City may uproot planters to defuse bomb threat, reports Soho leader

By David Spett

The president of Soho’s Crosby St. Block Association said he was told that all city sidewalk planters are being removed because they pose a bomb threat.

Craig Chin, a Department of Transportation spokesperson, confirmed that D.O.T. is not approving any new planters but said he does not know why. He also said he does not know whether existing planters are being removed.

Joshua Simons, president of the Crosby St. Block Association, said his group was hoping to work with Bloomingdale’s Soho, at 504 Broadway, to place several planters around Soho as a memorial to firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Each planter would be dedicated to a firefighter to commemorate 9/11’s fifth anniversary.

Simons said Bloomingdale’s was willing to donate $6,500 to fund the planters but D.O.T. told the store the planters pose a bomb threat. Simons said the store told him that they were told by the city that all planters would be removed. Bloomingdale’s did not return calls requesting comment.

“You can name two dozen locations where it might be a bomb threat, but on a little street in Soho?” Simons said. “We can’t just stop living our lives because we’re under this threat.”

Sean Sweeney, director of the Soho Alliance, agreed.

“So are trash cans a threat at that rate,” he said. “Where does this stop? And Crosby St. is very quiet, hardly a target.”