Homophobic Harassment on Grand Army Plaza

I just wanted to follow up and post the letter that I sent to the Contracting Company, Management Company, and various city agencies. I have also been in touch with AVP about this. Thanks again for all of the supportive posts.

PS: In response to someone's earlier post about "How do these people know if someone is gay or not when they shout homophobic epithets". The answer is, They don't, and it doesn't matter!



August 17, 2009



36 Plaza Corp.
c/o Babad Management Co.
P.O. Box 313
Parkville Station
Brooklyn, NY 11204-0313

Dear Sir or Madam:

I understand Babad Management Company (“Babad Management”) is the owner and management company for the rental building located at 36 Plaza Street East. I am writing to inform you that on July 22, 2009, I was maliciously harassed outside your building by contractors – hired by you – from Panorama Construction, Inc. (possibly d/b/a/ Panorama International Contracting, Inc. and, hereinafter, “Panorama”). Following that, on the day after, I was further harassed and violence was threatened against me telephonically by the manager of Panorama. I have memorialized the incidents in a police report with the N.Y.P.D.’s 77th Precinct (Police Report No. 5516). Here is a narrative summary of the information I provided to the police:

On July 22, 2009, a male worker in a hard-hat threateningly yelled the word “faggot” at me as I passed by 36 Plaza Street East on my way home. The worker was among a group standing under scaffolding with Panorama’s name and phone number affixed to it. I immediately called the company and relayed the incident to a female employee, who assured me that she would pass the information on to the company manager and that the incident would be dealt with constructively.

On July 23, 2009, I called Panorama back to request a written report of how the incident had been handled. A man, who identified himself as the manager, denied that his workers were responsible for the incident and hung up on me. I called the manager back to obtain his name and at this point the manager yelled the following at me:

“Fuck you, faggot. Faggot! I’m calling you a faggot now. Go ahead, call 911 if you have to. I’ll kick your ass if I ever see you! I’ll fucking kick your ass if you call here again! Go to hell, you fucking cocksucker!”

To be spoken to this way infringes my civil and human rights. Each day, as I pass your building on my way to and from home, I am reminded of the insulting, discriminatory behavior and violent threats against me that began, literally, at your doorstep. Such behavior cannot be sanctioned. The more incidents like these go unreported, the more LGBT and other marginalized people experience harassment and violence in the future.

I am writing Babad Management because I assume the company is concerned with (1) the threatening and unprofessional behavior of contractors it chose to employ, and (2) how to avoid employing such contractors in the future. I have copied the New York City Commission on Human Rights and the Civil Rights Bureau of the Office of the Attorney General so that they may document and investigate the incident, as appropriate. I have also copied Panorama and the Department of Buildings, so that the latter may take whatever steps it considers appropriate towards a company over which it may have administrative jurisdiction. Finally, I have copied the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York in order to publicize the dangerous and unprofessional conduct of a metro-area business.

I appreciate your consideration of this matter and look forward to a written response at detailing (1) the steps you intend to take with respect to Panorama, and (2) measures Babad Management will initiate or improve upon for the screening of future contractors and other vendors who may have contact with the public.


Sincerely,




Mark O’Connell

Encl.

cc:Patricia Gatling
Commissioner and Chair
New York City Commission on Human Rights
275 Livingston Street, 2nd floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217
&
40 Rector Street, 10th floor
New York, NY 10006
(with enclosure)

Civil Rights Bureau
New York State Attorney General’s Office
120 Broadway
New York, NY 10271
(with enclosure)

Robert D. LiMandri
Commissioner
New York City Department of Buildings
210 Joralemon Street, 8th floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
&
Executive Office
280 Broadway, 7th floor
New York, NY 10007
(with enclosure)

Panorama Construction, Inc. /
Panorama International Contracting, Inc.
450 Seventh Avenue, # 1007
New York, NY 10123
&
102 Willow Street
Wheatley Heights, NY 11798
(with enclosure)

Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York
257 Park Avenue South, 4th floor
New York, NY 10010
(with enclosure)

Flexichick wrote: [quote=Moconnell79]Please also keep in mind that the police report, letter and blog posts are mainly addressing the behavior of the manager at the contracting company who also called me a "faggot", and added that he would "kick [my] f__king ass!". It would be a shame to overlook this significant event and everything it implies.

what type of response (if any) did you get from the people you sent the note to?

No response as of now. I am continuing to follow up with the help of Anti Violence Project.