Rally Free Legal Consultation Re: Low Income Housing, Saturday, April 6, 2013

As feared, their approach seems simplistic, and focused on an alleged villan:

March & Rally

Saturday, April 6

1pm

Dr. Ronald McNair Park [Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue]

Brooklyn

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Crown Heights Assembly to Notorious Broker:

"Stop the Displacement of Black, Caribbean & Latino Crown Heights!  Fix the Buildings!  Show Us the Real Rent!"

Alliance of Long-Term Residents & New Tenants of Crown Heights

Rally on Eastern Parkway, March on MySpace NYC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – On Saturday afternoon, the people of Crown Heights will converge on a small park to end the rigged game of displacement and rent overcharge that is eating away at the fabric of the neighborhood.  Saturday's march begins with a rally, an assembly, tenant legal aid, and popular education.  An alliance of long-term residents of Crown Heights and new tenants of the neighborhood will then march on real estate brokerage MySpace NYC.  We demand that the firm:

1)  Require landlords to meet all tenant demands on repairs and harassment.

2)  Show legal rental histories to all potential tenants.

3)  Charge and advertise only the legal rent.

4)  Sever ties with landlords who have documented histories of tenant abuse.

5)  Sign a legally binding contract ensuring implementation of these demands.

On Saturday, long-term residents and new tenants alike will speak to conditions, rents, and the displacement of the Black and Caribbean communities in their MySpace-brokered buildings.  One of these buildings – a microcosm of the negligent and malicious practices – has had so many violations it is currently listed in the city's Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP): HPD's annual list of the 200 worst buildings in New York.  That hasn't prevented the building's new management company from evicting many of the building's Black tenants, renovating the vacant apartments, and bringing in new residents at high rents.

Saturday's action is organized by the Crown Heights Assembly [CHA].  The march and rally will be CHA's second major mobilization in a campaign for tenant justice in buildings brokered by MySpace NYC.  Saturday's event will also mark the release of a neighborhood bulletin on tenant justice in Crown Heights.

CHA is building a coalition of long-term residents and new residents of Crown Heights on a foundation of solidarity and shared interest.  Brokers and landlords are screwing both groups of tenants in different ways: forcing long-term residents out by refusing repairs, launching frivolous eviction proceedings, making repeated "offers" to buy them out for paltry sums of money -- and then bringing new residents to overcharge for the same apartments.  We will unite and fight to end this cycle of displacement and overcharge.

On Saturday, April 6, Crown Heights fights back – and we know that tenant justice will win.

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They are concerned with the re: legal max rate, not rates that are below it (aka preferential rents).

We had a pretty good conversation re: the economics and incentives that play out re: MySpace in this thread:

http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/topic/a-look-below-the-surface-in-gentrifying-crown-heights-published-jan-15-2013

Basically, in the present environment, neither the landlord or the prospective tenent has a large incentive to charge (be charged...) the HCR legal max rent.

...HCR is not staffed in a way that allows it to enforce the rules....

The Assembly members are basically left in a position where they are telling three groups not to do what they perceive as being in their economic best interests.

1. Landlords should not pay payouts (?!)

2. Old tenants should not accept payouts (?!)

3. Prospective tenants should pay less than they are willing to pay. (?!)

...not going to happen.

But I do hope they get to spend a nice day in the park.