Cruelty and Injustice to the Homeless in the West Village

By J. Taylor Basker

My homeless friend, James Tarangelo, has been helping me with my dogs. He was living in an old car I had given to him on Greenwich Street near Clarkson & Houston streets after his own car was towed and destroyed by the city. He is known in the neighborhood as Jimmy or “Mr. Fix-it.” He helps many senior women and others with repairs, moving heavy things, shopping, etc. He helps neighbors repair their cars, as he is an auto mechanic. He kept his expensive equipment in the car. He is dedicated to recycling and collects garbage from the streets to keep them clean. He collects items of value he finds and distributes them to people who need them or to groups such as the Salvation Army, Greenwich House Senior Centers, Westbeth Flea Market, etc. Jimmy has been an asset for all of us.

The car was registered to me, was insured and had license plates. It was moved regularly to follow regulations and was always parked legally. However, the developers of the Hudson Square Project (real estate friends of Police Commissioner Tish’s family enterprise Tishman-Speyer), did not like a homeless man living in a car in the area which they hope to turn into luxury housing. They complained to the NYPD. A police officer then wrote a ticket with no violations and the car was towed to the Brooklyn Tow Pound on Nov. 20, 2025.

On Nov. 29 Jimmy went to the tow pound with a notarized letter from me. We explained that we were in the process of disputing the ticket and dismissing the charges.

I was ill for a few weeks and unable to leave my home until Dec. 23 when we went to the Dept. of Finance to dispute the ticket. However, they had no record of the ticket number and they wanted us to go get the original ticket, which was still on the car in the pound. I am a handicapped senior and it took me time to get help to go to the pound, especially since I was unable to go by myself. On Dec.29 we finally got the original ticket, although the tow pound initially told us it was not there.

On Jan. 2, 2026, I called the pound and told them we were going to see the judge. They had sent a letter threatening to send the car to auction. They told us there was no auction on the following weekend and to call Jan. 5. I did so and told them I was going to the Dept. of Finance that week. They said they would put a hold on the car so it would not go to auction.

This ticket was dismissed by a NYC judge on Jan. 7 and the decision was entered into the computer. They gave us the release for the vehicle. 

On Jan. 8 we called the pound and reported that the ticket had been dismissed and we would come for the car on Jan. 12. They said they would make a note of it to hold the car.

On Jan. 12 we called and learned that the NYPD gave the car to the Dept. of Sanitation, on Jan. 8, the day after the judge dismissed the ticket. It has been crushed and recycled. There was over $5,000 worth of auto repair equipment and personal items in the car. We were told that the NYPD may have vouchered the equipment in the car but I cannot get info from Det. Can at the Sixth Precinct. Erik Bottcher’s office has looked into this situation but could do nothing.

The Sanitation Dept. also towed two other cars of Jimmy’s last summer. He managed to retrieve one pickup truck, now stored in Staten Island. The other SUV, although towed out of the pound safely to Queens, was moved by a film company, lost, then discovered to be also crushed by Sanitation.

This cruelty and injustice to both the homeless and to seniors in the West Village must be challenged in the courts. The current climate of Trump, ICE and bullies let out of the genie’s bottle must not infect New York City.

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Mamdani Has a Big Job: To Fix the City Computer System

I recently had to go to the John Street office of the Department of Finance to straighten out an illegal car tow and ticket situation. While waiting my turn I heard people shouting things as “I paid my taxes and there’s no record!” And “I paid the fine for the garbage pails twice.” Or “My parking tickets were paid months ago and I got booted!”

When my turn came, I went to a window. I explained that my car had been towed illegally and I wanted to see a judge. I was told that their computers could not get the ticket number from the NYPD and before I could see a judge I needed to retrieve the original ticket ─ which was on the window of the car in the tow pound. I thought it strange that the Dept. of Finance could not connect to the NYPD information regarding tickets owed to them, a major source of the city’s income.” Adams left the city’s computer system in chaos.

Additionally, the Dept. of Finance is where you pay past tickets in judgement, which I had, and I had made a payment plan with them. I mentioned to the woman at the window that I would make a payment there now and then next month online. She told me not to because, “The computers are a mess now. They’re upgrading and the system is not working correctly.” She told me to pay in person for the payment to go through. She didn’t know when it would be fixed. I exclaimed “This is terrible.” She muttered, “They will soon close this office soon anyway, and everything will be online. I don’t care. I’m retiring.”

When I finally saw a judge the next week, the ticket was dismissed. The next day they destroyed my car. (See above.)