About a week ago, the Daily News reported that the state Attorney General has opened an investigation into “potentially illegal tactics used by landlord Steven Croman, to force rent-stabilized tenants out of their valuable apartments.” Croman owns a large number of buildings on the Lower East Side. Now local elected officials are chiming in. Here’s the press release put out by State Sen. Daniel Squadron’s office yesterday:
…State Senators Daniel Squadron and Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, Borough President Gale Brewer, and Councilmembers Rosie Mendez and Margaret Chin released the following statement regarding landlord Steve Croman: “Steven Croman’s pattern of tenant harassment must come to an end. Tenants from his buildings have contacted us with accounts of chronic harassment and intimidation – including disruptive building maintenance, frivolous lawsuits, and most egregiously, the dispatching of a ‘private investigator’ to apartments to intimidate tenants. “We’ve worked closely with a coalition of tenants and advocacy groups like Good Old Lower East Side, Cooper Square Committee, and the Urban Justice Center to address Croman’s tactics of driving tenants, many of whom are rent regulated, out of their homes. We applaud the Attorney General’s investigation into Croman, and we will continue to support tenants’ efforts as it unfolds.”
Tenant organizations have been mobilizing against Croman, and his firm, 9300 Realty, for years. The Croman Tenants’ alliance tracks his activities and offers resources to residents facing harassment via this website.
Oh, now our elected leaders care. gee thanks. not. they would be better named elected followers. We know that they can release a statement, but will they actually do anything? I’m skeptical to say the least.