Between 1500-1700 B.C.E., the Minoan culture on the island of Crete had a highly developed waste management system with very advanced plumbing and places to dispose of organic wastes. Knossos, the capital city, had a central courtyard with baths that were filled and emptied using terra-cotta pipes. They had flushing toilets, with wooden seats and an overhead reservoir. In 320 B.C.E., Athens passed the first known edict banning the disposal of refuse in the streets. The early Greeks understood the relationship between water quality and public health.
Public latrines date back to the 2nd century BC in Rome. They became places to socialize. Long bench-like seats with keyhole-shaped openings cut in rows offered little privacy. Sanitation in ancient Rome was a complex system similar in many ways to modern sanitation systems. Their waste treatment management practices were the most developed of any civilization prior to the nineteenth century and superior to that of the Dark Ages, where waste was disposed of in the alleys and streets.
However, it is 2013, and in a civilized world in the 21st century, one would not expect to need signs telling people that they should not defecate or urinate on the street in front of your home. But, as I have pointed out some time ago, many of the living conditions in New York City are not so much different from the Dark Ages.
At number 1 Jersey Street, a small two-block alley in NoLita, the residents have had to remind the uncivilized how to behave in public with two signs, prominently displayed, that clearly state, both through written word and graphic illustration: Please. No Pissing or Shitting. People Live Here…
More on sanitation: Pickup Day, Livid
Omg I’m thinking of printing out your picture and posting it on my front door…living on the very busy Bowery I am amazed, and disgusted, that several times a year some moron thinks it’s just fine to take a leak right in our doorway area. Each time I cannot believe the utter meanness of such an act, I don’t care how drunk someone is.
I remember catching a kid (Bridge and Tunnel) pissing in the park on Sixth and Downing…and as desperate as his argument was, I said to him, “This is my home, my neighborhood. How would you like it if I came to your front lawn in the suburbs and pissed all over that?!!”
It’s really hard on Jersey St…it’s not a well traversed ‘alleyway’ and it’s been used for years as a public bathroom. I wonder how their signs are working out for them? They really need a security light or two to discourage this…what drunk person will be reading those signs??
Love the colorful photo!
Leslie – Jersey Street is the perfect little out of the way spot to do one’s business. It is quiet and desolate, particularly at night. It is also where I once caught a photo shoot in action – Jersey Girls.
On tv I caught a quick getaway scene from Jersey St onto Lafayette (on USA Network’s ‘White Collar’)…and I’m saying to myself, “hey-I know where that is!’
I love shows like White Collar, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest and Golden Boy where I’m constantly recognizing shooting locations.
A month ago I caught a shoot from Person of Interest right in front of Courant on Mercer. It’s fun when you see a famous actor, but it gets boring as hell waiting around waiting for a snippet of a scene to be shot!
Wonder if they used scrubbing bubbles:-) ? Trish Silcox
This post reminds me of the day many years ago when I caught a passer-by p@#$ing on my cow’s hay bale, and yelled out and asked him if he would like me to call by and pi@# on his meal. Until that moment I had no idea men could stop mid-stream and run.
🙂