h.nazan ışık—
18 November 2016—
“Although, details of his [the President-elect Donald Trump] future plans are unknown, we certainly know over these next 65 days he will be here very regularly. We’ve never had that situation before and certainly not with the focal point being in midtown Manhattan,” de Blasio said.
Trump Tower is home of the President-elect Donald Trump and his transition headquarters. And, it is located in the busy commercial and shopping districts in midtown Manhattan, 5th Avenue and 57th street.
Mayor Bill de Blasio , Police Commissioner James O’Neill, and officials from the NYPD, Department of Transportation and Secret Service and other officials hosted a press conference on Friday, 18 November at 1 Police Plaza to discuss security, congestion and traffic in and around 57th Street and 5th Avenue .
© h. nazan ışık
Mayor de Blasio, center, Commissioner O’ Neill, second from left, Head of the U.S. Secret Service in New York, David Beach , left, and other officials discussed security plans of Trump Tower and traffic plans around it during a press conference on Friday, 18 at NYPD headquarters in Manhattan
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill: “ For the first time in decades our country will have a NYC resident as president of the United States. The transition will be going on until January, of course. Most of this transition will be at President-elect’s office in Midtown Manhattan. Today’s issues cover this 65-day transition period.”
“Firstly we are not closing 5th Avenue. It was closed for brief period times since the election day to improve security,” he added.
© h. nazan ışık
Head of the U.S. Secret Service in New York, David Beach, left,. Mayor Bill de Blasio, center, Police Commissioner James O’Neill, right, at 18 November, press conference in 1Police Plaza.
5th Avenue will remain open to buses, passenger vehicles and pedestrians, but there are restrictions for trucks. Trucks are prohibited from traveling southbound on Fifth Avenue, between 60th and 55th Street and Eastbound, on 56th Street, from 6th Avenue to 5th Avenue, said NYPD chief of patrol Carlos Gomez. And added ” Vehicles are blocked from traveling down on 56th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue.”
“People who work, or shop on the street, or live in the area, or simply want to cross 56th Street down to Madison Avenue, they will be allowed to do so on the south side of 56th Street, after being screened by us and the Secret Service,” said Gomez.
If possible, people should avoid the area around Trump Tower, from 53rd to 57th streets between Madison and Sixth avenues, Mayor de Blasio suggested.
Commissioner O’Neill: “ We have the necessary protection not only for Trump Tower and Mr. Trump but also for all the New Yorkers in around that area”
“We understand that the number one imperative here is safety and security,” de Blasio said.
Asked if any conversation with Trump’s team about relocating his transition period to his other residences, de Blasio said “ Obviously I won’t speak for the Secret Service. I don’t think that’s the way these things work. I don’t think that’s the way it should work. He is the President-elect of the USA. He has to make the decision what will work for him, and our job is to work with that. He is from here, and this is he knows how to do his work. We have to respect that.”
Another question was if Mr. Trump is going to have two residences; one in D.C. one in NY?
David Beach, agent in charge of the Secret Service, answered: “Every sitting President is allowed to declare one residence out side of the White House”
As Mayor de Blasio said “details of his future plans are unknown, we certainly know over these next 65 days he will be here very regularly.”
So, it remains to be seen if Trump Tower area will have restrictions for only 65 days, or four years, or 8 years…..
Photos © h. nazan ışık /NKENdiKEN
© h. nazan ışık