"It's depressing," said Anthony, a Queens resident in his 80s who has to clean up other people's litter from his own Whitestone property between two and four times a week. "I pay high taxes and it's sort of disappointing. It gets you upset also to see that nobody does nothing about it."
Around 10:00 a.m., sheriff's deputies patrolling the area on foot surrounded a man being cited for narcotics use, which reflected ongoing law enforcement action against drug-related issues in the neighborhood.
Paul Gallagher expressed concern that the current situation in Dublin's north inner city is deteriorating, saying, "Despite an increased Garda presence, lawlessness remains prevalent and people avoid the area."
Residents of Oval Road feel abandoned as anti-social behavior escalates in their neighborhood, exacerbated by their exclusion from Croydon's Public Space Protection Order, creating a spillover effect.
Earlier this week, the statue of Molly Malone became the center of an unusual and disrespectful act as both locals and tourists engaged in grabbing her breasts.
A pungent smell of rotting garbage fills the air. Bulging sacks of trash pile high, some spilling their festering contents. And, with vermin plaguing parts of the city, at least one resident has claimed to have been bitten by a rat.