Stand for Tenant Safety (STS) echoes the remarks of the tenants formerly of 123 2nd Ave (which infamously exploded last year due to an illegally installed gas line, killing 2 tenants) when they called out New York City for relying on "an illogical and antiquated system of enforcement, inspections, and reliable self-certification." Indeed, the failure of the Department of Buildings to enforce building codes and laws endangers the health, safety, and well-being of NYC tenants daily. Although this case is particularly tragic, the gas explosion at 121 2nd Ave is just one example of the citywide problem of landlords using construction as harassment.

The explosion could have been prevented with stronger legislation to crack down on illegal construction. STS has a package of 12 bills to do just that, and we call on our City Council members to pass these bills to change the culture of reckless construction in occupied buildings.

See more details in Monday's NY Post article.

Join North Brooklyn tenants in a mass call action to 311!  

ATTENTION!!!

FOUR major STS bills are being heard on Monday, April 18th at 10am at 250 Broadway, 14th Floor Committee Room.  Please join us for the hearing and testify in support of STS and the four specific bills being heard.

Int. 918: Chin & Menchaca. Require DOB inspection rather than self-certification for buildings with plans for significant amounts of construction or a history of tenant harassment. 

Int. 924: Espinal. Require DOB to issue orders to correct concurrently with vacate orders. 

Int. 934: Levin. Create a Real Time Enforcement Unit within the DOB to respond to emergency-level conditions.

Int. 944: Rosenthal & Johnson. Require construction work permits on DOB’s website to disclose the reported occupancy status of the building and require landlords who have done work without a permit to submit their future construction plans to their borough president, council member, and community board. 

STS joined with member group Brooklyn Legal Services Corp A at a rally outside of 94 Franklin Ave!  

A protest outside landlord Joel Israel's apartment in 2014. Photo: Ian Marsh

City Limits, Catalina Hidalgo, February 2, 2016
original: http://citylimits.org/2016/02/02/tenant-city-must-pass-stronger-ban-on-construction-as-harassment/