Monday, March 9, 2009

Illegal day care center in Jackson Heights garage?

"The owner (and absentee landlord) of this house in Jackson Heights, Queens has once again rented out his ILLEGAL basement / garage apartment located at the rear of the house. It can be accessed via the driveway off 32nd Ave, between 77th and 76th Streets.

The new tenants moved in last night, at 1:30am, and there are least 5 people living in that tiny space. Yes, I did say they moved in at 1:30am -- in the middle of the night. I guess they hoped no one would see them?

The illegal conversion apartment is located in the basement and the garage -- the owner quite cleverly left the garage door on, in front of the SOLID WALL he put up to create the apartment, so that the inspectors from the Dept of Buildings won't notice what he did.

This illegal apartment is overcrowded, a fire trap -- there is only one door to get out because they locked off the door that leads from the basement up to rest of the house (and there is a full kitchen in the basement apt), and it has to be vacated before it becomes a tragedy on the evening news. All the houses on 77th St are attached, so if one has a fire, they're all in jeopardy. I'm sure they are using space heaters to keep warm in that garage section -- I saw them moving them in.

Currently, there is also a very large -- at least 10 foot by 5 foot and 3 feet high -- pile of construction debris in the back yard. This is VERY DANGEROUS.

PLEASE HELP ?????

Note -- the tenants only speak Spanish and the landlord speaks Chinese. He actually lives in Chinatown, and rents out the house in Queens as 2 separate apartments -- the upstairs and the basement." - anonymous

Since DOB has gotten so many complaints about this house and visited so many times without being granted access, it is high time for them to obtain a court order to enter the home. Especially since there was a complaint not too long ago about an illegal day care center being run out of the garage. Since people dying due to illegal conversions seems not to be a concern for this administration, let me put this in terms that may get their attention: Photos of a bunch of dead children being pulled out of a garage due to an illegal conversion and failure of the Buildings Department to do its job would certainly affect the outcome of the mayoral race.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't this the point at which to bring in the police and fire departments?

How many firefighters will Commissar Death and Taxes order to die in order to protect the illegal housing/sanctuary city policy?

Anonymous said...

My next door neighbors on 56 Drive, also runs an illegal day care center also. She was called in the developer who built a home next to hers, due to the kids running near the construction equipment. They came, they saw, and said, "Here is the paperwork to become a legal day care center, then left. Nothing happened - same stuff going on.

Anonymous said...

Call the FDNY or ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement)!

They show up!

Forget that crooked pack of thieves-on-the-take DOB!

There's always the DOI & FBI too!

Anonymous said...

DOB will enter with a court order. What they need first is a witness willing to sign an affidavit stating that he has seen the illegal activity.

That's the problem. A lot of people worry about "what will happen to the children" but only up to the point where they won't actually have to get involved.

Anonymous said...

But of course mon ami...Jackson Heights along with Elmhurst & Corona is the epicenter of illegal immigration in this sector of Queens.

Waz up in the "historic district" portion Jeff Saunders?

Anonymous said...

Does 'Taxpayer' have a fixation on using the term "Commissar?"

Anonymous said...

BS!

DOB can post a "nail & mail" notice on the door if they wanted too!

They're too busy pocketing money from those business owners!

Anonymous said...

I don't see it that way.

A commissar is a despotic megalomaniac from the former Soviet system.

Mayor Bloomberg (and others)seems to fit that name just fine unless you prefer the Nazi term Reich's Chancellor instead of mayor.

Is that Evan or one of CAU's crew up early counter posting on the morning shift?

Anonymous said...

"A commissar is a despotic megalomaniac from the former Soviet system."

Oh, I agree. The mayor does seem to fit that description to a T. It's just that nearly every post of his/hers throws it in there.

Anonymous said...

This is less than legal, but you can call in a odor of gas to 911 (not on your phone) to that address, just prior to 6pm. FDNY will respond, probably with a chief who can issue a vacate order if they gain entry and observe what is being described here.

Anonymous said...

Good advice folks - but will attest to the fact that 80% of the single family attached brick homes in Elmhurst all operate this way with a basement/garage combo with a kitchen. Many or most are absentee Chinese investors that rent at higher rates carved out rooms upstairs w/kitchens and full baths that are communal. The illegal downstairs are generally only folks of the same family share illegal space with a shower and an illegal kitchen.

Anonymous said...

Commissar, Reich Chancellor, Der Furher, all of those terms work for me since Democracy seems to being going out the window in America.

Yesterday my neighbor got a ticket for "disorderly group" for protesting the illegal removal of phone service from three rent-stabilized tenants.

He was alone at the time and briefly entered an open area of the building to speak to service technicians from Verizon who had been tricked into removing our phones.

They came to his apartment, ordered him out and even abused his room mate who was ill in bed.

Perhaps we have to acquaint some of the respectable tenants with the following:

"Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Only the crooks seem to know this one. It's a mystery to both the respectable law-abiding people and the police as well.