Dermot Tenants and Community Leaders Unite Against Harassment at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church.

On Thursday, February 20^th, Brooklyn tenants living in residential buildings owned by The Dermot Company met with PACC at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. Approximately 200 tenants, lawyers, advocates, media and local politicians were invited to be part of this gathering.

PACC, a community based organization entering its fifth decade, noticed an increasing trend of harassment from tenants of buildings locally owned by The Dermot Company (Dermot is the same private equity company that acquired the Williamsburg Savings Bank Building at 1 Hanson Place).

After numerous calls and walk-ins from disgruntled tenants, PACC's Community Organizers Elana Shneyer, Juanita Edwards and Hector Rivera, put the following buildings under "Displacement Watch": 25 and 99 Lafayette Avenue, 266 Washington Avenue, 260 & 262 St. James Place, and most recently, 311 Lincoln Place and 301 Cumberland Street. Residents of these buildings are united when it comes to their grievances; they claim that they have been brought to court on frivolous non payment cases and been forced to prove that their apartments are their primary residence. Their requests for repairs are being neglected and improvements to vacant apartments have been disruptive of their right to quiet enjoyment.

As an alternative to the "Legal Clinic", held once a month at the PACC main office (201 Dekalb Avenue), PACC decided to invite all the Dermot tenants to the meeting. Michael Weisberg from South Brooklyn Legal Services offered his counsel to families in need and Milano Graduate students were on hand surveying tenants to document patterns of harassment. PACC staff involved the tenants directly by having them sign a letter to Earvin "Magic" Johnson CEO of The Canyon Johnson Urban Fund, who partnered with Dermot to purchase the Williamsburg Savings Bank. Althea Watson, a PACC Board Member, wanted the tenant meeting to have a greater impact and thought that a letter to Johnson, known also for his philanthropy, would help shed light on the situation.

Among the local electeds in attendance were Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, Council Member Letitia James, and State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. Surprisingly, representatives from The Dermot Company were present, including key executive David Sorise, but chose not to address the crowd.

Jeffries and Montgomery promised the audience that the harassment bill that was recently passed, Local Law 7, was not in vain. However, it was Council Woman James, who put a hush over the crowd as she assured everyone that they can rip up any "buyout offers", a tactic used to metaphorically dangle a carrot in front of long-term tenants luring them out of their apartments. While sternly looking at Dermot's representatives, Ms. James basically told the crowd that her office was working very hard to keep tenants in their homes, and that no private equity group has the right to harass an individual whether they own the property or not.

To find out more about PACC's legal clinics and how you can lend your talents, call 718-522-2613 extension 16 or 24.

Lets Welcome The Newest Faces of PACC! 

In March 2008, PACC welcomed two new staff members to our Community Organizing team. Elana Shneyer and Heather Knopsnyder.

Taking over from our previous Lead Organizer, Anderson Fils-Aime, Elana Shneyer is our new Lead Community Organizer. Elana is a native New Yorker from the upper west side of Manhattan. She comes to us from Partnership for the Homeless and   has a Bachelors degree in Cultural Anthropology. Elana often says that organizing is in her 'genetic makeup'. She goes on to say, "In the late 50's, my grandmother organized the first congressional sit-in of terminally ill patients, and when I was in high school, I petitioned for students to have 3 rides versus 2 rides on the student metro cards." With a background as solid as Elana's we are elated that she has joined the PACC family. Elana can be reached at extension 16.

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Heather relocated to New York in July of 2007. "My Fiancée and I moved here when his business expanded to the New York metro area. I found PACC on the internet and I am happy to be here seven months later." Before moving to Brooklyn, Heather worked for Allston Brighton CDC, a community based organization with the same fundamentals as PACC. Miss KnopSnyder is a graduate of Tufts University (Boston) where she obtained her Master's degree in Open Space/Community Planning. She has a wealth of organizing experience, and is continuing her work with us as our Section 8 Organizer. Heather Knopsnyder can be reached at extension 25.

Ms. Howard Receives Recognition from Neighborworks®

Congratulations goes to our Executive Director, Deb Howard! She was selected to participate in the fourth class of the NeighborWorks® Achieving Excellence in Community Development program ("AE4") at Harvard University. Her accomplishments represent the spectrum and richness of seasoned leaders in the community development field.

Property Managers Receive Elite Certification

Stephanie Blue, Property Management Director, and two of her staff Maria Navarro and Nicole Lovell passed The NAHB University of Housing "Registered in Apartment Management/RAM" examination. PACC manages over 50 residential buildings in Central Brooklyn. Totaling almost 600 units, Our Property Management Staff are unsung heroes, who work diligently to ensure our buildings remain some of the best in Brooklyn.

Stephanie Blue       Maria Navarro    Nicole Lovell