City 311 operators are routinely brushing aside complaints of illegal parking, public urination and other safety issues that popped up along neighborhood streets near Brooklyn’s new Barclays Center – even disconnecting callers or wrongly telling them to contact arena honchos.
The startling allegations were made at a Borough Hall meeting last night by residents who live near the arena, which opened Sept. 28 with a series of concerts by Jay-Z and is the NBA’s Nets home.
“They’re not taking the complaints and processing them, they’re not doing their job,” said Wayne Bailey who lives a block away and has called repeatedly to complain about cars illegally double- and triple-parked by fire hydrants during events.
Teresa Urban of East Pacific Block Association said group members have been repeatedly snubbed by 311 operators after complaining about arena patrons relieving themselves on sidewalks, illegally parked cars and limos idling.
She said operators told them to contact the arena or a local community board, neither of which has enforcement authority. Protocol is normally directing such complaints to NYPD or other city agencies.
“We’ve been told that 3-1-1 is not for [arena-related] complaints,” she said.
Officials concede changes need to me made.
Arana Hankin, who oversees the arena and the rest of the Atlantic Yards project for the state, told the audience “we will work with the mayor’s office to improve 311.”
A 311 spokesman said the city was unaware of the allegations.