By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — A Metropolitan Transportation Authority initiative to curb homeless people from loitering at the last stop on the A train in Upper Manhattan has area straphangers up in arms.
MTA workers unscrewed several wooden benches from the 207th Street A train station last week, leaving the stop bereft of seating.
The benches were removed "as a means of addressing a homeless issue at the station," according to Charles Seaton, a spokesman for the transit authority.
However, several homeless people who regularly spend time at the station said they were told the benches were removed because they were rotting.
Didi and Yacahuda Harrison, a couple who spends a lot of time at the station but does not identify themselves as homeless, believe the removal of the benches is unjust.
Yacahudah, who goes by the nickname "YA," and was one of the men who received a summons for playing chess in Emerson Playground in Inwood Hill Park last fall, said he and his wife have been a positive force at the station over the past five years. The refer to themselves as missionaries.
"We keep the area cleaner and safer than it would be without us here," said Harrison, who used to sit on a bench at the station flanked by cardboard signs that showcase religious messages.
According to the Coalition for the Homeless, the removal of benches in public areas is not a new tactic for clearing out homeless people.
"They've been making it uncomfortable for people to sit or recline on benches for years," said Patrick Markee, a spokesman for the homeless advocacy group, adding that he was unaware of any legal claims to address this sort of issue.
Some straphangers said they understood that the MTA needs to keep its stations free of loitering, but thought the removal of the benches took the issue too far. They voiced concern that elderly people, pregnant women and people with mobility issues would have no place to rest while waiting for trains.
"Yeah you see people camped out with suitcases and all of their stuff, but isn't there another way to help them without getting rid of our benches?" asked Adam Strauch, a 28-year-old Inwood resident.
MTA officials said they did not think the elimination of benches should not have an affect on riders and have no plan to bring them back.
"The removal of the benches is not really an inconvenience to customers as there is usually an A train in the station, waiting to pull out for its next trip," Seaton said.
Most straphangers who regularly take the train at the station disagreed.
"During the morning trains are usually waiting in the station, but at night or on the weekends, you could be waiting here for 20 minutes or longer," said Martha Grainger, a 43-year-old Inwood resident.
For now the station remains devoid of seating, but officials from State Sen. Adriano Espaillat's office are looking into the matter.
"We're fallowing up with the MTA to find out why the seats were removed," said Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, community liaison for Espaillat. "We have not heard back yet, but would like to ensure that the agency provides appropriate amenities for all straphangers."
