Steve Croman sells 8-building portfolio

115-117 Avenue A (photo source)

Steve Croman has sold eight buildings in the East Village/Lower East Side for a reported $61.7 million in a deal announced last week. 

According to @TradedNY, Croman's Centennial Properties sold 89 Clinton St., 115 and 117 Avenue A, 186, 188 and 222 Avenue B, 330 E. Sixth St. and 117 First Ave. The buyer: ABJ Properties. 

This was initially listed as a 14-building, $121 million portfolio, per broker Marcus & Millichap.

The Real Deal reported about this assemblage hitting the market this past December. As TRD noted: "Steve Croman is known for rarely — if ever — selling his apartment buildings."

However:

He's the latest in a group of old-line New York landlords who have moved to part ways with their properties in recent months as fallout from the state’s 2019 rent-regulation overhaul has combined with demand from investors eager to get in on the city’s recovery.

But unlike investments that were suddenly strained when state lawmakers limited landlords' ability to raise rents on regulated apartments, the properties Croman is offering are almost entirely free-market.

Croman was released from the Manhattan Correctional Facility in June 2018 after serving eight months of a one-year jail sentence and paid a $5 million tax settlement following separate criminal charges brought by the AG's office for fraudulent refinancing of loans and tax fraud. In a separate civil case, Croman agreed to pay $8 million to the tenants he was accused of bullying out of their rent-regulated apartments.

An independent management company is now reportedly overseeing Croman's residential properties — which, before this deal, included 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village — for the next five years.

Report: Steve Croman due back in court today

Vanity Fair files a piece on Steve Croman, whose real-estate empire includes 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village. (As previously noted, Croman owns more buildings in the East Village than any other landlord.)

In May, Croman of 9300 Realty was hit with a 20-count indictment on charges including grand larceny and filing false documents ... as well as a civil suit via the New York state Attorney General's office. He faces up to 25 years in prison. Croman pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. Per the article: "The civil suit is seeking to strip him of his real-estate business entirely and force him to pay millions of dollars in fines and restitution to tenants."

The Vanity Fair piece notes the "fever dream" pace at which the Cromans — Steve and wife Harriet — live on the Upper East Side and in the Hamptons. "They feted their son with a bar mitzvah under the whale at the Museum of Natural History, at which pop star Ariana Grande sang a tune for the crowd."

Croman, 49, has hired Ben Brafman, "the famed attorney who is also representing the so-called 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli in his securities-fraud case." They are due in court this morning.

Brafman told Vanity Fair that they are "working diligently in the hope of ‎reaching a global agreement with the Attorney General that will resolve both the civil and criminal cases" against Croman.

H/T Steven

Updated 6 a.m.

Via the EVG inbox...

Tuesday, June 21st, at 9.15 am sharp, please join some of Steve Croman's tenants as they meet and greet their indicted, disgraced landlord in front of 100 Centre Street. Steve will be heading to the Criminal Court on the 13th floor immediately after.

[Sign via the email invite]

Report: State Attorney General launches Steve Croman investigation

From the Daily News today:

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched a probe into the potentially illegal tactics used by landlord Steven Croman, 47, to force rent-stabilized tenants out of their valuable apartments, a source said.

The AG is investigating potential violations of city and state laws, including numerous infractions related to tenant harassment by Croman, the source said.

The article includes a story from Cordelia and Graham Winton, who live in a building on East Eighth Street that Croman/9300 Realty bought last year.

They declined Croman's buyout offer, and remain living in their $1,250 apartment while neighbors above and below them pay $6,000.

When they returned from a vacation last Saturday, they discovered that someone cranked up the steam heat in their building while they were away.

The heat was so extreme, wine bottles had uncorked, spewing their contents on the floor. A glass cabinet shattered, wood shelves warped and collapsed, the plastic spray arm in the sink melted, an outlet popped out of the wall and the ceiling and walls bubbled.

You can read the article here for the rest of this.

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that Schneiderman slapped a cease-and-desist order on one of Croman's employees, ex-cop Anthony Falconite, who "tenants say has engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation to force them out."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Watch a lot of people speak out against Steve Croman and 9300 Realty

Despite plea, landlord doubling rent on East Village family with cancer-stricken 2 year old

[Photo of Steve and Harriet Croman by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for DuJour]

Tenants: Pigeons have made empty apartment a health hazard in this Steve Croman-owned building on 7th Street

Tenants at 127 E. Seventh St. say that a "toxic health hazard" exists in this building owned by convicted felon Steve Croman between Avenue A and First Avenue.

According to the residents, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation by the landlord, four rent-regulated apartments remain vacant (since 2019) in the 12-unit building.

One of the residences, apartment 4A, is said to be in deplorable shape. 

Tenants say that someone left a window open inside the apartment. As the photos below show, the apartment is now home to several pigeons... as well as several dead pigeons. The apartment is also "filled with feces, flies and maggots on the dead animals," per the tenants, who have dubbed this space "Croman's Poison Pigeon Coop."

Croman's management company and the New York State Attorney General's office were made aware of these conditions on May 8. However, neither side responded to the conditions, the tenants said. (The tenants also said they were disappointed with the lack of action by the AG's Tenant Monitor, established as part of Croman's settlement with the State.)

Meanwhile, at least one city agency is investigating the conditions in the apartment... which you can see for yourself ... 

Croman was released from jail in June 2018 after serving eight months for mortgage and tax fraud. In a separate civil case with the AG's office, Croman agreed to pay $8 million to the tenants he was accused of bullying out of their rent-regulated apartments. 

Croman agreed to relinquish direct control of his 100-plus rental buildings — including 47 with 617 units in the East Village — for the next five years as part of a settlement agreement. NYC Management — a division of the Besen Group — serves as the property manager for the portfolio. 

According to a published report at The Real Deal in October 2019, "The notorious landlord is back in action and hasn't changed his ways" since his release from behind bars.

Manhattan politicos respond to the Attorney General's investigation of Steve Croman

[State Sen. Brad Hoylman speaking out against Steve Croman at rally in Tompkins Square Park in May]

Via the EVG inbox...

State Senators Daniel Squadron and Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, Borough President Gale Brewer, and Councilmembers Rosie Mendez and Margaret Chin released the following statement regarding landlord Steve Croman:

"Steven Croman’s pattern of tenant harassment must come to an end. Tenants from his buildings have contacted us with accounts of chronic harassment and intimidation – including disruptive building maintenance, frivolous lawsuits, and most egregiously, the dispatching of a ‘private investigator’ to apartments to intimidate tenants.

“We’ve worked closely with a coalition of tenants and advocacy groups like Good Old Lower East Side, Cooper Square Committee, and the Urban Justice Center to address Croman’s tactics of driving tenants, many of whom are rent regulated, out of their homes. We applaud the Attorney General’s investigation into Croman, and we will continue to support tenants’ efforts as it unfolds."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Watch a lot of people speak out against Steve Croman and 9300 Realty

Despite plea, landlord doubling rent on East Village family with cancer-stricken 2 year old

Report: State Attorney General launches Steve Croman investigation

New sidewalk bridge for 309 E. 8th St. as tenants face landlord Steve Croman in court

[309 E. Eighth St. file photo]

As The Real Deal reported, five tenants of 309 E. Eighth St have filed suit seeking a halt to construction at the building owned by Steve Croman of 9300 Realty.

This is on top of the lawsuit some residents filed against Croman here claiming that he has has engaged in a "campaign of harassment, abuse and neglect" since taking over the property between Avenue B and Avenue C in December 2012.

According to The Real Deal, Croman will face the tenants today in New York City Housing Court.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, we noticed a truck parked in a rather dangerous fashion on Avenue B at East Eighth Street. Workers were unloaded pieces for a scaffolding.



Turns out that it was for a new sidewalk bridge outside 309 E. Eighth St.



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

Report: Steve Croman earned $23 million from his East Village properties in 2014

On Monday, news broke that landlord Steve Croman of 9300 Realty was hit with a 20-count indictment on charges including grand larceny and filing false documents ... as well as a civil suit.

Croman, who reportedly owns more property in the East Village than any other landlord, faces up to 25 years in prison.

In a story posted yesterday, The Real Deal dug into public records to figure out Croman's revenue and expenses from his 145 buildings, which was used to estimate his net income.

According to The Real Deal's research, Croman owns 47 buildings in the East Village with 617 units. His gross income just from the East Village properties was estimated at a little more than $23 million. (In total, he took in some $63 million in 2014, per TRD.)

Here's an excerpt from TRD:

At six of his properties — 380-382 East 10th Street, 145 East 26th Street, 44 Avenue B, 20 Prince Street, 199 East 3rd Street and 325 East 5th Street — Croman was charged with changing the rent rolls in an effort to make the property’s income appear higher than it was. In one instance in 2012, Croman reported that all 20 units at 380-382 East 10th Street were market-rate, according to Department of Finance records reviewed by TRD. However, all 20 units were listed as rent-stabilized in the prior year, and 10 were marked as rent-stabilized in 2013. At present, three of the apartments are listed as rent-stabilized.

According to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s lawsuit, Croman allegedly would walk through his office chanting "buyouts buyouts," and staffers received sizable bonuses for every successful buyout.

Report: Steve Croman filed for alterations in 32% of his East Village properties

According to an analysis of Department of Buildings filings, there’s about one alteration application for every three East Village apartment units that Steve Croman owns, The Real Deal reports.

Croman of Croman Real Estate and 9300 Realty was arrested last month. In a lawsuit via New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, "Croman directs an illegal operation that wields harassment, coercion, and fraud to force rent-regulated tenants out of their apartments and convert their apartments into highly profitable market-rate units." In total, Croman was hit with 20 felony charges and faces 25 years in prison.

The Croman revelation was just one finding from The Real Deal's investigation of DOB permits dating to 2012 to determine which landlords filed the most permit applications relative to the number of units they own in the East Village.

Per TRD:

Other East Village landlords with a high alteration strike rate include Mark Scharfman’s Scharfman Organization, which owns about 4,000 units citywide ... The company filed 19 alteration permits at its 118 East Village units since 2012, a rate of about 16 percent.

Jared Kushner’s Kushner Companies, which has acquired a sizable portfolio in the neighborhood since 2012, also made the top five. It filed 77 alteration permit applications and owns at least 522 units in the neighborhood. Raphael Toledano’s Brookhill Properties, which owns about 400 units in the East Village, was fourth on the list and filed 53 alteration permit requests.

Per previous published reports, Kushner and Toledano have been accused of trying to force out tenants at East Village properties in the past. (Like here ... and here... and here...)

And what might all these filings mean?

Emily Goldstein, an organizer at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, an affordable housing advocacy group, believes any correlation between a high rate of renovations and harassment allegations may be more than coincidence.

“I think it raises a red flag,” she said. “I think absolutely an unusual rate of alt filings is cause for concern.”

However, reps for the landlords "emphatically rejected such characterizations of renovation work."

Find the the full Real Deal report here.

Report: Steve Croman sued to stop his father from managing 3rd Avenue properties

Guy Jacobson, a minority owner with Steven Croman of 99-105 Third Ave. and 204 E. 13th St., is reportedly suing his embattled partner ... in an effort to stop Croman's father from taking over as manager of the properties, according to The Real Deal.

Jacobson filed a lawsuit in Manhattan State Supreme Court today "claiming his partner’s dubious practices harmed the company, and asked a judge to appoint a receiver to manage the business."

Per TRD: "Croman is the sole manager of the properties, according to the operating agreement, and should he cease being manager for any reason, his father, Edward, will take over as the manager."

Last month, Croman pleaded guilty to charges of grand larceny, tax fraud, and an additional fraud charge relating to false statements. As part of the deal, he will spend one year at Rikers. Croman will be sentenced on Sept. 19. (A civil case related to his tenant harassment tactics continues.)

A Croman spokesperson called the arguments "false" and said Jacobson had a history of filing frivolous lawsuits, TRD reported.

The businesses at these addresses include Linen Hall, the Penny Farthing and Bruno Pizza.

Steve Croman is set to return to court tomorrow (Tuesday!)

Landlord Steve Croman is due back in court tomorrow ... he is under criminal indictment for mortgage fraud in a probe launched by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

In addition, a civil suit alleges that Croman "directs an illegal operation that wields harassment, coercion, and fraud to force rent-regulated tenants out of their apartments and convert their apartments into highly profitable market-rate units."

Tomorrow morning at 9, Croman tenants are holding a rally outside Manhattan Criminal Court at 100 Centre Street. After the rally, tenants are going to Judge Jill Konviser's chamber, 13th floor room 1322, to witness the proceedings.

After his last court appearance in June, Croman's defense attorney, Ben Brafman, said that his client was close to reaching a plea agreement.

“We are working diligently to try and resolve this matter on a global basis and hope to be able to do so by the next court appearance.”

Croman's real-estate empire includes 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village. As previously noted, Croman owns more buildings in the East Village than any other landlord.

Despite plea, landlord doubling rent on East Village family with cancer-stricken 2 year old

On Sept. 22, members of the community came together to organize a fundraiser called "James Day" in First Park in support of James Panitz.

Shortly before his 2nd birthday this past spring, doctors diagnosed James with rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of cancer often found in children. He has been undergoing intensive chemo and radiation therapy, and while the results are encouraging, a long course of treatment remains ahead of him. The related medical expenses have been overwhelming for his family.

James' father Damian Panitz, a longtime East Village resident who is a teacher and technician at NYU, said that while the event was a success and raised funds to help with medical expenses, the family now faces a new challenge.

Damian and his wife Kate Perry recently learned that their landlord, Steve Croman of Croman Realty/Croman 9300, is nearly doubling their rent on East First Street from $2,100 to $4,100 a month.

"We absolutely cannot afford this price bump," Damian told me. "And to move in the middle of my son's treatment could be disastrous to his health."

[Photo of James courtesy of Damian Panitz]

So, when paying the October rent in person at the Croman office on Broadway, Damian's wife Kate outlined the situation to a Croman rep, explaining that they needed one more year until James is healthier.

Per Damian:

She explained that we could not possibly sign a lease for $4,100 but pleaded that if our rent were to raise would he be so nice to consider a 10 percent raise? His attitude was snarky. He said they are running a business and not a charity and he could possibly find something cheaper for us somewhere else.

She explained again that moving out in January could be detrimental to his condition, not to mention we work nearby and the ability to check on our son during our breaks is essential. He then said "so you want me to do you a favor?" She said no, do a favor for a 2 year old boy with cancer. It's just one more year.

Damian says they were planning on moving after Croman bought the building 18 months ago. However, James' illness has complicated any move.

"We figured we would wait out the lease and go. However, since our son has been ill, it is suggested we keep him where he is until he hopefully regains his health."

The family hopes to continue to plead their case to Croman. As a backup, they'll try to quickly find another affordable apartment in the neighborhood, where Damian and Kate want to stay.

"My mother's family emigrated to St. Mark's Place in the early 1920s from Bratislava, Slovakia," Damian said. "My uncle has lived in the East Village for 45 years," he said. "And now I would like to raise my son here."

Tenant advocacy group names Icon Realty and Steven Croman among NYC's worst landlords

[Photo from June by Derek Berg]

Some familiar names to East Village residents have reportedly made the inaugural list of bad landlords by Stabilizing NYC, a coalition of City-funded tenant advocates and neighborhood organizations.

Politico New York has the story and background:

As the de Blasio administration engaged in a push to reform rent regulations in June, a coalition of tenant advocates and neighborhood organizations seeking to protect renters from landlord harassment received a $1.25 million boost in City Council funding for the upcoming fiscal year.

Stabilizing NYC, which formed last year with seed money from Councilman Dan Garodnick, has since created its own version of the typical "bad landlords" watch list, including seven companies that own or run a combined 509 buildings throughout the city.

Icon Realty and Steve Croman were among the seven landlords named. According to Politico New York, the reps for the two landlords either did not respond to messages or declined to comment about making the list.

Croman remains under investigation by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for allegedly using illegal tactics to force rent-stabilized tenants out of their units.

At the Icon Realty-owned 128 Second Ave., tenants in March filed a HP Action for Repairs and Services, citing inconsistent heat, lack of fire alarms, a broken fire escape, front door, and stairs, and other dangerous living conditions. Residents have also alleged "harassment from the landlord in order to push out rent-regulated tenants." In June, the tenants filed a contempt of court motion against Icon for the ongoing building issues.

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

Tenants at 128 2nd Ave. file suit against Icon Realty in housing court

The Wall Street Journal on the ongoing issues at Icon Realty's 128 2nd Ave.

East Village tenants demand end to months without heat, gas at 128 2nd Ave.

This East Village resident is holding a one-man protest against landlord Steve Croman

Updated 12/28:

The management company has replaced the toilet with a working one, and did some cosmetic paint cover up in the bathroom. However, the tenants say there are still 16 outstanding HPD violations to address.

Thomas Hasler lives at 127 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Hasler, a public high school teacher who has been working remotely, and his roommate, Brian Kenner, have not had a properly working toilet since Nov. 12 ... the latest indignity on behalf of the building's landlord, Steve Croman ... which prompted Hasler to launch a one-man protest outside No. 127 on Sunday.

"I will go out every day after I finish my remote teaching to let the neighborhood and folks in our building know," Hasler told me via email.

Aside from the toilet, Croman's management company also removed the lock from the building's front door at the height of the looting this past summer, Hasler said. (The reason given: "There were complaints that packages can not get delivered inside.")

Croman was released from jail in June 2018 after serving eight months for mortgage and tax fraud. In a separate civil case with the AG's office, Croman agreed to pay $8 million to the tenants he was accused of bullying out of their rent-regulated apartments. 

As part of a settlement agreement, Croman agreed to relinquish direct control of his 100-plus rental buildings — including 47 with 617 units in the East Village — for the next five years. ... with NYC Management — a division of the Besen Group — serving as the property manager. 

According to a published report at The Real Deal in October 2019, "The notorious landlord is back in action and hasn't changed his ways" since his release from behind bars.

"Harassing rent-controlled tenants in our building has a long history," Hasler said. "The goal is to get us out and to convert the last remaining units into market-rate units. That's it in a nutshell."

Kenner, the leaseholder on the apartment, has lived in the building for 36 years. During the holidays, he has been working seven days a week. 

"So Thomas was bold and fearless enough to organize himself," Kenner said. "I will gladly participate in anything that takes place after my work is done for the day."

According to the two tenants, NYC Management reps have stated there is a "process" to go through to replace the toilet, now scheduled for Christmas Eve. (After seeing our tweet yesterday about this, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office contacted Hasler as well as the AG's office.)

However, the roommates aren't expecting much. "The date seems pretty meaningless," Kenner said. "Who is there to enforce this date? I believe [their] style would be to promise 'relief' on the day before Christmas, and then not show up."

And how have they been making do these past seven weeks?

"So we use buckets to flush the toilet with hardly any water pressure ... while the market-rent tenant below us who was flooded by our broken toilet on Nov. 11 or Nov. 12 got his damage repaired immediately," Hasler said. "So you end up feeling powerless and harassed. And they think they can get away with it."

Croman case adjourned until November

As we noted yesterday, landlord Steve Croman was due back in court this morning.

Just a quick update from a Croman tenant in attendance: Not much happened. The criminal case was adjourned until Nov. 29 ... while the civil case begins on Nov. 1.

Several media outlets were in attendance ... as were some of Croman's tenants. (He owns 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village.)

We'll update the post with links to the coverage when it is online.

To recap, Croman is under criminal indictment for mortgage fraud in a probe launched by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

In addition, a civil suit alleges that Croman harasses rent-stabilized tenants to get them out of their homes.

Reader report: Someone dumped motor oil in 2 Steve Croman-owned buildings

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.

According to public documents, 9300 Realty bought the building last November.

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

Following eviction proceedings, Steve Croman's 9300 Realty has a new office

Over the weekend, these "We're moving" flyers appeared on some of the East Village properties owned by Steve Croman's 9300 Realty.

As noted, the company has a new office on Broadway as of today.

Not noted is that this move follows eviction proceedings against 9300 at their previous location, 632 Broadway. According to the legal papers filed in public records, Croman and company had until today to get out — or the Marshall would legally take possession of the space...





In June, Croman pleaded guilty to charges of grand larceny, tax fraud, and an additional fraud charge relating to false statements. As part of the deal, he will reportedly spend one year at Rikers. Croman will be sentenced on Sept. 19.

Meanwhile, last week, the civil case related to his tenant harassment tactics was adjourned from Sept. 18 to Nov. 13.



Croman's real-estate portfolio includes 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village. He owns more buildings in the East Village than any other landlord.

Convicted felon Steve Croman featured on CNBC's 'American Greed' tonight

"American Greed" — CNBC's true crime series that "examines the dark side of the American Dream" — features disgraced landlord Steve Croman in an episode that airs tonight at 10.

Croman's segment, titled "Lousy Landlord," will be on the second half of the episode. (Watch the trailer here.)



Croman was released from the Manhattan Correctional Facility on June 1 after serving eight months of a one-year jail sentence and paid a $5 million tax settlement following criminal charges brought by the AG's office for fraudulent refinancing of loans and tax fraud.

In a separate civil case, Croman agreed to pay $8 million to the tenants he was accused of bullying out of their rent-regulated apartments.

An independent management company is now overseeing Croman's residential properties — including 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village — for the next five years.

Gentrification, Steve Croman targets of this East Village tenant parade

Via the EVG inbox…

You are invited to attend a press conference at Tompkins Square Park and join an East Village Parade to resist gentrification in NYC communities. The loss of affordable regulated housing in the East Village and the displacement of tenants have been caused by landlords like Steven and Harriet Croman of 9300 Realty.

This landlord currently owns about 70 buildings in the East Village alone and hundreds throughout the city. He has been exploiting the vacancy decontrol laws for over 20 years using abusive tactics to force tenants out of rent-regulated apartments.

After the press conference the parade will go to Croman’s 9300 Realty buildings in the area to reach out to his tenants. Many of Croman’s tenants have the same problems and need to know how to protect their rights.

Paradise Alley
The parade will stop at Paradise Alley to dramatize the difficulty of being an artist in NYC today. On Avenue A and East 11th St. the building known as Paradise Alley was located before being replaced by the current building in 1987. While this little-known location is famous for the beat artists, musicians and writers from the 1950s and 1960s, there is a lesser-known association with East Village artists during the depression.

In 1938, Paradise Alley was known as a bohemian artists’ colony. The landlord raised rents so high that the residents refused to pay it. The landlord got evictions but when the artists still refused to leave, the landlord got the police to brake down the doors and evicted the artists at gunpoint. This event in 1938 mirrors what artists are experiencing today in NYC.

Rent Freeze
The goal of the Parade action is also to alert the East Village tenant community about the need to support the Rent Freeze. Mayor de Blasio is asking the RGB to impose a rent freeze this year to put a brake on rising rents. NYC tenants have to demand the same with feet on the street.

Come to the East Village Tenant Parade and Paradise Alley remembrance. The parade will move through the East Village starting at noon at the corner of East Seventh Street and Avenue A.

Sponsored by The Stop Croman Coalition and The Good Old Lower East Side

Here is an article about Croman from a May 2000 issue of The Village Voice.

Report: Steve Croman facing another lawsuit from East 8th Street residents

As previously reported, two tenants at 309 E. Eighth St. are suing their landlord, Steve Croman of 9300 Realty, claiming that he has has engaged in a "campaign of harassment, abuse and neglect" since taking over the property between Avenue B and Avenue C in December 2012.

Now five tenants have filed suit seeking a halt to construction at No. 309, as The Real Deal reported.

According to the suit, filed Aug. 7, the five tenants claim that the landlord has engaged in gut renovations of multiple vacant apartments at the building since 2013, causing the ceilings to collapse in several occupied apartments.

The renovations at the 17-unit building also caused a gas leak that resulted in a month-long gas suspension, according to lawyers for the tenants.

"I would say that this case is symptomatic of what is going on in the Lower East Side today," said attorney Sadia Rahman, who represents the five tenants. "Violations like the broken front door and broken cornices have been in place for years, but owners instead are investing considerable sums of money into vacant apartments so that they can be deregulated and rented at market value."

As the Daily News reported on July 26, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched a probe into Croman's potentially illegal tactics. On July 25, the Daily News reported that Schneiderman slapped a cease-and-desist order on Falconite, who "tenants say has engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation to force them out."

Meanwhile, Croman and his wife Harriet, an official with 9300 Realty, have been enjoying another August in the Hamptons. On Tuesday, Page Six reported that the Cromans "created a Playboy-themed bash ... complete with a replica of Hugh Hefner’s famed grotto in the center of a tent. Completing the theme, pale pink carpeting surrounded a dance floor."

In her Gimme Shelter column at the Post yesterday, Jennifer Gould Keil noted that the Cromans paid $650,000 this month to rent a Water Mill home "while their own beach mansion, in Sagaponack, is being built."

As for the Playboy bash, "some of Croman's guests told Gimme Shelter they wondered what the couple is celebrating."

Watch a lot of people speak out against Steve Croman and 9300 Realty

[Photo via an Angry Croman Tenant]

This past Saturday, a few dozen residents gathered in Tompkins Square Park for an "East Village Tenant Parade" … the group's target — notorious landlord Steve Croman of 9300 Realty.

There were a number of speakers, including State Sen. Brad Hoylman …



You can find other speaker videos here.

The Stop Croman Coalition and The Good Old Lower East Side sponsored the event.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Gentrification, Steve Croman targets of this East Village tenant parade