Angry tenants this week accused the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) of being lousy landlords at the final town hall of the three part series regarding tenant harassment that took place at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in East Flatbush.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna, Crown Heights/Lefferts Garden Assemblywoman Diana Richardson, Fort Greene City Council Member Laurie Cumbo and Marty Needleman, chief counsel of Brooklyn Legal Services, listened to a countless number of heart wrenching testimonies.
While assisting a selection of individual tenant cases, the board of elected officials and attorneys reinforced that their goal is to terminate abusive patterns within Brooklyn housing, by shining a light on where they are taking place and who is carrying them out.
Pamela Lockley, 66, president of the 1,525 households in Linden Plaza, spoke on behalf of the 150,000 Mitchell-Lama tenants across Brooklyn, which is housing supervised under HPD.
“Unfortunately I have to say this, I was told to speak the truth and let the truth set you free. HPD is an enabler,” said Lockley as the crowd gasped. “My friend over there, (as she looked across the room,) has been in her apartment for over 38 years and received a 120 percent increase in two years.”
Lockley pointed out that Mayor Bill de Blasio has been very vocal about helping tenants who live in rent stabilized apartments. Reimbursements for renovation expenses are something he spoke about, which according to Lockley, is already a right that Mitchell-Lama tenants have. Apparently, there have been pop-up surcharges on tenant’s rent bills that have been anywhere from $20,000-$40,000. When brought to court, HPD is questioned and “they turn the other way,” she explained. But “HPD knows.”
“The housing court needs to be restructured! I’ve brought HPD to federal court, I took them to Supreme Court and we’re going back again,” Lockley shouted, as the other tenants applauded and cheered in agreement.
Panelist Reyna conveyed an extraordinary amount of patience and compassion throughout the hearing.
Eve’Lyn Williams has been a tenant at 265 Hawthorn St. since 1963. Over the past decade, her and her neighbors have had numerous incidents, having to tolerate abuse in their building as well as false rent statements, accusing tenants to have outstanding balances.
In 2013 “I went to my council member, [Matheui Eugene] and he told myself and the other tenants ‘if you go to court I will stand with you.’ So, we got our papers together, even though it took a while because HPD didn’t want to provide us with the paperwork we requested, and then [Eugene] told us ’You going to court makes it hard for me to help you.’ But how could that be,” Williams questioned. “He told us to get our papers together, we went to court and we won.”
“The judge applauded us for being there, he said that no one comes to court against the city, people are always afraid. I tried to speak with him [Eugene] after that and he said to me ‘what do you want from me, you went to court, I can’t help you.’ So I’m here alone tonight because tenants don’t want to come, they say the politicians aren’t helping us,” Williams explained.
When Reyna asked Williams who the council member was in her district she replied “There is none, Mathieu Eugene is a fraud!”
Over the past three hearings, tenants have truly showed their unity and efforts to improve their quality of life. The Association for Neighborhood Housing and Development, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, Los Sures Community Development Corporation, New York Communities for Change and Tenants & Neighbors have all partnered with Adams in efforts to help one tenant at a time.
