Sounding the Alarm: Deaf Tenants Sue Forsyth Street Landlords Over Living Conditions
Deaf tenants in HUD housing on the Lower East Side are filing a class action lawsuit after years of purported neglect.
The crux of the complaint – which will reported be filed this week in Brooklyn’s federal court on behalf of Elewood Torres – is the alarm systems in the buildings comprising 174-184 Forsyth Street. Apparently, the warning systems are audio-only; clearly useless in a complex for the hearing impaired.
Plaintiffs’ Attorney Andrew Lieb said the case is about providing long-asked-for safety and accessibility at the two buildings, a subject covered in a 2020 Bowery Boogie article.
“That’s our case in a nutshell: we don’t want to burn to death,” he said.
174-184 Forsyth Street was constructed in March 1994 specifically for low-income deaf and hearing-impaired tenants. New York Society for the Deaf owns the six-story, half-block complex, which was financed by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Tenants allege years of neglect that led to extreme disrepair and lack of security. Horror stories abounded in that time – such as broken toilets, ceilings collapsing, mold throughout apartments and hallways, and rodent infestations. Indeed, one apartment reportedly had a rat skeleton fall through a hole in the ceiling.
And then there are the elevators … which have proven unreliable.
The complaint is expected to accuse ownership of blatantly violating the Americans With Disabilities Act and the city’s human rights law, Lieb said. It will go further, and ask demand installation offire alarms with high-intensity strobe lights and vibration notification appliances, as well as video systems in the elevators.
Recent Stories
‘Caribea’ Grill Readies Space Left Vacant by Domino’s on Allen Street
Ever since Domino’s ditched its decades-old Allen Street location three years ago, the commercial space has been a vacancy consistently peddled on the market. Now, a new concept is a-knockin. Caribea is as it sounds – a fast casual pan-Caribbean grill. The restaurant at 203 Allen will seat fourteen tables and a stand-up bar, for […]
The Projects Jockeying for the $20M Chinatown Revitalization Funds
Several months ago, Governor Hochul announced a $20 million grant in the form of the Downtown Revitalization initiative (DRI). Some forty sites around Chinatown were identified during the DRI process, which is led by a Local Planning Committee of community representatives and supported by State agency staff and a consultant team. That list was ultimately […]
Displaced Chinatown Business Returns Months After Devastating Fire
Four months after a deadly fire knocked out 78 Mulberry Street, one of its businesses returned to the scene. Ewa Trading Company reopened in its former Chinatown home earlier this week. The store had spent some of the interim displacement period selling from a shuttered Vietnamese restaurant a few paces north. The two-alarm fire broke […]
EDC Sues Essex Restaurant for Back Rent over Former Essex Market Lease
Three years removed from its relocation across Rivington Street, the city filed suit against the Essex restaurant for alleged unpaid rent. The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) sued Essex for nearly $60,000 in unpaid back rent on the former Essex Market building it previously occupied, according to the lawsuit filed Monday. The city entity claims that […]
Exile on Orchard Street: Tenement Museum Recreates Exhibits During Renovations
The Tenement Museum is amidst a preservation project at 97 Orchard Street, but will continue its programming with replicas not too far away. The 1863-era tenement this past Sunday embarked on “vital” restoration work to preserve its walls, floors, roof, as well as the installation of a new HVAC system that will provide improved climate […]
