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WHAT IS BLOOMBERG'S ROLE IN TENANT HARASSMENT AND OVERDEVELOPMENT?

by SoHo Journal Staff
One of our favorite descriptions of tenant harassment was posted in the Daily Slope by Marian Tortorella, one of the tenants of 598 6th Street in Park Slope detailing the lengths that his new landlord was going to in order to evict the rent stabilized tenants.  The SoHo Journal has long been covering the means and manipulations that have been affecting rent stabilized housing, though even after all these years the fight continues.  Rob Hollander, downtown community activist and author of the blog ‘Save the Lower East Side,’ writes about the ongoing battles and the importance of the upcoming election:
 
It's a shocking story, but not uncommon in New York. As I mentioned, I've seen it happen on my block to my neighbors and have heard stories from all over town. It's happening now when real estate values are down. It'll be worse again when the economy revives.
 
It's very much a part of the mayor's program for New York, entailed by his notion of a thriving New York economy -- encouraging development and removing obstacles from its way by weakening enforcement and statutory regulation. Curtailing and de-funding the Department of Buildings weakened enforcement, and restricting challenges to illegal development plans weakened regulation.
 
The mayor has further plans to weaken community oversight on development, including eviscerating the review process, weakening community boards, eliminating oversight positions like the Public Advocate through charter revision. These plans are on hold until the election is past.
 
Make no mistake, Bloomberg is very much a creature of the deregulation and privatization fever that has wrought havoc on our economy and abused the public. This could not be clearer from the experience of the last eight years. When the economy revives, expect a return of lawless, unchecked harassment, illegal development and community displacement.
 
The harassment of tenants by landlords is still widespread in New York. It is encouraged by city agencies under the mayor's direct control. The Department of Buildings no longer enforces its own regulations, the city does not collect DOB fines; meanwhile Bloomberg continues to de-fund it. Without funding or the ability to levy and collect fines, the DB is helpless to prevent developers from abusing tenants.
 
With no city agency standing in the way of developers and landlords, harassment of tenants has become easier and more frequent. When the economy was booming, harassment was rampant. It is the mayor's goal to return to those golden days of development evictions. That's what he means by 'reviving the local economy.'
 
New York is all about real estate speculation. If you want to know who this mayor is and what he's all about, look at the DOB, the department of development oversight. It is a bankrupted agency. It bears the true profile of our mayor.
 

Tenants have been evicted and are in the process of being evicted on my block through landlord harassment encouraged by the failure of the DOB. I hear similar stories from all over the city. I'm sure you have too. I can think of no better reason to vote on Tuesday. 

 

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