CHINATOWN TENANTS FIGHT BACK

Residents hold negligent landlord accountable for hazardous housing conditions and baseless evictions

Buildings have more than 280 housing violations

January 4, 2007, Chinatown, New York, NY – Today, with the support of the Chinatown Tenants Union of CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, tenants of 55 and 61 Delancey Street demanded that their landlords comply with the law and provide them fair and safe housing.

“This is a big step for us. Many of us have been living with bad conditions for many years. It is an insult to us for the landlord come by every month to collect rent, but then repeatedly ignore our requests for repairs. We want repairs in our homes, but more importantly, we want respect,” said Zhi Qin Zheng, a resident of 61 Delancey and member of the Chinatown Tenant Union.

The landlords—Michael Daniel, Nir Sela, and 55 Delancey Street Realty LLC—bought the buildings in 2001 and have evicted almost half of the original tenants of the buildings. With more than 280 HPD (Department of Housing Preservation and Development) violations, the tenants live with some of the worst housing conditions in the city. Many have been served unwarranted eviction notices. Tenants in the building have been organizing with the help of the Chinatown Tenant Unions.

Said Yu Hua Wang, a resident at 55 Delancey and CTU member, “For a long time, I didn't know that I could do anything to change my living conditions. We may not have as much money as the landlords, but we have our dignity, and we have the right to determine how we live in our homes.”

The tenants are demanding, among other things:
● Consistent heat and hot water
● Building-wide repairs to be done on time and when requested
● Extensive water damage inspected and repaired
● Regular extermination
● No more baseless evictions

Said CAAAV and CTU organizer Helena Wong, “These are not unreasonable demands by any means. The tenants of 55 and 61 Delancey Street are simply asking for what the law requires and what everyone deserves—decent housing conditions and fair treatment.”

The Chinatown Tenant Union was formed in 2004 as a response to the rapidly increasing gentrification of the neighborhood. Made of more than 100 members and more than 5,000 supporters, the CTU works to fight gentrification and displacement of low-income and long-time residents of Chinatown. CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities was founded in 1986 and organizes across diverse, low-wage, and poor Asian communities in New York City.