Snowstorm Approaching, 43 Essex Reportedly without Heat and Hot Water
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This is not really the week to be without heat or hot water. Not with a huge snowstorm barreling up the coast. Yet, if your landlord is Paul and Dean Galasso at 43 Essex Street, that’s the situation. Despite the mobile boiler system deployed curbside since Christmas.
One reader, a resident of the tenement, got in touch with us this week to report that the landlords “randomly shut off the hot water” and there is currently no heat in the building.
The landlords, Dean and Paul Galasso randomly shut off the hot water and currently no heat in the building. They have no upcoming court date and no pressure from mayor’s task force (they have completely disappeared). The Attorney General’s office? In their back pocket. So basically they do whatever they want and continue to harass tenants. It’s 12 degrees outside right now and no heat in the building. The landlord knows exactly how to manipulate the city offices to his benefit and is openly laughing at them.
They have no integrity, no decency and believe that gaining personal wealth at any expense (even shutting off heat and hot water in the middle of winter to senior citizens) is badge of honor and means they are “winning.” If the Galassos take over your building, be prepared. They represent the worst of humanity.
It wasn’t always this way at 43 Essex Street. In fact, this five-story building was previously owned by second-generation owner of G&S Sporting Goods, Lenny Zerling. (The store was founded in 1937 by Lenny’s father, an Estonian immigrant boxer named Izzy Zerling.)
Due to health issues, he sold the property to the Galassos exactly a year ago. The brothers quickly resorted to “upgrading” the facility and tapping the harassment services of “relocator” Michel Pimienta.
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43 Essex St. in the 1970s,, Photo: Ranjan Roy