Over a hundred goldfish are in a makeshift ‘pond’ at Tompkins Avenue and Hancock Street in Bed-Stuy.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Bikini Bottom has come to Bed-Stuy, and not everyone is thrilled.
About two weeks ago, a fire hydrant at the corner of Hancock Street and Tompkins Avenue started leaking, filling a pit in the sidewalk with a few inches of water. That’s not unusual in New York City – but what happened next was.
A handful of longtime local residents decided to turn the water-filled pit into a makeshift neighborhood goldfish pond. They shored up the pit, bought about 100 small goldfish, and dumped them in, along with some colorful rocks and decorations.
Photos and videos of the makeshift pond started circulating online and in-person, garnering equal amounts of praise and criticism.
In a Reddit post, one neighbor — concerned for the well-being of the fish — said they had attempted to rescue some, but ended up in an argument with one of the pond-makers.
“At best these fish might be swept up in a rain storm down a storm drain and become an invasive species in a waterway somewhere,” the poster wrote. “At worst they’ll suffocate in their own waste, burning gills from chlorine, diseased, overcrowded, and stressed. The temperature swings alone from such a shallow puddle could kill them.”
Days later, the poster — 29-year-old Emily Campbell, according to the New York Times — headed to the intersection after dark and swept about two dozen fish into containers to be handed off to a fish rescue.
The incident ignited tensions in the nabe. Jequan Irving, one of the organizers of what’s now being called “Gavs Fish Pond,” has said the fish are being fed multiple times a week, and that the group intend to install lights and plants in the pit. After Campbell’s rescue attempt, Irving and other members of the group monitor the fish all day.
“We are here to maintain peace and tranquility,” a group member told…
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