Fran Lee, 1910-2010

“Ms. Lee’s stand put her at the forefront of the pitched battle over dog excrement that raged in the city for much of the ’70s. When she appeared in public, outraged dog owners hurled invective; occasionally they hurled the subject matter of the debate itself. Ms. Lee had no qualms about responding in kind.”
–NYC consumer advocate Fran Lee died February 13th in Jerusalem. The 99-year-old former actress, who played a Macy’s customer in Miracle on 34th Street, was best known for her role in getting the city’s canine waste law, a.k.a. the “pooper scooper” law, passed in 1978. We could use more like her. Especially on Clinton Street between Broome and Delancey, where, despite the fact that it runs between two parking lots, people do still have to walk, you know!