Ripped trash bags and green rat poison pellets are lining the sidewalks along 7th and Prospect avenues - just steps from where neighbors routinely walk their pets.
“It’s absolutely horrific,” said resident Mary Mullen. “If you’re going to put down rat poison, you have to put signs down to tell people, or your dog is going to get sick and die.”
Neighbors say this isn’t the first time they’ve spotted the pellets, or the rats that that they're targeted for.
“They’re always running up and down the street,” said Aaron Fentress, another Park Slope resident. “I’ve seen people put out poison in the neighborhood.” Nearby restaurant workers say they’ve tried to get help form the city, but little has changed.
“I called 311, and somebody just came to take a picture. That’s it,” said Betty, an employee at Joy Kitchen.
According to city records, multiple 311 complaints have been filed in the area since the start of the year, citing rodent sightings and trash disposal issues. Residents say they’re frustrated and want the city to take stronger action.
“Where is the Rat Czar? Where are the new trash bins we’re supposed to be getting?” Fentress said. “I’d rather see the city come out and actually do something about it.”
News 12 has reached out to the Department of Health and will update this story with their response upon hearing back from their department.