Vandals deface housing court,
demanding end to evictions
BY JESSICA PARKS
A group of activists used
a bike lock to close off access
to Brooklyn’s housing court,
which the vandals also covered
with anti-eviction graffiti
on themorning of Oct. 16,
according to police.
Shortly after authorities
discovered the spray-painted
words “Eviction = Violence”
and “Eat the Landlords” on
the exterior of the locked-up
courthouse, a declaration circulated
on social media coming
from “The People of New
York” that claimed credit for
the mischief — saying they
were evicting the Housing
Court from its Livingston
Street location.
“We the People of New
York City, do hereby evict
the Brooklyn Housing Court
from its premises on 141 Livingston
Street Brooklyn, NY
11201 for failure to serve the
people of Brooklyn in fair,
ethical, and conscientious
COURIER L 16 IFE, OCT. 23-29, 2020
practice and for resuming
evictions despite the unprecedented
need for relief and
affordable housing,” the post
read.
Despite their best efforts,
the act did not disturb operations
inside the building, according
to the court system’s
spokesperson, who slammed
the perpetrators for their
lowbrow “well thought out,
premeditated crime.”
“Clearly this was an orchestrated,
well thought out,
premeditated crime, not unlike
the other previous acts of
vandalism and criminal mischief
recently perpetrated on
the City’s courthouses,” said
Lucian Chalfen. “These acts
are not activism or advocacy
and do not further the cause
that they purport to represent.”
The act comes after Gov.
Andrew Cuomo’s executive
order which halted all evictions
until 2021 and provided
some rent relief for struggling
tenants — but, the vigilantes
argued, that move was
not enough.
Instead, state legislators
should waive rental payments
entirely for New Yorkers
who’ve lost income due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, citing
Queens state Sen. Michael Gianaris’
bill that would apply
to three months of payments
for both commercial and residential
tenants.
“This is unconscionable
and we demand that evictions
end immediately,” the post
read. “If our elected leaders
won’t do it, then the People of
New York will make sure it
happens.”
Officials had removed
the graffiti from Brooklyn’s
housing court by later in the
morning, and police are continuing
to investigate the
incident for criminal mischief,
according to an NYPD
spokesperson.
Vandals defaced the Brooklyn’s housing court with slogans common
of housing activists. Photo by Robin Gordon Leavitt
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