All of those counterfeit clothes the city confiscates used to go to the needy... but the NY Times reports that this past year city officials destroyed the new, unused clothing and footwear.
After being seized, and no longer being needed as evidence for legal proceedings, the NYPD rented an industrial shredder to destroy the knock-offs. They also shipped truckloads of goods to meet their end at an incinerator on Long Island, where the city paid $150 a ton to have them burned. The Department of Sanitation says the disposal is supervised, and called a "witnessed burn."
So why is money being spent on destroying perfectly good coats and other goods that the needy could use? The NYPD says no one asked for the knock-offs this year. But clothing banks told the paper that they made many requests that went unanswered. One clothing bank board member says, "The people who had control over giving us that stuff had been really good to us. Now the pipeline has dried up. Whatever the reasons, we hope that practical heads prevail. We can do this and save the city money, help people who need it, and reduce the carbon footprint."
Mayor Bloomberg directed any questions about the incident to Paul Browne, spokesman for the NYPD. He would not answer how much the city spent on destroying the perfectly good clothes, but noted the department will supply clothing "whenever requested and cleared by the courts."
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bloomberg shipped knock-offs to New Orleans — so on top of there currently being a shortage for New Yorkers in need, this clothing could have gone to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti as well.
