Ellen Baum, a 37-year-old tech worker from Brooklyn Heights, spent about 16 hours over eight days removing hair ties, condoms, tissues, and socks from the fencing of the Brooklyn Bridge. She said she was motivated by frustration with the state of the world and a desire to do something positive.
Baum told local media that she often sees dirty tissues, trash bags, and even tampons woven into the bridge's structure. 'I can't do anything about some of these big problems that the world and the city are facing. But I can do one modicum of something nice,' she said.
The Brooklyn Bridge, which turns 143 this year, is a National Landmark and sees an estimated 28,845 pedestrians daily. Since the mid-2000s, lovers have attached locks to the bridge, but others have resorted to hanging hair ties, tissues, and socks as a form of vandalism.
Love locks are a global phenomenon, from Paris to London, but many local governments forbid the practice. In New York, attaching a lock to the Brooklyn Bridge risks a $100 fine. The city's Department of Transportation is responsible for removing trash and locks, but volunteers like Baum and the group Pick Up Pigeons have stepped in to help.
Baum said she focuses on cleaning refuse rather than removing locks, as she does not have bolt cutters. 'I'm not a curmudgeon. I have a lot of love in my life, but I've never felt the need to make a physical marker of it on a historic landmark,' she added.
