Keeping loiterers off rowhouse steps is a never-ending battle for cops and homeowners, and it's not news that many put signs in their windows warning people to get off their property. Many are directed at drug dealers.
But while I was out interviewing people about a killing of a man in a lawn chair on East Lafayette Avenue last week, I couldn't help but notice water pouring off a nearby rooftop and onto the marble steps below.
Neighbors told me that the homeowner (who I was never able to reach) positioned a rooftop air conditioner so that it discharged water three stories to the steps below. Without warning, anyone who has the misfortune to be sitting on the steps at that moment gets soaked.
That peaked my interest and I drove around the city looking for innovative ways people devise to keep their steps clear. I didn't find anything like the splashing water, but I did find some rather interesting signs, which are here for your amusement.