About 5 people, if that, showed up on Sunday at the Oval Cafe (!) to join Council Member Dan Garodnick and TA President John Marsh in a knocking-on-doors effort "to
involve neighbors in the campaign to strengthen rent regulations." The turnout was so low that Dan had to involve his kids in the effort. (Cute photos, however.)
This effort reminded me of the TA failed presence at the 1st Ave leasing office in protest of mid-lease rent increases on the "new stabilizers" (ie, market rate ST/PCV tenants).
I have no idea what Garodnick and the TA are thinking. These mini-photo ops are worthless and embarrassing in the very low turnouts achieved. CW must be laughing their collective heads off at these limp attempts to motivate tenants.
When are the TA and Dan going to go after CW Capital in a major way and stop with these laughable, pathetic tactics?
Answer: Never, it seems.
45 comments:
Welcome back, STR. We LOVE you. The Axis of Evil (Fortress, CW & CR) plus its fans (TA, Pols) fear you. That is good!
Not a long break, was it? LOL.
STR-Your do nothing, negativity is disgraceful.
Did anyone go to the meeting on Sat? I could only stay until 3pm. Was able to hear Kavanagh and the beginning of Hoylman. Did Hoylman or McKee bring up anything new? Were there any interesting open mike questions?
So, John Marsh, Daniel Garodnick and the two little Garodnick kids and their mom turned out to rally tenants. The Jehovah's Witnesses get more converts on a Sunday morning of doorbell-ringing.
The TA sold out to the politicians and they cannot redeem themselves at this point.
>>STR-Your do nothing, negativity is disgraceful.<<
Thank you. At least you'll hear the truth here.
When the TA decides to tackle CWCapital and CompassRock in a serious manner, I'll be there.
And how many doorbells did Marsh and the Garodnick family ring? Will they be back every week?
The low turnout is obviously REBNYs fault, as are the broken washing machines and every other problem in StuyTown/PCV (that was sarcasm for any of you who might not have picked that up.)
Seriously, tenants do not show up at events in any large numbers unless there is free concert on the Oval, and even then the turnout is sparse. The mid-lease rent increase non-demonstrations were an embarrassing sign of tenant apathy. CWCap and CompRock don't need to do anything to divide and conquer because the divided have already been conquered.
Whether you are a fan of Dan Garodnick or not it's sad that people won't even show up to support efforts that could help themselves as renters to have more stable and affordable housing, whether in StuyTown/PCV or anywhere else they move in the future. And if they think they will have any more influence or luck as renters in any future rental than they do now they are sadly mistaken.
It seems like the attitude among most tenants is that the oldtimers have ther rent stabilization and don't care about anyone else, and the new tenants all know they will be leaving soon anyway once their rent gets hiked up agan so they don't see the point in joining any pro-tenant movements. Until those attitudes change, I'm afraid nothing else will.
They are intentionally being ineffective. Good thing no one fell for their photo op trickery. Tenants are too smart to follow their bad advice and poor leadership so no one shows up. We need smarter leadership who really is on tenant's side with proposals that will make a difference. Until then we need to just keep being loud and louder about the scam.
"It seems like the attitude among most tenants is that the oldtimers have ther rent stabilization and don't care about anyone else, and the new tenants all know they will be leaving soon anyway once their rent gets hiked up agan so they don't see the point in joining any pro-tenant movements. Until those attitudes change, I'm afraid nothing else will."
Honest question? Do you really disagree with this? I lived here 8 years and am ready to move out now. What is it that should make me care? There is no benefit to me from this.
1. Hoylman tweeted "Wow" in reaction to the number of people who showed up to the meeting as if it was impressive.
It is a disgrace.
It is a shame hundreds of people are in fear of losing their homes because government allows homes to be gambled by the wealthy.
It is horrific only a few hundred showed up when thousands would have had they not been evicted these past years.
"Wow" is not impressive. Wow is shameful, horrible, and better articulated as "Oh no"
11:48 there used to be a priceless benefit to living here. Raising generations of families in a safe, secure residential park designed to support the success of working class families.
Speyer Tishman Brookfield Fortress destroyed all benefits to living here. The only benefits are to the servicers and developers because the politicians did not protect us. The politicians protected the moneyed, the investors, the developers.
Unless someone with a shred of decency and integrity halts the destruction, kicks out Brookfield and Fortress and their butt ugly Oval strip and office, and makes this like Penn South - a co-op for the working middle class - the tenants are right not to attend any photo op fake protests. These protests are a charade to make it look like these people are fighting for the tenants and tenant rights when fact is they are the same people who have helped carry out Robbie's plan. If Marsh and Garodnick had taken real action to restore the community then probably people would have shown up.
It's sad but true.
We have been divided and conquered.
Just please fix my washing machines.
I almost fell asleep listening to the audio on the TA website. I could only stand to listen to listen to only about a half of that nonsense. I DID mail out those letters the TA sent to me to our elected officials, personally, though. Hope everyone else does the same. I think the meeting was useless. Like a high school pep rally.
Embarrassing? I'll say. But it isn't the TA who should be embarrassed.
And April 29, 2015 at 1:24 PM. Listen to McKee. He knows what he's talking about.
12:46 pm, I totally agree with you. The TA and the pols have only themselves to blame for the lack of support they get from the tenants. They have failed us big time and we have no use for them. I know for sure that I will never vote for any of the current pols if they ever run for office again. They are a waste of space as far as their representing the tenants at PCVST. Brookfield is no better than TS, Fortress and the rest of the voraciously greedy garbage that has destroyed this place. Any word from DeBlasio, who was going to get back to us? Guess he wasn't impressed by the cannolis served at the Garodnick/Marsh meeting! DeB has totally given us the brush-off. I hope we do the same to him if he decides to run for a second term.
I do not trust anything these two one iota. They will never go after CW Capital or Compass Rock in a meaningful way because CW Capital and Compass Rock will call these two out on their hypocrisy. CW Capital could not have done what they have to the Oval or the whole property and the residents without the assistance of Dan silencing the tenants.
The arboricide is of historic proportion, the number of evictions and the massive unprecedented increase in rent roll. Total wreckage of a community and historic property. That is Dan's legacy.
Drawing attention to changing the rent stabilization laws is a good thing. I made of the post cards and will also write the letters and will attend any rallies when possible.
The low turnout is probably a result of everyone simply getting prepared for the impending T/A engineered affordable condo conversion. At this point people believe that, as owners, R/S is simply not as critical an issue anymore. Instead of all this hating on the T/A, how about a little gratitude? Does anyone think that this conversion could have been accomplished without the assistance of DG and the T/A?
"I think the meeting was useless. Like a high school pep rally."
Seriously though, aren't they all essentially useless? I've attended all of them (for the last 16 years) except this last one. Personally, I'm done attending TA meetings.
>>The low turnout is probably a result of everyone simply getting prepared for the impending T/A engineered affordable condo conversion. At this point people believe that, as owners, R/S is simply not as critical an issue anymore. Instead of all this hating on the T/A, how about a little gratitude? Does anyone think that this conversion could have been accomplished without the assistance of DG and the T/A?<<
Please, please tell me you are joking.
'the oldtimers have ther rent stabilization and don't care'??
Are you kidding me? My rent has been jacked up soo much in the last 10 years that I am close to paying $2,000.00 per month. Between all these bullshit MCI'S and RGB yearly increases, it is killing us. People cant keep up because our increase in salaries have not. Not everyone is paying "cheap" rent around here anymore. It is an absolute disgrace! EVERYONE is hurting.
To me it looked like Marsh and Garodnick were using this Rent Rally door knocking as a way to get people to sign up and join their "tenant association" No way in he** am I letting these two use my name to up their association numbers to validate their pretenses.
I will rally alongside Mike McKee but I think we need more than rallies which are not working so well at the end of the day.
If EVERYONE is hurting then how come NOOONE is showing up to protest? I'll tell you why, because most rent stabilized tenants have more than enough income or savings to afford these increases. StuyTown/PCV has a very low percentage of tenants being evicted in housing court for non-payment when compared to other large developments, which tells you that mangement has done a good job finding newer tenants who can pay the higher market rents, and indicates that older tenants are also able to afford their stabilized apartment rents.
Wow I missed this. What are they thinking. A Saturday pep rally and a Sunday photo op. More of the same. How can anyone take them seriously anymore.
Because EVERYONE has given up, and NOBODY gives a shit around here anymore. I wish I had enough in my savings to afford these increases. End of story.
9:39 the low eviction rate you speak of if true, is due to thousands of people who could not afford the higher rents already kicked out between 2006 and 2013. THOUSANDS! Then they (cwcrdanta) replaced them with higher earners on higher rents that escalated higher pushing them out to!
This used to be generation after generation of families and community and now it is strangers churned through, new ones every few years. That is instability never before seen in PCV ST. Everyone is hurting and struggling not to be churned. Illegally I might add! No one shows up for Dan and the Tenant Association protests because they are FAKE! FAKE protests for photo ops to make it look like they are protesting the (illegal) rent escalation when they really want as you now admitted "newer tenants who can pay the higher market rents" so you must be one of those rude ones on the tenant association board we heard of.
The older tenants cannot afford the apartments as you lied "older tenants are also able to afford their stabilized apartment rents" they are being kicked out and moving away from the only homes they knew their whole life and raised their kids as we just saw one who recently had to go to PA for this reason. The lies told to residents are catching up and that is why no one goes to a Dan protest or his sidekick Marsh protest. We simply don't believe them. We simply do not support their actions and will not stand beside them in protest to cover up they are the ones we are protesting against. Their actions killed our stable community. I am sure more people here would protest like me if we had genuine protest leaders and not these two et al. Marsh and Garodnick are the problem, have benn for years. Plus I agree with STR we need stronger actions then rallys and the gathering Sunday at the commercialized Oval was a disgraceful but telling choice to promote the commercialized Oval which I am opposed. Door knocking stunt was so fake, promoted the commercialized open space Dan/TA had a hand in, for a photo op at the awful commercial Oval cafe. How stupid do you think residents are? The lies told about Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town to the public and buyers will catch up soon to.
If as you say you are able to get in higher paying tenants then why do you have to advertise and pay hundreds of dollars to us tenants to trick our friends to coming here ---- to get higher paying tenants in here? What is it now $2500 for a referral fee to get your higher paying tenants?
Those of you who are plagued by tenant noise from above - upstairs please please use 311. Have been very helpful.
The Tenant association needs to formally challenge the renovation charges or I should say overcharges. Maybe then I would consider supporting them in a protest. They need to support the tenants first before we support their protests and rallies and they need to begin with challenging the renovation overcharges!
Show you support the tenants NOW!
1. The reason a lot of people don't generally show up to TA meetings is apathy.
2. They will show up if they are massively hurting or massively feel they have something to gain.
3. If you are paying the preferential rent, you are at great risk. There are some people who have moved in during the last 3-4 yrs who have no idea what's going on here and haven't heard of the preferential rent. Ironically, it's the old timers who show up for the TA meetings, those at less risk.
4. For the long timers, you're most affected by MCIs and RGB increases.
5. So in this instance, because of RS coming up for renewal, it makes sense to support the effort to change RS rules.
If you're paying the preferential rent, you want any unreasonable churns to be rolled back retroactively and in general should support graduated rollover increases...not 20% for as low as a year of occupancy.
If you're long time RS paying legal rent, you want MCI rent increases to stop once the MCI is paid off. (Remember owners also get to deduct MCI from taxes...so they're getting too much benefit as is.)
So whether you support the TA or not, as Michael McKee suggests, you should write to Gov Cuomo and Speaker Carl Heastie expressing your thoughts.
"f EVERYONE is hurting then how come NOOONE is showing up to protest? I'll tell you why, because most rent stabilized tenants have more than enough income or savings to afford these increases. StuyTown/PCV has a very low percentage of tenants being evicted in housing court for non-payment when compared to other large developments, which tells you that mangement has done a good job finding newer tenants who can pay the higher market rents, and indicates that older tenants are also able to afford their stabilized apartment rents."
WHAT????? Are you for real? What a load of effing bull you have just spewed out!
I am a senior citizen who has been a tenant for over 35 years. Because of all of the MCIs and other bullshit increases, my rent is close to $2000. I pay it and pay it on time every month, not because it is so easy for me to pay it and because I have so much in savings (I wish!), but because I love my home, have no where else to go if I lose it AND my generation was raised to pay its bills and pay them on time. My Social Security and tiny pension from my 50 years of hard work covers the rent and food, but ONLY JUST! I am fortunate enough to have good health and not need to spend money on prescriptions and doctors, unlike many of my contemporaries. That could always change, though. If my rent goes up any more, I will be forced to apply for SCRIE, though I pride myself on being not on any government assistance other than the social security that I worked damned hard for and DO feel entitled to.
I can't believe the hubris and sheer insensitivity of some people such as the writer quoted above.
By the way, my apartment is a totally unrenovated apartment, though I did get it rewired so that summers would be bearable. The first several years I lived here we couldn't have air conditioning and it wasn't pleasant to live here during the summer.
9:51 AM: Thank you. Your comment is excellent. I am an old timer who is hanging on by the skin of her teeth. Good thing I don't have dentures.
I wish the filth could be washed away from this place by the AG or a really good investigative reporter. It would be nice to see CR, Garodnick, et al go swirling down the drain.
May 1, 2015 at 9:51 AM
Well said.
To all of the tenants who claim the rent is too damn high (which we all know it is) yet are still here paying it and not being evicted so you obviously have the resources to do so: where were all of you during the mid-lease increases/mass evictions? I was out there at the "rallies" and there were not many seniors or old-timers, many of whom I know very well. when I asked them where they were, ALL of those people told me they didn't attend or put a yellow sign in their windows because it had nothing to do with them. Some of them are from very wealthy families (including one whose son created a well known children's TV show), so they saw no reason to participate. The less wealthy ones (including a well-known local musician) also said it did not afffect them, yet here we are and now everyone says they are hurting.
But the fact is that right now Waterside Plaza has the same number of tenants facing eviction as PCV/ST which has 10 times more apartments than Waterside, and these numbers have been fairly consistent for years. Even during the mid-lease increases the non-payment eviction numbers barely budged since most people just moved out. Numbers don't lie. They also don't show up at rallies, just like so many people here in PCV/ST who claim to want fairness and change but did not show up when it mattered most.
Now the MCIs are coming again. I'll let you know if the eviction numbers budge this time, but they probably won't since most people will just find a way to pay the higher rents rather than stand up for tenants rights.
The fact that neither Garodnick nor the TA ever opposed (or even opened their mouths) about the atrocious arborcide that CW committed against this property, makes me determined to never send the TA one brown penny of my money, or attend any of their useless meetings. And I wouldn't vote for Garodnick under any circumstances, he is an opportunist of the worst kind. The whole quality of life and the environment were destroyed when they cut down all those mature trees. They were planted by people with intelligence and vision and served more than being just restful and pleasant to look at. They oxygenated the air, served as wind breaks when we had storms and protected the grass and soil. There is nothing worse than greed married to stupidity. It produces nothing but pain for generations to come.
9:18 you are taking a lot of creative license with your number reporting. Many just don't renew their lease when it increases too high. I suggest you include in your "reporting" those who are evicted and those who just leave. The turnover in PCVST is at record level.
Suggest you stop comparison with Waterside. Apples and Oranges.
People do not show up to your Garodnick tenant association protests because we know you are the culprits.
You, the tenant assocaition hired REBNY Meredith Kane to unethically represent tenants when really she was acting in the interest of REBNY/Brookfield/Speyer.
Now you are trying to justify your absurd raising the rents and targeting people with you specific descriptions, attacking residents here. You are not qualified to know what you someone can afford because you have never walked in their shoes. Those you singled out should sue you for defamation of character and whatever else applies. Tenants cannot afford the rents you have raised and you know that, that is why you called them "new" stabilizers. New tenants = new stabilizers.
File a real, serious court case on the misdeeds in PCV ST by Brookfield/Fortress and tenants will follow your lead.
Tenants will not be tricked to attend your phony protests or your letter writing campaigns. Tenants don't need you to write letters to the landlord or the AG and then promote yourself and your letters.
At least now you have admitted you are intentionally raising the rents, albeit for the misguided reason you think people can afford it so you are going to take from them anything and everything you deem they can afford. Who annointed you King and Queen.
Because you insist on repetition in your whining about your midlease protest rally AGAIN we did not go because the clause should have never been in the Roberts settlement in the FIRST PLACE! That clause got in to the settlement agreement because everyone at the negotiation was acting on behalf of the investors and no one was acting on behalf of the tenants.
You screwed us in the settlement terms then complain about us not standing beside you in protest of the settlement terms so you can look innocent in the deal.
BS
THE ROBERTS SETTLEMENT IS A DISGRACE!
WE DEMAND TO KNOW THE NAMES OF EVERY PERSON WHO HAD A HAND IN THE ROBERTS SETTLEMENT FROM SPINOLA TO KANE TO ALL THE POLITICIANS TO ALL THE LAWYERS!
>>>The low turnout is probably a result of everyone simply getting prepared for the impending T/A engineered affordable condo conversion.<<<
Sure that's what it is. BTW I'm still waiting for the non-TA townhall with Hoylman and Kavanagh ha ha as if THAT was ever gonna happen.
Agree 11:03
Totally, completely agree 11:03.
You can compare StuyTown/PCV to any other large develomet in NYC and the numbers are the same, fewer people get evicted here than elsewhere. The reason is simple, people here have more resources and can afford to stay or to move (a major expense) and find another place.
People who get eviced ony do so because they don't have any other options. Waterside is a relevant comparision based on location and demographics. The difference is people at Waterside arent geting jerked around like people in StuyTown are, yet no one here will even lift a fnger to do anything about it. Why? Because they can afford to, plain and simple.
It's easier writing a check or cashing in a 401k than showing up or doing something about it. And when Gutterman offered to help, well that wasn't good enough for some people either.
As for the Roberts Settlement, that was the lawyers fault. Don't blame the other side for having better lawyers.
So here you are again, whining about REBNY and bad mail delivery and broken washing machines and noisy NYU students who don't put down carpeting. And for what? For nothing.
Maybe its time to get a new hobby if you aren't actually going to do anything about it.
Sure that's what it is. BTW I'm still waiting for the non-TA townhall with Hoylman and Kavanagh ha ha as if THAT was ever gonna happen.
May 2, 2015 at 10:08 AM
Us too.
Marsh was never stepping down as they planted that little lie in this blog to trick tenants into thinking they are now on the side of tenants. Now doubtful they were ever putting together a town hall with and for tenants / that was another dog and pony show with the same characters just sitting in different seats playing the same games. Rhetoric with no results. Tricks and trolls. What a con game.
"As for the Roberts Settlement, that was the lawyers fault. Don't blame the other side for having better lawyers."
I must disagree with you. Although our lawyers are beyond unimpressive if you think every politician and the real estate interests they represent and every party with an interest in increasing the rent roll influenced the Robert's settlement. It is naive not to see that.
We should have taken the Giterman deal.
I mean "Guterman"
Who the fuck is this lunatic who thinks we pay these outrageous rents because we can afford to? Many people have moved out because the just couldn't keep up with the ridiculousness rent increases. Good tenants who were good neighbors and wanted to stay. The students are subsidized by their parents, so they stay. Unfortunately.
This crackpot poster who thinks we can afford the increases should take his/her meds.
Btw, I showed up for the mid lease increases and was disgusted at the low turnout and I am a REAL RS tenant.
yes and the reason we don't attend rallies or any TA meetings is that it's a waste of time and insulting now. We went, we listened, we showed up, we paid dues and it was all lies , photo ops and that's just disgusting and we're not going to be made fools of again.
Absolutely right, 5:57 pm.
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