As mentioned earlier, Sanitation thought, and rightfully so that the pay was very good. However many still resorted to picking up private businesses and taking home the few dollars derived from this illegal practice. By law all businesses had to have their refuse collected by private sanitation. To have this service was very expensive and many businesses didn't want to pay for this service. They would try to mingle their stuff with the residential refuse. If any of the crews would find business related stuff in a residential can they would look for envelopes with addresses. When they found the address that they needed they would approach someone in charge and make a proposal. Arrangements would be made. The business would continue to put their stuff in the cans that belonged to the residence and someone from the crew would collect a dollar or two.

The private sanitation companies weren't idiot's. They too wanted as many customers as possible. They became concerned when they were missing some of these customers. They began to spy on the city's crews. What they saw they didn't like. One morning two of them, without their truck approached Jacks'crew and asked to to please stop picking up this particular store they,the privates, were trying to get back into the fold. When the people downtown heard these reports they began their own investigation.

In the rear view mirror Jack saw a familiar figure. There was no mistaking that face. He'd seen before but couldn't remember under what circumstances. Suddenly Jack floored the accelerator. He almost ran down Goody who was dragging a large cardboard box. As he flew past Goody he saw the quizzical expression on his friend's face. He had to move now and do his explaining later. As he drove around the block, it began to come back to him. Randazzo had been in attendance at Jack's trial months earlier. He couldn't bring about a real connection for now, but there had to be one. When Jack came back to the scene the car and Randazzo were gone but the plate number was embedded in his mind. He later told everybody he could the number YSL-666 while explaining as best he could what he thought the reason for Randazzo's presence he was ridiculed by the livid Goody.

 

Jack was shaken by the appearance of Randazzo. He tried to stop driving for Goody and Nick. When the garage foreman asked why Jack wouldn't say and the garage foreman wouldn't let Jack change to another crew. Jack, Goody and Nick had done jobs worth up to $200. One morning in fact they all met at theWoolworth five and 10 store and nearly loaded their truck in the dawn darkness. When they got to the section and started to work didn't have much room for the natural stuff they were supposed to pick up. Nick and Goody to a lesser degree continued to pick up a dollar here and a dollar there. One day garage foreman called out the names of many different guys. Jack wasn't one of them. How glad he was when he found out the names called now had dosiers attached to them. Cecil B. DeMille could have done it better. In Cinemascope, with close-up's and with academy award scenarios over 50 men had been indicted or found to have collected illegal garbage. Jack's sigh of relief could be heard throughout East Harlem.

One guy in particular Simone pondered aloud when asked if he wanted to his 25 day suspension one day a week or all at once. This was Dumbo, son of Jumbo, of course no one called him Dumbo to his face. But Jumbo's son Simone chose one day a week because, these are his words, "I don't want to lose my customers". DUH!

 

Elementary School Days * No More Gizzards * No, You Didn't * For The First Time

Life In The Garment Center * Jack's Black Queen * Those Were The Days

New York, New York * Dad * Post Office Blues? * DS or BS?

The Hookers of Hunt's Point * SanMan * Amazing

Views of a Black Man