The police station down the block
has before it
a sign on the lamppost
that reads emblazoned in red
No Parking Anytime.

Before that sign
at any hour
of any day are parked a series of police cars.
They are angle parked
a rarity in this city
and they invariably spill over onto the curb
interrupting pedestrian passage
on the street.

Passers-by are used to this
and nobody is terribly inconvenienced
by the clear and consistent illegality
presented by law enforcement
on an always basis.

The sign does not read
For Authorized Use Only.
There is a gated parking lot
behind the station.
The traffic on Longwood sucks
and would no doubt be somewhat alleviated
were there less cars parked
where no cars
are supposed to be parked.

These streets were called
in wilder times
Fort Apache.
A movie was made
about the corruption
and the strident relations
between neighborhood and NYPD.
Things have gotten better.
The neighborhood complains less.