On Wednesday night between 8-8:30, someone entered 521 E. Fifth St. and made an awful mess with a canister of motor oil.
"They spashed the oil on doors, walls and mailboxes on the ground and first floors," according to an EVG reader in the building between Avenue A and Avenue B. "It was frightening actually, not to mention that the smell is horrible."
The NYPD did interview tenants.
Apparently there was a similar incident around the same time at another building on East First Street. Both buildings are owned by Steve Croman, aka 9300 Realty, who is not the most popular landlord in the neighborhood. One theory is that this was the work of a disgruntled contractor.
Updated 1:46 p.m.
Sorry, we were wrong. The Cromans took over the building in 2005. At that time there were 20 rent-stabilized tenants; now there are only three remaining.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Steve Croman facing another lawsuit from East 8th Street residents
Report: East 8th Street residents sue landlord Steve Croman, allege intimidation, harassment
Watch a lot of people speak out against Steve Croman and 9300 Realty
Report: State Attorney General launches Steve Croman investigation
Another theory is that it was planned in the comments section of this blog.
ReplyDeleteThe best art installation I've seen in in decades. I guess the realtors were spot on when they refer to the "artsy East Village".
ReplyDeleteLooks like that wacky ink-smearing gal stopped by for a party.Sure they start with ink and think its all fun and games, then they graduate to the 'hard stuff', motor oil, molasses, you name it. Sad story.
ReplyDeleteWell if they're pissed at the landlord its more like theyre just sticking it to the tenants here.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Cromanville
DeleteThats great, Im sure Steve will be the poor slob cleaning it up.
ReplyDeleteSlimy Stevie won't clean it up - the only thing he holds in his greedy hands is money.
DeleteAnonymous @7:20 wins the day.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for the minimum wage paid people who will be cleaning this up. They work hard enough and stuff like this is just dumb.
ReplyDeleteAnother theory is that this is an owner-sponsored event to scare off existing tenants. How much ya wanna bet?
ReplyDeleteA STAGED SYMPATHY STRATEGY - It's so obvious Steve and Harriet Croman are behind this. They got their goons to do this damage so that they can publically play the victim part here and " Twist the Blame " onto the tenants. (This is the ploy they use in court against tenants) With all the bad press the Cromans have been getting, of course they devised and staged this themselves to get the
Delete" Pity the Poor Landlord " attention and I'm sure some hefty insurance money as well.
Maybe big oil is behind the landlord and it just couldn't make it to the toilet in time, worst part nobody was there to hold their hair.
ReplyDeleteTar and feather them
DeleteWhoever did this should have instead poured the oil over the many homes that the Cromans dwell, and better yet pour it directly on the heads of Steve and Harriet and their Cromanites, Annabelle, Christine, Janeth, Anthony, Oren, Dank, Farber & Yow, instead of harming the poor tenants of that building more that they have already been hurt by the Cromans & their goons.
DeleteWhen it's a pretty model throwing ink for a solid month all over an apartment that houses an innocent cat, it's art! I'm sure the cleanup crew are falling over themselves to repaint a onetime Italian Vogue model's apartment, but this here? Just vandalism, probably by ugly non models. So let's be outraged. And probably not publish my comment.
ReplyDeleteDear Anon 2:47 pm, you obviously do not live in or around a Croman owned and operated building, because if you did you would have an understanding of how the Cromans push their employees and tenants to the point of desperation and despair.
DeleteSteve and Harriet Croman have stiffed so many contractors and screwed so many of their employees, it's a wonder they are still alive.
ReplyDeleteSherlock Holmes would ask-" did the house painter get paid? "
ReplyDeleteDave nailed it. Anyone who is unfortunate enough to know the Cromans and how they operate, will
ReplyDeleteknow that the Cromans most likely staged this to scare the tenants into leaving their apartments so that they can jack up the rents.
Hey, that hallway oil mess pales in comparison to what living hell the Cromans make their tenants live though when they do their reckless renovations and blanket their tenant's homes with toxic, renovation dust and contaminated construction debris and living with the loud daily demolition noise like a combat zone.
This used to be such a clean neighborhood?
ReplyDeleteThe neighborhood is ruined once the Cromans and their Cromanites invade.
DeleteThey are DIRT BAGS - SEWER RATS
DeleteOk guys fess up, who did it? I know it wasn't Pinhead because Pinhead's much too busy making flyers for the creepy bald flier guy, and it couldn't be Crazy Eddie because he's crazy but not the crazy,
ReplyDeleteN.O.T.O.R.I.U.S. LIBERATION already has enough street cred so that leaves him out.
I hear Moe, Dr Bop, Gojira, Ahoy Polloi, IzF and Makeout were all having a nice quiet gluten-tree farm-to-table dinner at Ken from Ken's Kitchen that hour, so they all have an alibi.
Eden Bee perhaps? Nope, she's way too nice to do anything like that.
Shmnyc is way to pro-development for this kind of thing, and nygrump is too busy keeping those young whippersnappers off his lawn.
Red head über-model Ellen Turrietta only covers herself and her own apartment in black ink, and all the local gas stations are closed so it couldn't be them either.
East Village Today is too busy offering Ray some store renovation tips, so that leaves EV Grieve himself, but since there weren't any giant red arrows at the xceneit that leaves him out.
That leaves just one other possibility: It must have been Amanda Bynes, I hear the microchip in her head has really been malfunctioning lately.
Maybe Falconite did it ? You read the Daily News articles about what a loose canon he is, so now that he's been ordered to stay clear of tenants and assigned to desk duty at 9300realty.CON, to further his harassments we hear he is personally training the Property Managers who are so depraved to begin with and making them into Uber Cromanite Monsters who will stoop to anything to kiss up to the greedy Cromans. see: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-ex-cop-accused-harassing-tenants-rent-stabilized-housing-article-1.1879716
DeleteSounds fishy to me. The Cromans have surveillance cameras hidden in most of their buildings, so why weren't their cameras turned on?
Delete@Giovanni As you concluded, it wasn't me. I was out wig shopping and stealing CitiBikes with my wizzle Amanda Bynes.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that the St. Mark's Doorshitter is very jealous.
ReplyDeletehttp://evgrieve.com/2011/06/one-mans-campaign-against-doorshitter.html
Word on the street is that the perp suspect mix includes Schwimmer....something about a bad mushroom experience remedy that included a speedball-fueled oil change to his Hummer Limo that got out of hand.
ReplyDelete( All kidding aside, I hope the low-life, brainless scum that pulled-off this idiot stunt has his gonads handed to him......wottaDICK!!!)
Crazy Eddie, Send the St. Mark's door shitter over to the Croman's office or to their two buildings on E. 72nd st where they evicted 23 familes to make a McMansion for themselves. The St. Mark's shitter can join those who regularly walk by the Cromans McMansion and take a piss on their building.
ReplyDelete@NO NO NOTORIOUS yo wizzle my microchip is mad into your caps. no lower case life on your stoop. #backinla #norainforme #nofreedomforme #microchipislojacked
ReplyDeleteWhy would the Cromans dump oil in the hallway also used by the market tenants to scare stabilized tenants? Wouldn't the market tenants also want to move then?
ReplyDeleteI certainly do not wish to downplay the unpleasantness of this vandalism, but is it really scare-you-into-moving level, market rate tenant or otherwise? I'm slightly below market and here's what would scare me into leaving:
ReplyDeleteNonstop break-ins
Ben Shaoul's miniature ass moving in next door
Rape cops "helping" my neighbors get home
Isn't Ben 'Sledgehammer ' Shaoul's other nickname " Baby Croman "
DeleteSniff...that hallway reminds me of working at Gimme Gimme Records...until Croman raised the rent to an insane amount and tried to buy out all the rent stabilized apts in the building. I AM too nice to do that...so my bet is Croman or an ex police officer he paid to do this. If you look carefully at the patterns you can clearly see a large SC in there.
ReplyDeleteMy own building has pee and and Old E 40oz in the lobby right now but I know that was my downstairs neighbor hanging out with the guys in the park across the street again and partying in the hallway. Steve and Harriet were NOT invited.
Thanks for clearing my name Giovanni!
ReplyDeleteBecause of this little sting these buildings no longer have an access code and none of their residents can receive mail!! Supers are refusing to grant anyone access to the buildings and residents haven't been able to get anything delivered in weeks.
ReplyDelete