Comedy Club Owner Engages in 'Doodle War' with Bleach-Pouring Neighbor
A Queens, New York, comedy club owner is locked in a public dispute with a neighbor she accuses of repeatedly destroying her sidewalk chalk art with bleach.
An ongoing dispute has emerged on a Queens sidewalk, where the owner of a comedy club claims a neighbor is intentionally destroying her chalk art advertisements with bleach. Hannah Lieberman, owner of QED Astoria, has been creating chalk drawings on the public sidewalk outside her venue since the beginning of summer to promote charity events, children's story times, and comedy shows.
According to Lieberman, the individual began pouring bleach on the chalk designs shortly after she started creating them, dissolving the colorful advertisements. Security footage captured by Lieberman appears to show a man pouring liquid from a bottle onto the sidewalk art. Lieberman identified the individual as a neighbor.
"I thought maybe it was a disgruntled teenager or something, but no. Turns out it’s a fully grown man," Lieberman told The Post. She stated that the man has repeatedly returned to erase her artwork.
Lieberman believes the man is also responsible for posting vile messages about neighbors and strangers on social media, including derogatory remarks targeting her. She shared an instance where she claims he called her a derogatory and antisemitic name.
When Lieberman reported the incidents to the police, she was informed that her neighbor's actions were not illegal because the sidewalk is public property. She recounted a detective suggesting she "stop doing the chalk," which she found disheartening. The NYPD has since apologized for the detective's remarks and stated they are monitoring the situation.
Undeterred, Lieberman has continued to create her chalk art and has used social media to document the alleged vandalism and criticize the police response. She told The Post, "The main takeaway is: I’m going to keep doing the chalk."
This is not the first instance of conflict between the neighbor and the comedy club. In 2024, the individual was charged with graffiti, possession of a graffiti instrument, and criminal mischief for allegedly defacing the club's facade with stickers, damaging the vinyl signage, according to the NYPD.