Photo: chicago.cbslocal.com
Few other things are as stupidly funny as watching a politician get pooped on by pigeons, while addressing the issue of pigeons pooping on commuters at a certain Chicago station.
Yet this politician didn’t really deserve it. State Rep. Jaime Andrade has been trying to solve the issue of pigeon poop at the Chicago Transit Authority stop Irving Park Blue Line for a very long time, so the last thing he needed is a vivid reminder of what he’s dealing with. At least he took the incident in stride.
The incident was captured on camera, as CBS 2 Chicago was doing a follow-up story at the so-called “pigeon poop station.” It might sound funny, but for commuters and tourists, it’s a gross and harsh reality: the sidewalk is covered in bird droppings and feathers, and yes, many times, the birds also poop on people.
“I’ll just have to go clean up,” Andrade says, right after he realized he’d been hit by a bird dropping. “That’s what happens to my constituents. They get s**t on all time.”
As it happens, Andrade did secure funding for the problem ($6 million), but because of a technicality, that money will now go to the CTA for construction work. The CTA plans to install new escalators with the money, and Andrade hopes they won’t remember he helped them secure the funds and they will put in something against pigeons.
If not, he has other ideas to deal with this chronic problem. A hose line for power washing could be installed with CTA money, or he could get corporate sponsors to pay for something similar. The lawmaker also believes the city could create a reentry program for ex-cons, where they would be used for viaduct cleaning jobs.
Meanwhile, activists who are also struggling to get the problem solved urge drivers and pedestrians to not feed the birds. That includes the pigeons in Irving Park, which, after feeding, come to sit on the viaduct, dropping poop bombs on the unsuspecting commuters below.
The incident was captured on camera, as CBS 2 Chicago was doing a follow-up story at the so-called “pigeon poop station.” It might sound funny, but for commuters and tourists, it’s a gross and harsh reality: the sidewalk is covered in bird droppings and feathers, and yes, many times, the birds also poop on people.
“I’ll just have to go clean up,” Andrade says, right after he realized he’d been hit by a bird dropping. “That’s what happens to my constituents. They get s**t on all time.”
As it happens, Andrade did secure funding for the problem ($6 million), but because of a technicality, that money will now go to the CTA for construction work. The CTA plans to install new escalators with the money, and Andrade hopes they won’t remember he helped them secure the funds and they will put in something against pigeons.
If not, he has other ideas to deal with this chronic problem. A hose line for power washing could be installed with CTA money, or he could get corporate sponsors to pay for something similar. The lawmaker also believes the city could create a reentry program for ex-cons, where they would be used for viaduct cleaning jobs.
Meanwhile, activists who are also struggling to get the problem solved urge drivers and pedestrians to not feed the birds. That includes the pigeons in Irving Park, which, after feeding, come to sit on the viaduct, dropping poop bombs on the unsuspecting commuters below.
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