Police hauled off a tent pitched by a couple of vagrants in the middle of the Upper West Side on Wednesday afternoon — after neighbors repeatedly complained about the unsightly set-up.
Officers showed up at the intersection of West 86th Street on Broadway to help dismantle the couple’s bright orange abode situated smack in the middle of a divider.
“We’re here all the time so what’s the problem? It’s not cool,” ’said the 33-year-old woman, Amber, to the officers.
Moments later, Amber and her partner, Devonte, 28, tried to flag down a public bus for help as it was turning onto Broadway to head uptown.
“Look what they’re doing. They’re trying to bother us,” Amber said, gesturing at the officers.
She then turned to the officers and said, “You’re all saying I can’t be on the sidewalk.”
“We’re not on the sidewalk,” she continued, referring to the tent squarely in the paved, tree-lined divider of the busy intersection.
A man nearby the scene told The Post, “They’re in the paper so now the officers want them to move.”
Officers placed the tent and other belongings in a city Department of Homeless Services van.
The agency didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
The city’s Department of Sanitation confirmed that the agency was involved in helping clear trash from the scene.
“As like in other similar situations, the Department of Sanitation works at the behest of other agencies, such as DSS/DHS, who work directly, and engage directly, with those in need of services,” a spokeswoman said.
“While each agency has a part to play, our work is limited to picking up material determined to be trash. We don’t engage directly with the clients.”
Neighbors told The Post on Tuesday that the tent had become an eyesore.
“This is so f–ked up!’’ said Mark Pensiotti, 41, adding that the abode had become another sign of the city’s decline.
Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy
Credit: NYPOST
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