Good Old Lower East Side

TENANT ACTIONS ROCK CITY

Nov 21, 2000

Tenant actions from all across the city are addressing the urgent issues of this city?’s housing crises. In what seems to be a blitz of agitation by activists and concerned tenants, there have been several public displays of protest against neighborhood gentrification and for housing law reforms.

On Sunday night, October 1st, Met Council on Housing staged an overnight vigil sleep over on the sidewalks of City Hall. This demonstration called attention to the unjust and landlord favored rent hikes (4% for a one year lease and 6% for a two year lease) that were sanctioned by Giuliani?’s Rent Guidelines Board appointees in a time
when profits by realty holders is at an all-time high and the standard for a
living wage reflects the worse times ever.

About 200 persons assembled in ?“Giulianiville?” for the rally that preceded the sleep over to hear speakers and to talk to the press. Speakers included Senator Tom Duane and Assemblymember Scott Stringer, City Councilmembers Bill Perkins, Stanley Michels, Eva Moskowitz, Steve DiBrienza, Christine Quinn and Kathryn Freed. Dave Powell and Kenny Schaeffer, both of Met Council on Housing addressed the assembly.

Westside SRO Project, Coalition for the Homeless, the NYC AIDS Housing Network, Center for the Disabled, Good Old Lower East Side, The Housing Action Network and a smattering of tenant associations and outraged citizens joined in. The highlight of the demonstration was a very ironic one, indeed. The chairman of the Rent Guidelines Board, Ed Hochman showed up to ?“monitor?” the situation. Why he was there or who was it who sent him out on a Sunday night remains a mystery to most of us, however he seemed quite content to repeat himself by saying that,?” If both sides are unhappy with the RGB results, then we must be doing our job!?” He hedged on with smug comments to the press and jokes that promoted landlord rhetoric. He seemed not to notice that a major focus of the protest was to demand for his dismissal, based on his notorious behavior of mocking the public during the RGB hearings earlier this year. With chants of ?“Ed Must Go!?” the protesters chased Hochman for three blocks until he disappeared somewhere in the evening blackness.
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On October 4, City Councilmember Margarita Lopez lead a contingent of colleague Councilmembers and supportive organizations in a press conference and rally on the steps of City Hall to voice outrage by the recent rule changes that will effect the programs of the Division of Alternate Management (DAMP). Ms. Lopez called for an immediate introduction of a resolution demanding of the City Council to schedule an oversight hearing to ?“look into the need for and the process of these rule changes?”.

Ms. Lopez exclaimed her outrage by saying that as of just one week before (September 26) the City Department of Housing Preservation and Welfare (HPD) held hearings to drastically reduce rules for tenants in DAMP buildings without attempting to notify, much less to include, those who will be most directly effected. These new ?“rules?” were published in the August 25th issue of the City Record, a City government news circular. It seems to be clear that by publishing these changes in the Record, HPD intended to sidetrack their responsibility of informing directly DAMP participants and their network of supportive organizations. These proposed rule changes would greatly endanger the existing tenants?’ potential to remain as residents. The ?“affordability?” of their homes would become vulnerable to any future ?“progressive?” rule changes. Also, these new rules indicate displacement for tenants who must be relocated while major construction or repairs are made. Since the make-up of DAMP tenants are mostly the elderly and those of low or fixed income, scattering these people away from their communities, family and friends would prove to be traumatic. To add, if DAMP participants are requested by the program direction to relocate outside of their respective communities, then any refusal by the tenant(s) to do so could result in their termination from the program. In other words, kicked out. The message is clear. ?“Obey the rules that will lead to your displacement or risk being another homeless face in this metropolis.?”

Those organizations in support of Ms. Lopez?’ initiative included Legal services New York, Cooper Square Committee, Harlem Tenants Council, West Harlem Tenants Coalition, GOLES, City Councilmembers Michels, Perkins, Eldridge, Freed and DiBrienza and a host of Tenant Associations.

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Later in the afternoon of October 4, an oversight hearing was held before the City Council on Code Enforcement and Emergency Repairs of HPD Class ?“C?” Violations. Compelling testimonies were offered before the Council, most notably from the family and friends of little Ashley Simms, a thirteen year old who lost her life due to a fire that raged in a building that had been cited with numerous code ?“C?” violations that had never been corrected and remained ignored by the City.

Given that all code ?“C?” violations must be corrected within a 24-hour period, HPD has failed to maintain the level of efficiency necessary to enforce their own guidelines. Even Mayor Giuliani has acknowledged that a revamping of this City agency is a must.

Leading the assault was Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields stating. ?“It is time for a public outcry against this kind of inaction by HPD and demand that adequate personnel be utilized to aggressively enforce the Housing Code. The government must protect its citizens?’ lives and safety by taking a more proactive role.?”

Met Council staffer Dave Powell reinforced Ms. Field?’s comments by calling for the City to make an example by imprisoning some of the worst landlords who defy court orders to correct hazardous conditions endangering tenants, and would therefore increase voluntary compliance by other landlords.

Kevin Ryan, of the Community Training and Resource Center pointed out the dismal number of code inspectors, a number that has substantially decreased due to deliberate budget cuts. Since 1993, the regular ?“cyclic?” inspections have either been severely cut back or discontinued altogether. Ryan noted that in 1998, his organization and the inspectors?’ union determined that it would require about $27 million dollars to adequately restore this leg of HPD. The cost may seem exorbitant, but compared to the City?’s budget that is spent on police and health care, for example, it is minimal.
GOLES was represented by Tenant Organizer On Davis, stated ?“What can anyone expect (of others) when your home is plagued by vermin and imminent dangers of fire or structural deterioration? The breaking down of adequate code enforcement are the cracks in the bedrock that give foundation that enable for neighborhood stability, community flourishing and appropriate affordable housing. It has already been established that the continued state of affairs in HPD is responsible for the core problems of our City and has proven, even to take the blame, as with Ashley Simms, for the taking of life itself.?”
Adrian Di Lollo of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development testified that there was a drop of 27% in recorded accounts of immediate hazardous conditions for the fiscal year 2000 and that HPD has targeted still fewer re-inspections than last year. The number of HPD attorneys remains cut in half of full staffing capacity and that the number of inspectors remains at one-third that as were employed in 1989. Court ordered fines to landlords has been reduced from $5.1 million in 1989 to an average of $1.6 million yearly since 1995.
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On Saturday October 28, a ?“survival?” march that began in Harlem?’s Marcus Garvey Park leading across 125th Street to Morningside Park brought together tenant organizations from across the city. Entitled a City-Wide March Against Gentrification, Ms. Nellie Bailey lead about 200 protesters chanting, ?“Harlem is not for sale!?”, and ?“We?’re gonna beat, beat back the landlord?’s attack!?” In front of the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building, a moving speech was offered by the Organizing for Asian Communities relating to the crowd that gentrification has hit home in Chinatown. While on the walk to Morningside Park, the renovations and the priming of the abundant empty lots (left vacated since the early 1970?’s, due to freezes by banks for development loans and left as prime interest for ?“future?” development), was all too evident. ?“You see these newly renovated buildings??”, announced Ms. Bailey. ?“If you haven?’t got two thousand dollars to pay a month for them, then you won?’t be able to live here! And who do you know can pay that? That?’s what they?’re doing to us! We?’ll be forced to leave our community!?” With the constant chanting and funky drumming, the banner wielding crowd of protesters even made the flashing police escort lights a part of their march. The final arrival at Morningside Park seemed like the marchers had walked to someplace sacred. A jazz ensemble greeted them, and on a red-painted pick-up truck, every representative from every group had a chance to address the crowd. The last speaker, and perhaps the most exuberant was WBAI radio personality Mimi Rosenberg. Her encouragement was as befitting as was the weather we all enjoyed; as glorious, as was our march.
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With all of these needs to correct the housing codes, landlords are enjoying the greatest boom in real property ownership this city has ever known.