BRONX TIMES R 62 EPORTER, MAY 7-13, 2021 BTR
‘Right to counsel’
bills for tenant
protections pass
Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson (left) and Councilman Mark Levine. Photo by Mark Hallum
BY MARK HALLUM
A bill that would protect a tenants
right to counsel in the event of litigation
with a landlord, as well as one which approves
public outreach on the new entitlement,
passed in New York City Council
on Thursday.
The bills, sponsored by Councilman
Mark Levine and Councilwoman Vanessa
Gibson, have had an infl uence on
state and federal lawmakers who aim to
enshrine a right to counsel as law of the
land, they said in a rally in front of City
Hall prior to the stated meeting.
“What you have done, what we have
done has been a game-changer in the
housing courts of the city. It has sparked
a national movement. It has brought
some fairness to housing court, where
we desperately needed it. And most of
all, we have kept 1000s of families in
their homes who would have been otherwise
a victim. The impact is real. It is
tangible. It is measurable,” Levine said
during the rally with advocates.
Near the end of the stated meeting,
Intro 2050a to extend right to counsel
for tenants to every zip code in the city
passed with a vote of 43-3-1.
Before the onset of the pandemic,
Levine says there was a reduction of 40%
in evictions in zip codes that already
have right to counsel, something he believes
New York needs as the pandemic
has hurt the fi nances of many and Governor
Andrew Cuomo’s eviction moratorium
nears expiration on June 1.
Nathylin Flowers Adesegun, formerly
homeless New Yorker who gained
local celebrity status for her 2018 confrontation
with Mayor Bill de Blasio at
his Park Slope gym, represented VOCAL
NY during the rally and pressed
City Council Speaker Cory Johnson and
other members of the governing body to
fulfi ll the needs of folks on the brink of
homelessness.
“We have a voucher – here’s my
voucher – this is how after fi ve years
in the shelter I got an apartment. It
says, $1,246,” Adesegun said. “We’re all
supposed to be entitled to one of these
vouchers. This is why we need the city
council to step up for the people of New
York. We voted for you… We fl ipped the
city council to be Democrat, and are we
still gonna still suffer? Do we still have
to suffer?”
According to Gibson, the new bill
needs to be in effect not only before the
moratorium expires, if it is not renewed
as it has been over the course of the pandemic,
but it will also help with a local
recovery.
“Just this week of state of Washington
was the fi rst state to pass right to
counsel in the entire state, providing
free lawyers tenants facing eviction
and housing for being a victim is a real
theme for so many New Yorkers in many
of our communities, as we slowly begin
to reopen,” Gibson said.
The Right to Counsel NYC Coalition
was credited for much of the advocacy
work they have conducted over the
years.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, during a radio
appearance on Hot 97 on April 13, said
was an advocate of the moratorium remaining
in place and said that the city
already offers similar services to the
right to counsel.
“There’s been a moratorium. That
work continues to protect people. But
I want to tell you, Laura, anyone who
thinks that they’re being unjustly
evicted can call 3-1-1 and talk to our Tenant
Protection Offi ce. And if they qualify,
they get a lawyer for free,” Mayor de
Blasio said.