Activists rally for more public restrooms in the city

When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go — but it can be difficult to find a public bathroom in the five boroughs.  

Advocates for the homeless and elected officials rallied outside of City Hall on Thursday, hoping to advance new legislation to remedy the decades-old problem in a city with one public restroom per every 7,800 people.

“This is New York City, the greatest city in the world,” said Teddy Siegel, the founder of Got2GoNYC. “Why are we ranked 93rd in the nation when it comes to bathrooms per capita?”

Parents with children, tourists and vulnerable New Yorkers such as people with disabilities and the homeless can all relate.  

“I’m a vendor with Street Vendor Project up in Harlem,” Calvin Baker said. “We work 10 to 11 hours a day on the street with nowhere to use the restroom.”

The bills aim to expand bathroom accessibility across the city by making restrooms in municipal buildings accessible to the public and setting a target for the city to provide one public restroom for every 2,000 residents by 2035.  

“Last year the city issued almost 4,000 criminal summonses just for urinating, just because you gotta go,” City Councilmember Sandy Nurse said. “About almost 6,000 civilian summonses just because you have a bladder.”

“It’s about recognizing the ability to use a restroom is not a privilege, but a right: one that has been denied to too many New Yorkers for far too long,” Councilmember Rita Joseph added. 

Following Thursday morning’s rally, City Council members held a hearing focused in part on the issue and potential solutions.

“More must be done to fix the current restroom stock, particularly to ensure that they are well maintained and accessible to all New Yorkers,” said Daniel Alam, senior policy analyst for Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.  

“I’ve had my body betray me more than once,” added Willie Woods, an organizing intern with the Open Hearts Initiative. “ I’ve had to relieve myself in the street and risk a summons.”

In 2022, the City Council passed legislation requiring city officials to identify a location for a restroom in every ZIP code. 

Mayor Eric Adams recently announced that in the next five years, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation will be building and refurbishing 82 public restrooms citywide. Advocates say more must be done.