Rats Keep Plaguing Harlem, But Sightings Distributed Unevenly

HARLEM, NY — Nearly a year after politicians took to the streets of Harlem to demand that the city stem a growing rat infestation, rodents continue to plague the neighborhood, data shows.

In July alone, people have made 212 complaints about rats on Harlem streets, according to the city's 311 data. That's the second-most of any month in the past year, trailing only May, when 217 complaints were made.

Rats and garbage pileups have long been problems in Harlem, but appeared to worsen last year when the Sanitation Department budget was slashed during the pandemic. Last August, Uptown elected officials demanded that the city do more to repel the rodents.

But mapping the complaints shows that rat sightings have not been distributed evenly across Harlem. Instead, many have been concentrated in the northern side of the neighborhood, as well as further south, near Central Park. (Zoom in and click through the map below to explore.)

Central Harlem, meanwhile, has been relatively spared. The 125th Street corridor, Harlem's main commercial strip, has seen just six rat complaints since June, compared to 19 on 116th Street or 18 on 141st Street.

One possible explanation: 125th Street is overseen by the 125th Street Business Improvement District, a well-funded group that has prioritized trash cleanup and rat prevention.

In 2017, the BID unveiled a set of new "Big Belly" trash cans on the corner of 125th Street and Lenox Avenue that leaders said would make it harder for rats to reach food.

Barbara Askins, president and CEO of the 125th Street BID, said Wednesday that "we did notice a big change" when those cans were installed on Lenox Avenue, as well as Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard.

The BID also deploys a "clean team" that sweeps sidewalks and empties trash bins 7 days a week, and regularly reports rat droppings and other signs of rodent infestations to the city, Askins said in an email.

Other parts of Harlem are not so lucky, having no other BIDs besides 125th Street.

Kristin Richardson Jordan, who is likely to take over as Central Harlem's City Council member if she defeats Bill Perkins after a recount, has said she would clean up streets by pushing to reinstall trash cans that had been removed, raise the Sanitation budget and increase trash pickups.

Related coverage:

• Pols Demand City Clean Up Harlem Trash, Rats As Complaints Soar
• Futuristic Trash Cans to Fight Litter And Rats In Harlem
  
• Rats Thrived As Trash Piled Up 14 Stories At Harlem NYCHA Complex