r/bronx

Yes that's right, the Bronx had originally had a courthouse located on Third Avenue and 161st, the building still stands today but it is no longer used as a courthouse. Here are some photos of how it looks today and back then while the old Third Ave Elevated train line was still in service until 1973. I'm not quite sure when this location stopped being a courthouse but I heard it was in the early 1970's and it had to do with this train line being discontinued, again I'm not sure so if anyone has any more info reguarding the reason why its no longer a courthouse I would truly appreciate it

For those of you that don't know, the Bronx had another train line called the Third Avenue El. It was an evelated line that ran along Third Avenue in the Bronx to Gun Hill Road and White Plains Road until 1973 before it was replaced by the old Bx55 bus and now even that's gone. This line also ran completely elevated into Manhattan until 1955 then it became just a Third Ave shuttle until Fordham Road, then making stops along Webster Avenue at Bedford Park Boulevard, 204th Street and Gun Hill Road. Then finally connecting with the 2 line at White Plains Road. Did any of you know that Third Avenue between 149th Street and Fordham Road in the Bronx had a train line running above

Friends, we are doing it! 

3,206 signatures strong — and growing every single day across New York State, with the overwhelming majority coming from Yonkers, NY residents who refuse to let our shelter animals suffer in silence.

This momentum is nothing short of inspirational. In an astonishingly short time, thanks to your voices, your shares, your calls, and your unwavering pressure, 4 out of 5 of our core demands have been met or officially confirmed for implementation:

•  After years of dangerous understaffing, the shelter is now fully staffed. The facility is finally clean — a basic dignity the animals have waited far too long to receive.

•  Mayor Spano has confirmed extended shelter hours to make adoption far more accessible to the public.

•  Spays and neuters are now happening on a consistent weekly schedule, both onsite and offsite at a local vet — preventing chaos, health issues, and unnecessary suffering.

•  A trainer has been hired to begin working with the dogs.

This is real, critical progress — the kind that saves lives and restores hope. None of it would have happened without each and every one of you who signed, shared, showed up, and refused to look away. You are the reason these animals are finally seeing glimmers of the care they deserve. Thank you.

But we are not stopping here.

The Final, Crucial Demand Remains Unmet

Yonkers Animal Shelter desperately needs at least 50 new dog and cat volunteers to support the more than 190 animals currently in its care.

Yet management and the City of Yonkers administration continue to reject and limit volunteers. A reliable insider has confirmed that Commissioner Sansone wants to bring on only 5 more — a number that is utterly insufficient.

Why are Mayor Spano and Commissioner Sansone  refusing volunteers? The reason will shock you. Simply, Commissioner Sansone is fearful of “more eyes” in the shelter. 

What a disgrace! 

Right now, YAS has just 11 active volunteers for over 190 animals. Eleven.

That means dogs are still receiving only 3–4 minutes of walk time per day — locked in their kennels for nearly 24 hours. Cats have just 4 active volunteers and receive next to zero consistent socialization. The cat adoption manager often doesn’t even name most of the cats and actively discourages both adoption and volunteering.

The shelter continues to close to the public on average once a week, turning away adopters and donors who want to help.

Why a Robust Volunteer Program Is Non-Negotiable

In every well-run shelter, volunteers are the lifeblood of daily care. They provide essential socialization, enrichment, exercise, and one-on-one attention that paid staff alone cannot deliver in sufficient volume. According to the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) guidelines and best practices used by successful shelters across New York and the country, animals need regular human interaction to prevent stress, depression, “kennel crazy” behavior, and the rapid deterioration that makes them harder to adopt.

Without enough volunteers:

•  Adoptable dogs become anxious, withdrawn, or reactive.

•  Cats shut down and are dismissed as “feral” or unadoptable.

•  Return rates rise, rescue partners pull fewer animals, and lives hang in the balance.

Volunteers don’t just help — they transform shelter outcomes at virtually little to no cost to taxpayers. They reduce behavioral issues, improve adoptability, support staff, and rebuild public trust.

Bison’s Story — A Heartbreaking Example of Another YAS Victim and What Happens Without ADEQUATE Volunteer Support

Look at Bison (watch his video here: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1JHmN8jWD2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Bison came into the shelter as a friendly, manageable dog. Without adequate daily walks, training, and socialization, he has deteriorated dramatically — pacing, stressed, and showing the clear signs of “kennel crazy” that so many dogs develop when left with almost no human interaction. His video is difficult to watch because it shows what happens when good dogs are failed by a system that refuses the free help standing ready to support them.

Bison is not alone. Many others are suffering the same fate right now. Tobey, Finn, Henry, Pearl. . . . the list goes on and on.

Take Action Today — The Animals Are Counting on Us

We have come too far to accept half-measures. The final piece of this reform is a robust, functional volunteer program that matches the scale of the shelter’s population.

What you can do right now:

•  Email and call Mayor Spano today and demand immediate expansion of the volunteer program:
Mayor@yonkersny.gov or 914-377-6300

•  Sign and share the petition widely: https://c.org/XGCDBPFdLS and check out our FB page at u/ReformYAS. 

•  Go to the Yonkers Animal Shelter in person and insist on filling out a volunteer application. Bring friends. Show up in numbers. Let them know the community will no longer be turned away.

We paused public pressure to allow space for the improvements we’ve already seen. That goodwill has limits when animals continue to languish.

Together, we have already changed the trajectory for hundreds of dogs and cats. Now let’s finish the job. A strong volunteer program is not a luxury — it is a humane necessity that every modern shelter in New York embraces.

The animals cannot speak, but we can. And we will not stop until every dog and cat at YAS receives the daily care, love, and attention they need to thrive and find their forever homes.

Sign. Share. Call. Show up.

For Bison. For every forgotten cat without a name. For every dog pacing alone.

We are their voice — and our collective power is unstoppable.

Thank you for standing with us. The best is yet to come.

— Reform YAS Coalition

Current & Former Volunteers | Donors | Rescue Partners | Yonkers Community