Mayor Mamdani Backs Return of Notorious Lime 'Stickers of Shame

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly backed the return of the city's notorious lime green "stickers of shame." These massive, hard-to-remove decals are now being slapped on vehicles that break parking laws instead of facing tickets or towing. The 8.5 x 11-inch stickers vanished from New York roads for a dozen years before City Council member Gale Brewer brought them back. Mamdani did not sign or veto the specific law but has moved to enforce it while addressing reporters Tuesday.

"It is critically important that the Sanitation Department be able to conduct street cleaning," he stated. "Whenever I meet the hardworking members of DSNY, the question is always how we can make their jobs easier. If this measure accomplishes that, I fully support it."

The rollout began Tuesday morning on W. 90th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West. Crews placed the first stickers on cars blocking sanitation trucks. David Greenfield, a former councilmember who fought these decals during his tenure, was visibly upset by their return. "For 14 blissful years, these stickers were illegal in NYC because I banned them when I served in @NYCCouncil," he explained. "Why? Many of drivers getting stickered were innocent and the glue wrecked their cars."

He pushed further on the point: "A ticket is a penalty. Gluing trash to someone's windshield is vandalism."

Not everyone was pleased with the revival. Some social media users turned on Mayor Mamdani after NY Times reporter Emma Fitzsimmons posted images of the new enforcement method. One X user asked, "What would Emma have said if the new 'commie' mayor just had her car towed?" Another chimed in that "Mamdani gentle parenting car owners in nyc." A third observer claimed, "The liberals hate the police but will waste no time co-opting any symbol of the police for their own control tactics."

Critics on social media struggled to take it seriously. One asked, "How is this not vandalism?" Another wondered, "Why don't they just tow the car?" A third mused, "This is idiotic, is the ticket not enough?"

The Department of Sanitation says over half a million vehicles violate alternate-side parking rules every week. Council member Brewer told the New York Post that there are simply not enough cops to handle enforcement otherwise. Sanitation Commissioner Gregory Anderson noted that $65 tickets do not act as a strong enough deterrent. "For many New Yorkers, a $65 summons is simply the cost of free street parking, and our streets are dirtier because of it," Anderson said.

He admitted he would prefer using automated cameras but needs state government permission for that authority. "We hope that these stickers motivate people to move their cars. Our goal is clean streets that all New Yorkers deserve, not to use stickers nor to write tickets." For Brewer, the issue is straightforward: making street cleaning easier. "Street cleaning only works when cars move. Warning stickers were one of the City's most effective tools for improving compliance before they were banned in 2012," she said.