Sunday, August 31, 2008

Life in 21st century Manhattan

This is life at 452 Fort Washington Ave., where tenants have waged a three-year battle with slumlord Dorothea Levine over remarkably decrepit conditions.

Landlord's workers rip out walls & toilets to 'fix' rent-control apartments

As of this week, the 54-unit building had more than 400 open code violations, more than 60 deemed "immediately hazardous," ranking it among the city's worst, Department of Housing Preservation and Development records show.

Again and again landlord Levine has been cited for lead paint, rats, mice and roaches, exposed wires, broken smoke detectors and moldy ceilings, the records show.

Conditions hit a new low in January when contractors arrived at Almanzar's apartment and claimed they needed to make repairs in her bathroom. They tore out her toilet, tub, floors and walls.

"They said they were going to fix it, but they never came back," Almanzar said. "How are we supposed to live like this?"

The building code gives landlords 24 hours to repair unusable bathrooms. Three families at the building have lived for six months without sinks, showers or toilets.

Records show that nearly 60 of the violations building management claimed to have repaired in 2007 and 2008 still existed when inspectors returned.


Well, it appears there's a stop work order on the place. Maybe the Red Cross should be called. Except they may be busy down south for awhile.

11 comments:

faster340 said...

They should take this right to her door front and see how she likes it. According to ACRIS she lives in Morristown NJ.. What a shame... Cheap ass bitch!

faster340 said...

Damn there's no mortgage on this property either and the bitch paid $177,140.21 for this propery in 1973...

Anonymous said...

I grew up a few blocks away. This has always been a good neighborhood unfortunately surrounded by a bad neighborhood. The apartments are big and beauiful in most of the buildings, even when run down. There is a close to million dollar apartment around the corner, so this is yet another neigborhood seen by the landlords and developers as one to gut and refit for the rich.

Anonymous said...

Yes, there should be signs posted on her front lawn in NJ so her neighbors know about it. Although, clearly some people have NO shame whatsoever. Can't a judge make her live in the building? Or is that only in movies?

Anonymous said...

Good question. I remember when a judge did make an infamous slum landlord live in his building.

Last of the honest and compenant judges?

Anonymous said...

So why doesn't all those wonderful prodevelopment think tanks like Pratt and Hunter and MAS start to come up with studies highlighting this and suggestions for solutions.

All they seem to do is justify displacement of poor and working class people in thier studies.

Anonymous said...

What is the point in passing laws?

Yesterday some people on our block took up about a half dozen parking spots for a barbeque and party ride. Prep for the West Indian parade in Brooklyn.

Several thousand people saw this because it was on a major street with a bus line.

No ticket. No cop. No nothing.

Like the Mariahci band that started up on a PA system at 1:30 AM in my airshaft the night before.

This is the privlege of being the tweeded.

But God forbid my car be on a meter 5 minutes over the limit.

Anonymous said...

Hey, if you people can't afford luxury, then get the hell out of my city. I have a legacy to think about here, and I won't let poor people get in my way.

Anonymous said...

Is rent-control a good or bad thing?

Anonymous said...

"Levine"...eh?

So tell us all how greedy Jewish slumlords didn't play a big part in ruining NYC's really affordable housing market, beginning with the South Bronx!

Anonymous said...

Only six months? My downstairs neighbors went without a toilet for a year and the landlord wonders why I won't let him in to fix a "leak."

Perhaps when some of these people get shot dead the city will take notice.

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