-or worse for repeat offenders. “There’s no excuse for that,” he said. “It’s disgusting.”

Naturally, the gossip this week amongst the 7:30 a.m. crew has been all about Weiss and security.  One dog owner said she was once chased off the grounds by security for walking her dog on the grass.

“I don’t see them going after the cyclists,” she said.