He was walking down Newkirk Avenue in Brooklyn. At an intersection, he looked to the right for oncoming cars. A huge, black tarp caught his eye. It was stuck about 30 feet up in a tree. He figured a storm must have put it there. Walking by a month later, he noticed that the tarp was still there. A meter maid stood nearby. He pointed out the tarp to her. She asked, "How'd that get up there?" He said, "I don't know, but it's pretty ugly. Maybe you can call some city agency to remove it." She said, "I'll do that." He felt good. His suggestion would help beautify the tree and the street. A month later, he looked to see if they'd removed the tarp. His surprise turned to anger. They had removed the tarp, all right. Along with it, the tree. All that remained was a fresh-cut stump.