12 JULY 12, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
HEADING
Paying for NYCHA’s disgraces
Damage to the central nervous
system. Decreased bone and
muscle growth. Speech and
language problems. Delayed mental
development.
And, for every child who suff ers
these symptoms of lead poisoning, a
life sentence of related complications.
More than 800 children living in
public housing controlled by the New
York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
have elevated levels of lead fl owing
through their blood, according to a
New York Daily News report on June
30. The report further underscored
the horrific consequences of the
agency’s mismanagement and outright
deception when it comes to maintaining
hundreds of buildings in the city —
including dozens in Queens — home to
thousands of low-income New Yorkers.
In recent months, NYCHA has rightly
been exposed and publicly shamed
for a fetid blend of incompetence and
failed leadership. The city, pursuant to
a case launched by federal prosecutors,
agreed to allow for a court-authorized
monitor to oversee eff orts to bring NYCHA
buildings into compliance with
federal lead paint and other housing
regulations.
That was preceded, of course, by a
change in NYCHA leadership — specifically
the resignation of its embattled
chair, Shola Olatoye — and repeated
vows by Mayor Bill de Blasio that the
entire NYCHA system would be overhauled
and made safer for its tenants.
De Blasio must accept responsibility
for the shame of NYCHA; aft er all, he is
the highest-ranking offi cial in the city,
and the buck always stops with the
person at the top. However, NYCHA’s
woes are the end result of decades of
ignorance by city government.
Lead paint was outlawed nationwide
in the 1970s, long aft er the NYCHA
housing complexes were built and
painted. Like asbestos, there’s no
serious risk of exposure to lead paint
as long as it’s not cracked or chipped.
Lead paint, however, dries out,
cracks and crumbles over time. The
lead paint dust and chips accumulate
on the fl oor and on toys, all of which
are touched and then either inhaled
or ingested by young children.
Over the years, the city has doggedly
pursued bad landlords who fail to
keep up their buildings and expose
their tenants to squalid conditions.
The city, of course, was right to do
this — but all the while, NYCHA
failed to live up to such a high standard
of care.
Now the city must do whatever it
takes to address the problems at NYCHA
and bring all of its buildings up
to code — not only to remove the lead
paint hazards, but also to eliminate the
regular infrastructure problems NYCHA
residents experience every day.
In short, the city shouldn’t just seek
minimum compliance with laws and
promises of reform — the city must go
above and beyond it.
The children of NYCHA deserve
no less.
EDITORIAL
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