On March 22, 2009, the Chinatown Justice Project held a successful waterfront visioning workshop, with more than 50 residents, the majority of them from Chinatown. This workshop was the first in a series of three workshops planned by the O.U.R. Waterfront Coalition to get local community residents’ input on the development of the East River Waterfront.
After receiving a brief overview of the history of the East River waterfront, participants split into four small groups to discuss and develop their ideas for what types of businesses, services, and programs should be developed on the waterfront that would best benefit the local community.
Participants developed ideas in two general groups: services, programs, and activities that would be free, and businesses. For uses of the waterfront that would be free, participants prioritized open green space, recreational activities and facilities such as free handball and basketball courts, educational activities for youth, and social services such as translation and legal services. Many participants felt that the waterfront could be a place for the residents to access recreational facilities that often do not exist in Chinatown.
For businesses, participants were strongly in favor of small vendors and low-cost businesses that would be accessible to low-income residents, such as food carts and fruit and vegetable stands.
An overarching theme that all participants emphasized was that the waterfront should be accessible to low-income immigrant residents who make up the majority in Chinatown, in order to avoid further gentrification of the area.
CAAAV will take ideas, along with the ideas and input from the other two visioning workshops, and create a People’s Plan for the Waterfront that will result in a community waterfront that ALL residents can enjoy!
On March 4th, CAAAV released Converting Chinatown: A Snapshot of a Neighborhood becoming Unaffordable and Unlivable, a report done in collaboration with the Urban Justice Center on the how gentrification has affected small businesses and residents.
Converting Chinatown showcases the experience of local residents and business owners contending with displacement, and features city and state policy proposals to remedy lagging protections for the Chinatown community as private development encroaches on the area.
The report is currently available online at the Urban Justice Center’s website, and will be available on CAAAV's website soon:
http://www.urbanjustice.org/u
Copy and Paste these links for actual press coverage!
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes
http://weblogs.amny.com/enter
Following Released on Tuesday February 17, 2009
Frivolous Eviction Proceedings; Repair Refusals; Disruption of Tenant Meetings; Removal of Chinese Cultural Symbols and Decorations
On Tuesday, over 15 Chinatown tenants were joined by City Council members Rosie Mendez and Dan Garodnick, State Senator Daniel Squadron, attorneys from the Urban Justice Center (UJC), and organizers at CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities to announce two group harassment lawsuits against the landlord of both 55 and 61 Delancey St.
The landlord, private equity firm Madison Capital, has called the police to disrupt three tenant meetings; rejected rent and frivolously pursued legal eviction proceedings; and ordered tenants remove Chinese cultural symbols and decorations from public view. The tenants view these actions as harassment intended to force their eviction and are suing under the Tenant Protection Act.
"Our landlords have been trying to evict us and turn our homes into luxury apartments for years–they’ve tried everything from frivolous eviction lawsuits to refusing to fix unsafe conditions. But this has gone from bad to worse. Madison Capital has called the police to disrupt our meetings and demanded we take down our Chinese door signs, even though they let Christmas decorations be put up. This is harassment, and we're asking the court to put its foot down," said 61 Delancey tenant Zhi Qin Zheng, who has lived at her apartment for more than 20 years. The previous landlord had attempted to evict her on baseless grounds, and Madison Capital had also refused to accept her rent until recently, even though she had complied with all of their requests.
Madison has also failed to fix dozens of "C", "B" and "A" code violations in the residents' buildings, including holes in walls and ceilings, water leaks and lack of heat. Tenants filed their suits this morning in Manhattan Housing Court, seeking an order fining the landlord for harassment and directing the landlord to make repairs.
The two buildings are in the Chinatown section of the Lower East Side, which have both seen the upscale residential and commercial property development actively and rapidly displace the existing immigrant communities.
"While lawsuits like these are only one of many ways to fight displacement, we’re very encouraged that with this law, these and other tenants have the ability to hold their landlord accountable," said Haeyoung Yoon, Executive Director of CAAAV. "The success of this harassment suit means that landlords like Madison Capital will think twice before buying rent-stabilized buildings to pad their bottom line. Chinatown will have a stronger future when we discourage landlords from harassing and evicting working class families, and protect rent regulated apartments."
Under the Tenant Protection Act, passed by the City Council in March 2008, tenants have the right to sue their landlord under a new definition of harassment. The law covers acts that force or try to force tenants to vacate their homes - such as false eviction proceedings – or deprive them of other housing rights such as safety and sanitation. The court is allowed to impose a penalty of $1000 to $5000 for each act of harassment, with the fine going to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
"This case shows why we passed the Tenant Protection Act-so that New Yorkers could fight back and safeguard their basic right to live in peace and dignity," said Council Member Dan Garodnick, the author of the City law to protect tenants from harassment. "These tenants will not have their resolve broken by abuse at the hands of a landlord, because they now have the law on their side."
"Today we are asking the Manhattan Housing Court to fine Madison Capital for the acts of harassment against these tenants and to command immediate action on necessary repairs," said Harvey Epstein, Project Director at UJC's Community Development Project. "Under the Tenant Protection Act, tenants have a right to live without harassment from their landlord; by the New York City Housing Maintenance Code and othe laws, the landlord is obliged to provide decent housing conditions and adequate services," Epstein stated.
The landlord, Madison Capital, purchased the buildings in April of 2008 for $20 million. The tenants also alleged harassment under the previous owner, 55 Delancey Street Realty LLC; the previous owner sold the buildings after CAAAV organized the tenants in 2007, and negotiated a rent abatement, repairs, and end to forced evictions.
"Too often, tenants are subjected to behavior meant to drive them out. Thanks to the Tenant Protection Act, victims of harassment have new tools to defend themselves and protect their homes. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the city, the state and the community to make sure no one is ever harassed out of their home," said State Senator Daniel Squadron.
"Despite spending millions to purchase the property, this landlord refuses to provide timely and basic repairs. In addition to continuing the prior landlord's history of forced evictions ignoring essential repairs, Madison Capital has escalated their irresponsible actions to the point of harassment," said Garrett Wright, Staff Attorney in the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center, who filed the lawsuits.
"The tenants filing suit today are right to demand rapid maintenance on the 580 outstanding C, B, and A violations that exist in the building and fines for the landlord for the egregious maltreatment. Unfortunately, we have seen time and again that private equity landlords such as Madison have pursued all methods to evict low income tenants and have not provided legally adequate services and repairs in the rent stabilized buildings they have rushed to purchase over the last few years."
The lawsuit filed today cites the following conditions at the building: cracked and leaking ceilings, rodent infestations, defective sinks and bathtubs, and inadequate heat. As part of the filing, each resident supplied a detailed list of needed repairs in their apartments.
A Housing Court judge will issue a return date approximately 3-4 weeks from now for the tenants and landlord to meet in court and proceed with the case. In the meantime, tenants hope to have HPD return to the apartment complex to continue documenting the full extent of harassment and needed repairs in the building.
The Youth Leadership Project invites you to our 1st Annual Fundraiser.
Join us in launching a campaign for a Southeast Asian community center. Music by Monorom Band from Philadelphia, Banquet style food and Open Bar!!
Date: January 31, 2009
Place: St. Nicholas Tolentine
2345 University Avenue at Fordham Road
Bronx, N.Y. 10468
Time:6pm –12am
Ticket $40, $60, $80
R.S.V.P : (718)220-7391 ext.16, (347) 203-1296
~Please rsvp a week before date~
Support a Vision and Help Build the Southeast Asian Community in the Bronx
We believe in the healing and building of the Southeast Asian Community in the Bronx- that we will heal and build through the understanding and compassion we show to each other. Build a community center that will link the generations together; it will be a home away from home, a place of knowledge, strength and power.
We believe in the legacy of struggle, strength and resiliency of people– that the community's history is important in building toward our future. We can share and learn from our history; pass it down through dance, art and activism. And that the young and the old will rebuild and build a sustainable Southeast Asian community.
We believe in changing the conditions and lives of our community with other communities in the Bronx- With 10,000 Southeast Asian in the Bronx and a borough with so many different cultures and ethnicity we see our vision for change as part of the struggle to all who want to live free of violence. We are committed to building alliance and coalitions.
On Halloween, the Chinatown Justice Project held a creative action in Chinatown that highlighted how the City’s waterfront development plan for the East River will further the gentrification of the neighborhood and increase the pace of displacement of low-income tenants and small businesses. The event featured “Mayor Bloomberg” as the “Development Devil,” who spoke about his plans to push forward development and continue to gentrify poor and working-class neighborhoods of color during his potential third term as mayor. “We know that four more years of Mayor Bloomberg means four more years of luxury development, gentrification, and displacement,” said CJP youth organizer Kyle Lin, who played Bloomberg during the action.
During the event, CJP organizers and tenant members spoke to Chinese, Latino, and Black residents about the impact that the waterfront development will have on low-income residents and small businesses:
Impact on Chinatown tenants:
* Landlords will raise rents and also evict even more tenants, in order to bring in wealthier residents who can afford to pay $4000 or more in rent per month.
* Wealthier people will move in, displacing even more low-income tenants.
Impact on Small Businesses:
* Small businesses will close – their rents will go up as landlords realize they can charge much more for retail space.
* Small businesses in Chinatown will lose their customers as Chinese tenants are forced to leave Chinatown, which will lead to the closing of small businesses as well.
CJP is working with tenants and small businesses to make sure that no one is displaced because of the waterfront development. We're also working to make sure that what ends up being on the waterfront meets our community's needs. For more information, contact Esther Wang at ewang@caaav.org or (212) 473-6485.
On Saturday, July 19th, the Chinatown Tenants Union (CTU) of CAAAV and the O.U.R. Waterfront Coalition held a community event – “It’s OUR Waterfront Day” – to kick off our community visioning around the East River waterfront development. More than 150 residents of Chinatown and the Lower East Side came to the waterfront and took part in this fun day of food, dancing, live music, surveying, and community visioning. We asked community members what kind of activities and services they want to see on the waterfront, what their greatest concerns are around the development, and what they’re most worried about in their neighborhoods.
Language Access to City Services
On July 22, 2008, Mayor Bloomberg signed Executive Order No. 120- Citywide Policy on Language Access to Ensure the Effective Delivery of City Services- a major victory for all New Yorkers to access City agencies, regardless of their language.
In coalition with Communities for Housing Equity (CHE), Chinatown Tenants Union (CTU) has been working on language access legislation over the past 4 years. The first of its kind nationally, we began this process with legislation that would ensure language access services and adequate outreach in immigrant communities at the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). CHE worked with the City Council to draft Intro 596, the Equal Access to Housing Services Act. Introduced in 2006, Intro 596 gave us the momentum we needed towards the Executive Order that Mayor Bloomberg signed into law on August 22, 2008.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXECUTIVE ORDER
Under the provisions of the Order, ALL city government agencies will:
* Translate essential public documents and forms into the top six languages spoken in New York City;
* Provide interpretation services in at least the top six languages spoken in New York City;
* Post visible signs about the rights to interpretation and translation in all agency offices;
* Designate a language access coordinator and develop plans for complying with this Executive Order in the coming months; and
* Convey information in their materials using plain, non-technical language.
And importantly, implementation and compliance oversight is placed under the Mayor's Office of Operations. Progress-or lack thereof-in implementing the Executive Order will be reflected in the annual Mayor's Management Report, which serves as a public report card on city agencies.
Member Organizations of Communities for Housing Equity (CHE):
Asian Americans for Equality, Chinatown Tenants Union of CAAAV, El Centro del Inmigrantes, Make the Road NY, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, New York Immigration Coalition, University Settlement, and the Urban Justice Center.
At CJP and CTU, we are excited for the Executive Order to be implemented. We've worked hard to draw attention to the fact City agencies can hold slumlords accountable, yet these same agencies don't do anything to protect the rights of immigrant tenants. We've held rallies, did petition drives, published two reports, educated city officials- the list is goes on! And while we know that the City needs to do much more, this is a great first step that we have worked hard for.
To see a clip of the August 22nd press conference, click here.
To download a PDF copy of the Executive Order, click here.
With other organizations, we put together the following reports:
Hear This! [2006]
Living in Isolation [2007]
Residents Win Legal Battle to Stay In Their Homes
After over two years of struggle, tenants at 81 Bowery Street in Chinatown won a major victory. A judge has decided that all the tenants in the single-room occupancy (SRO) building can stay in their homes!
Tenants in 81 Bowery, a single-room occupant (SRO) building in Chinatown, won a major victory in June when a judge dismissed the landlord’s case against all the tenants.
In 2006, all the tenants were served with legal papers that challenged whether the space was for residential use. Many having lived there for more than 10 years, and some for more than 20 years, the tenants knew immediately that this was a ruse to get them out of their homes. If the landlord had issues with tenants living there, then why was he illegally converting empty rooms into hotel rooms and charging people $50-$80 a night to stay there?
With the support of CTU and MFY Legal Services working on the lawsuit, the tenants organized, refused buy-out offers and made consensus agreements to fight the landlord.
After two years, a state judge finally made the decision that all the tenants had a right to stay in their homes and dismissed the case. CTU will now continue to work with the tenants around improving their housing conditions and fight the landlord on rooms that have been illegally converted to hotel rooms.
The Chinatown Justice Project (CJP) and The Chinatown Tenant Union continued their efforts to combat gentrification and displacement of the Chinatown community this summer, and were featured in two local papers. Navigate over to our media page to learn more about how CJP created a game to educate the community about gentrification,and about CAAAV's role in a City-wide network fighting gentrification.
Also, on July 2, 2007, the Chinatown Tenant Union gave public comments on the City of New York's Economic Development Corporation's plan to develop the waterfront of Manhattan near Chinatown. While development and improvement of the area is certainly needed and desirable, the CTU demands more investigation into whether the proposed development will lead to primary and secondary displacement of residents and small businesses in the area. Click here to read the comments.
On August 11, 2007, CAAAV Received the Social Action Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems, an community of scholars, practitioners, advocates and students dedicated to the study of vital social problems. To learn more about the award, please click here.
To the over-three hundred friends, allies and supporters who attended our 20th anniversary celebration, Our Roots Grow Deep, on Friday, May 18th, we would like to express our deepest appreciation. We were deeply touched by the incredible turn-out and tremendous show of support; in one evening, CAAAV received pledges totaling over $20,000! Thanks to you, our event was an amazing success. We hope you were as inspired by our speakers, performers, and members as we were by your presence and gestures of appreciation.
With your support, CAAAV continues its community organizing and movement-building efforts with the Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee community in the Bronx, low-income tenants and youth in Manhattan's Chinatown, and Asian immigrant women working in low-wage service industries city-wide. Your support also ensures that we will be able to continue with our movement-building alliance and coalition work locally, nationally and internationally - most notably as we continue to build for the first U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta (www.ussf2007.org) which will take place from June 27 to July 1. We thank you for taking action, for joining us in this critical work, and for being a part of CAAAV's ever-growing community.
Please visit our website again in the near future for a recap of the evening which will include photos!