Bates Troy Is Noisy

a community campaign for environmental justice

Bates Troy Attempts Bribery

December 4: Bates Troy offered the founders of this community organization a bribe if we would end this campaign and move out of the area. We have an audio recording of the entire bribery effort that spanned two days: December 1 and December 2. We are disturbed that Bates Troy had the audacity to try and bribe us in the hopes that we would end our campaign. This demonstrates that Bates Troy is an unethical business that cares only about making a profit and not about the community surronding their dry cleaning plant. We wonder how many others have been offered hush money so that Bates Troy could push through their noisy, smelly industrial dry-cleaning plant.

Press Coverage

News 10 Now aired a two minute segment about Bates Troy's bribery efforts. You can watch the segment online at "Bates Troy protester claims company offered him bribe to move"

Full Audio

Click play to listen to Randy Widrick (pictured at right) offer us a bribe:

Note: the law in New York allows us to make a telephone recording without Randy's knowledge. However, in the final 90 seconds of the recording, Randy asks whether he is being recorded. Therefore, we have removed the final 90 seconds from the publicly available recording. Nothing of importance occurs in these 90 seconds, we simply reiterate our refusal to take the bribe. This audio is NOT edited except the removal of the final 90 seconds.

You can download a copy of the audio recording here.

Excerpts

Download all these clips, or listen online

Bates Troy asks us how much money it would cost for us to move:

Bates Troy asks us again how much money it would cost to move and end the campaign:

Randy says Bates Troy's management will consider giving us a bribe:

Bates Troy's management will consider giving us a bribe:

We refuse the bribe:

Press Release

Bates Troy Bribery Efforts Revealed

Binghamton, NY- December 5, 2008 - Bates Troy Healthcare Linens has been quarreling with local residents for months over noise pollution complaints but now they are trying a different tactic: bribery. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, Bates Troy offered the lead organizers in the community several thousand dollars if they'd move out and end the campaign for quiet. The bribery attempt was conducted by Director of Sales and Marketing, Randy Widrick, with the knowledge of Bates Troy's management, and has been caught on tape.

"I was pretty surprised they would to try bribing my wife and I," explained M. White, "but it makes sense: Bates Troy refuses to comply with Binghamton's laws therefore bribery was their only other option."

Community organizers are not certain what prompted Bates Troy's bribery efforts but it was most likely a last ditch effort to prevent organizers from submitting to the Mayor's Office the dozens of signatures they have gathered from residents asking the City to enforce its Noise Control Ordinance.

"I wonder how many other residents have been bribed. Now when I met a Bates Troy supporter, my first question will be: have you been paid?" said M. White

Residents vow to keep up the fight against Bates Troy. Their demands remain the same: Bates Troy must comply with the laws and the agreements they have made with the City of Binghamton. That means, only operating and receiving deliveries between the hours of 6AM to 6PM Monday to Friday and ceasing to produce all annoying noises.

"Bates Troy offered us a lot of money to drop our campaign. And of course, we were tempted to take it," admitted C. Ricciardone, "but in the end we realized that quiet is priceless."

A recording of Bates Troy's bribery efforts is available at http://www.BatesTroyNoisyNeighbor.org/bribe.php

Who Are We

We are Bates Troy Noisy Neighbor, a neighborhood organization of families concerned about the noise pollution produced by the Bates Troy Healthcare Linens dry-cleaning plant located at 151 Laurel Ave in Binghamton, NY 13905.

We are engaged in a campaign to bring attention to our community that is suffering under an onslaught of illegal annoying noises. We believe that the Zoning Board of Appeals made a negligent decision in allowing an industrial dry-cleaning plant to expand into a high-density residential area.

90 second background summary on the Bates Troy issue (click here if video doesn't appear):

Bates Troy attempts bribery to stop this campaign (click here if video doesn't appear):

Bates Troy Noisy Neighbor is an environmental justice organization in Binghamton, NY HomeFactsViolationsEnforcementBoycott