Community Housing Advocates Suffer A Blow

"Two landlords in the Bronx have succeeded in kicking community organizers out of their buildings, even as tenants complain that drug dealers can come and go as they please. The buildings have a history of housing violations -- rats, unlocked front doors, mold, falling ceilings, exposed lead paint -- and some have been in and out of housing court for years. Last April, community organizers began encouraging the residents to form tenants' groups. In August, they held a demonstration in front of 1030 Woodycrest Avenue, where conditions were bad enough to prompt Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion to call for the city to put the building under an independent administrator's control. But in November and December, the two landlords persuaded judges to place temporary restraining orders against the three community organizations active in their buildings. In the short term, the orders will make it harder for the tenants' groups to form."

Thanks to Richard Layman