In 40 degree weather and drizzling rain, a crowd gathered in Crown Heights on Saturday, March 9, in support of the tenants of 285 Eastern Parkway, who are currently facing the risk of eviction.
But the rally was about more than one case. Donning raincoats and umbrellas, residents of 12 unionized buildings across the borough listened as leaders of tenant unions and tenant associations urged the audience to fight back against the deregulation of rent-stabilized housing.
“We went around Brooklyn and told people what their rights were. We told people that if they get together and fight that they can win, they can stay in their apartments,” Nicolás Vargas from the Brooklyn Eviction Defense Tenant Union, one of the organizers, said, detailing how his union got started.
The turnout was indicative of the magnitude of the issue, said Michael Hollingsworth with the Crown Heights Tenant Union, CHTU, who was a leading figure in organizing the protest.
“It speaks to the organizing that we’ve been doing in the community. It speaks to the fact that deregulation is a real problem,” he said. “And I think it speaks to the fact that a lot of tenants are just fed up, and we want to see actual change happen.”
In July last year, the landlord, Renaissance Realty Group, first notified the tenants of 285 Eastern Parkway that it planned to demolish the building. Since then, the residents have fought building management with the help of CHTU and Brooklyn Legal Services, and the case has now gone to the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal for review.
“It’s been very stressful,” said Lashawn Diallo, head of the building’s tenant association. “The tenants are elderly. Some people have conditions, and it’s aggravating the conditions because you’re very stressed out and worrying.’”
Their leases expire in May, and the landlord has not offered a renewal. “That’s why we’re upset,” explained tenant Pamela Hickens. “What…
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