In September 2013, we heard a rumor that 504-508 E. 11th St. had a new owner, "a real estate investment cabal" with intentions of clearing out the tenants of the 30-unit building.
Yes, indeed. Here's word on what has been happening there between Avenue A and Avenue B via The 504-508 E. 11th St. Tenant’s Association:
Because the wacky landlord had never issued a single lease, many of the longtime residents accepted pitifully low buyouts and sought greener pastures in less "awesome" neighborhoods. Other tenants just got sick of the harassment and left on their own accord with no financial compensation whatsoever.
However, a few stalwart tenants have chosen to stay and fight the attempts of East Diversified Buildings of Brooklyn and Gotham City International to displace them. The majority of the remaining residents are working families with children attending local elementary schools.
Well, the other shoe finally dropped on Wednesday, with tenants returning home to find court notices taped to their doors, issued by a landlord, "which prays for a final judgement of eviction awarding to the petitioner the possession of premises."
The hearing is set in Civil Court for Friday next week. Will the Evil Overlords of Gotham City succeed in their dastardly attempt to evict longtime East Village residents from their homes and reap the easy riches of an East Village real-estate market spinning wildly out of control? Or will good, or something like it, prevail and the beleaguered working families and longtime residents of 504-508 East 11th St. get to keep their not-so-happy homes? Stay tuned…
As we understand it, there are eight occupied apartments left, with 10 adults and three children among those units.
22 comments:
Sending good thoughts and prayers to those families who are going through this terrible situation. Nobody should have to live like this. It seems unfortunate that they don't have leases, though. That might make things a little murky. Please keep us informed on the outcome of this situation, Grieve. Hang in there, folks. I hope you prevail.
I would assume these are long-time tenants who are rent stabilized, right? Or am I wrong? If they are rent stabilized, they can't just be kicked out. It's despicable what's happening around here!
The landlord not issuing leases may very well be illegal, so these tenants can use that to their advantage.
One could spend all day researching these fuckers.
"EAST DIVERSIFIED BUILDINGS LLC is a DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY in New York and its company number is 4408144. EAST DIVERSIFIED BUILDINGS LLC was registered on MAY 24, 2013. The company's address is listed as JOEL WERTZBERGER, 1368 38TH STREET, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, 11219."
"Joel Wertzberger bought a 2,560-square-foot house in 1368 38th St. in Borough Park from Shavy Rosenberg and Joel Rosenberg for $360,000 on July 16.
Wertzberger is a Jewish-born entrepreneur and serves as the president of Axcessa, LLC, partner at Joyland Group, LLC and partner at Talmu, Inc., a electronics retailing business."
What a nasty scumbag Joel Wertzberger is.
Is there anything we can do to help those people???
Good will not prevail; it does not have the bottomless bank accounts that Greed and Evil do. They rule in the new New York.
@Gojira - last thing these folks need is to hear such a pessimistic comment. We need to show these folks our love, support and respect as they struggle to stay united and prevail. If they are stabilized and if they stick together they will prevail. At some point the construction in the building will end and services will be restored. That's not to say life will be easy until then or after then as the landlord will still try and get people out, but people will still have their homes. Many residents have lived through this as these lowlife landlords use the same playbook - and many who have fought, stayed united and been determined to stay remain. If our elected officials had gotten more actively involved 10 years ago and gotten resources to the residents and groups that support them the neighborhood would not have changed so drastically. Imagine if our elected officials had called a Town Hall meeting when they heard our stories about Shaoul, Crowman, Icon, Tower, Jacobsen etc and told people what their rights were, told them how to file an HP Action, explained to them how to start a Tenant's Organization, had tables for Cooper Square, GOLES, Urban Justice Center etc, where people could go and get very quick practical advice and flyers etc. Then people would have known that they don't need to leave for crumbs when they are threatened. So what can we do know? Support out neighbors when they have a rally to bring attention to their fight, by showing up. I went to the Crowman Rally in TSP and was embarrassed by the low turnout, and it was on the weekend. If we can't get out of bed on the weekend to support our neighbors, then we are doomed. If the sentiment is that is isn't happening in my building, so what do I care, well guess what it will. By the way that's what people usually think during any campaign of genocide - well it's not happening to me so . . .
I've received eviction notices twice. It's scary the first time, not so much the second time. I was not evicted either time. Two different buildings, by the way.
An eviction notice is just the beginning of a long process. There is no reason to panic.
I wonder if there is a correlation between the demise of the mob and the rise of the evil landlord? Don Corleone where are you when we need you?
@Anon. 10:48 - I wish I had a dollar for every letter I have written or petition I have signed over the years in an effort to halt the over-development of the EV. I went to at least three of the street protests in a futile effort to save 35 Cooper Square. I went to No 7-11 meetings, the park event and street protests against the destruction of 11th Street and Avenue A. I went to street protests against the menace of NYU2031. I was involved early on in the homestead movement and helped rehab an abandoned tenement, where I still live almost four decades later. I donate to GVSHP. I don't sit around with my thumb up my kiester, I try to effect change. And I see how little impact my efforts have, since I don't have millions of dollars to shower upon those in power who make policy. Sorry, but my cynicism comes to me honestly.
@Gojira - if you read my note - I wasn't calling you out for not being involved. Great that you are - my issue is that the pessimism you expressed is not what the people in this fight need. They need you love and positive vibes!! Oops - the exclamation points should not get confused with East Village Today.
Lease or no lease, those who remain at that building at the very least have acquired "adverse possession" by virtue of their living there for years.
These people have RIGHTS and should not allow themselves to be intimidated into vacating.
I DREAD what's coming there next if the parasite that bought this building succeeds....
Housing Court will not be kind to Joel Wertzberger.
Before jumping to any conclusions one should find out what kind of action the LL is bringing. All we know is that occupants/tenants got eviction notices. Are they stabilized tenants, free market, squatters etc? - is the action a legitimate action of some kind or totally bogus action?
I pray the remaining tenants get a good lawyer (hopefully pro bono) and fight this tooth & nail to the end.
Having no leases does not mean they have no rights!
But maybe the E. Village looks like easy pickings to the vultures who buy buildings, since they seem sure they can throw everyone out "just because."
What a sick society we are living in, and WHERE THE HELL IS THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ON THIS?
The tenants at that address should check out:
http://www.mfy.org/get-help/
Scroll down that page to the listing for NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION PROJECT, which includes eviction prevention and other items. MFY may be able to help these tenants.
Also, tenants may want to look at this page, which lists many resources:
wtfhc.org/housing-links/
Don't mean to sidetrack the debate, but this bit of the quote about Wertzberger jumped out: "Wertzberger is a Jewish-born entrepreneur . . ."
What the hell? Googled it to: http://brooklyn.blockshopper.com/news/story/200031402-Online_entrepreneur_settles_in_Borough_Park,
I'm not familiar with blockshopper--do they often say things like that?
Hang in there! You have rights even if you don't have a lease. With so many of the other tenants abandoning already, the new landlord has plenty of places to renovate and charge ridiculous rents and make money and earn back the "investment" he overpaid for anyhow. He bought the building knowing you live there and that you have the rights to remain and that he can't overcharge or HARASS you. So don't let him!
Squat those empty buildings to help the holdouts stay put!
Very curious to see how these tenants fare without a lease. Presumably they were month to month which seems like such a grey area. I hope they prevail but it does seem like housing court is a crap shoot that depends on the the judge you get. I recommend to anyone with some free time to go sit in housing court and see what happens, it's equal parts enormously interesting and tediously boring, but a real education.
Also, everyone should know that there is a black list amongst landlords of tenants who have taken them to housing court, so not only are you living in such insufferable conditions that you are forced to go to court, if you ever want to get out of that situation you may find it difficult to rent elsewhere.
Good luck in housing court. They are going to need it. These people are already on the secret list anyway so they might as well go to court and see how it goes. If you don't have a lease and you are worried you may end up like these folks talk to some of the groups mentioned in previous comments and take steps to protect yourself.
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