A 14-Year Scuffle Over Ugly News Racks Might Be Winding Down

In 2011, a Wall Street Journal columnist prowled the city in a Zipcar, looking for newspaper racks gone rogue. He was tagging along with local activists who viewed the plastic periodical holders as a “scourge” on the streets. They stalked up to racks in front of Papaya King, home of the cheapie hot dog, prying open box after box to snap photos of garbage furtively squirrled away inside. The writer recounted how, when nearby garbage cans were overflowing, patrons took to stuffing their “syphilitic contents” straight into the empty news racks.

It was hardly the first time that New York City residents and business improvement districts took aim at the little plastic containers—and it wouldn’t be the last. Back in 2002, the city passed a law governing the placement, registration, and upkeep of news racks, which are ultimately overseen by the Department of Transportation. The racks can’t be located, for instance, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, or five feet of a corner, and must not be allowed to “deteriorate into unsanitary condition.” Boxes that break the rules can be hauled off to storage—which results in the owner receiving a $50 penalty and accruing a storage charge of $1.40 per day.