The Pool On How Long It Takes For This Storyline To Make It Into Law & Order Starts Now

The antiques dealer who filed a $1 million lawsuit to keep a group of homeless away from his store seems to have succeeded in drawing attention to the matter:

The dealer, Karl Kemp, who owns Karl Kemp & Associates at 833 Madison Avenue near 69th Street, says he has put up with the group, in particular one bearded homeless man and his “island” of filthy belongings, for more than two years and hopes the suit will compel the city to have them removed from the area.

Besides seeking $1 million in damages — the dealer’s lawyer said he put in a figure for legal reasons — the suit also asks for a restraining order requiring them to stay at least 100 feet from the store.

. . .

Allan Schiller, Mr. Kemp’s lawyer, said the lawsuit was a last resort by Mr. Kemp in an effort to resolve something he had been dealing with for two years.

Mr. Kemp, Mr. Schiller said, has even asked the owner of the building that houses the store to remove or reroute the heating duct outside the building to deter the homeless from seeking its warmth. But nothing has worked, Mr. Schiller said.

. . .

Mr. Schiller, the lawyer, said: “They’re not really breaking any law besides being vagrants, and it’s my understanding that vagrancy really isn’t a reason to pick anyone up anymore. The fact is, they are creating a nuisance by standing in front of you constantly. You are not my guest. I did not invite you here. And they have attached themselves to my client’s property.”

Jose Perez, who works at Cesare Paciotti, a shoe store next to Mr. Kemp’s shop, said the bearded man who seemed to be the focus of Mr. Kemp’s complaints never bothered any of his store’s customers. “He has a very bad smell,” Mr. Perez said. “But besides that he causes no problem. We never asked him to leave.”