East Harlem Tenants Drop “Back Off Our Block” Banner, Launch Tenant Union Ahead Of Coming Building Auction

East Harlem Tenants Drop “Back Off Our Block” Banner, Launch Tenant Union Ahead Of Coming Building Auction

Tenants on the south side of East 103rd Street launched the East Harlem Tenant Union Saturday morning.

Dropping a banner from their building windows reading “Back Off Our Block” and vowing to fight any speculative buyer seeking to profit from years of landlord neglect. The banner drop and press conference came less than a month before a June 10 foreclosure auction of the roughly 850-unit portfolio formerly owned by real estate investor Emerald Equity Group.

Organized with the support of Community Voices Heard, tenants described conditions inside their homes that have gone unaddressed for years: water leaking between apartments, broken fixtures, no heat in winter, persistent mold, and rat infestations so severe that one tenant found a rat in her toilet. The buildings carry more than 2,300 housing code violations across 38 properties.

“My time living under Emerald Equities was horrible, to say the least. I experienced everything from 145-degree hot water, mold under my sink, and once, the sight of a rat swimming up my toilet. Though today my apartment still leaves a lot more to be desired, I believe we have finally begun to win our fight. But the battle is not over yet. Soon, our buildings will go up for auction to be bought by someone new, and we must ensure that we don’t fall prey to another slumlord or company who is only concerned with putting profits over people,” said Alex Mason, a ten-year resident and Community Voices Heard Member.

“We’ve always been fighting because we haven’t had just one landlord—there have been several. But it’s always been the same story,” said Blanca Lopez, a Community Voices Heard Member who has called East 103rd Street home for 43 years. “We are not only fighting for repairs but also to have a say in the fate of our homes. That’s why we’re now part of this organization, Community Voices Heard. Going into a land trust will not only guarantee that we will get our repairs but also have more control over our own homes and maintain affordable rents. We do not want another corporate landlord that sees our homes as another paycheck!” 

The Mamdani administration and local City Council members expressed their support for the East Harlem Tenant Union.

“The property at 122 E 103rd St has had 3 owners in the past 20 years, the most recent being a receivership, and yet it continued to slip into dilapidation and rack up code violations under landlord after landlord. Enough is enough – something has to change. Community land trusts don’t just protect and empower tenants in individual buildings, but they set a standard for our entire housing market that this level of landlord neglect is unacceptable. For these reasons, I enthusiastically endorse the East Harlem Tenant Union and East Harlem/El Barrio Community Land Trust’s effort to purchase East 103rd Street. Buildings full of code violations and failed promises don’t need better landlords – they need community ownership,” said Council Member and Deputy Whip Elsie Encarnación.

“This is what it means to be a New Yorker. I am so glad the neighbors and community at East 103rd St are demanding appropriate living conditions. Changes and movements come about through organizing, through unity. The tenants have not given up and continue to show their fight can be won,” shared NYC Council Member Althea Stevens, Chair of the Committee on Children and Youth. “June 10th’s foreclosure auction will be another pivotal moment in this fight. East Harlem and similar neighborhoods across our city need not only affordable housing, but housing that is designed and controlled by its tenants.”

The tenants’ message on Saturday was directed squarely at anyone considering a bid at next month’s auction: stay away. The newly formed union is working with the East Harlem/El Barrio Community Land Trust to purchase the buildings and keep them permanently affordable and community-controlled.

“We at East Harlem Tenants Union are trying to put the power back in the people’s hands and allow this community to forge its own path, instead of being at the mercy of another private equity group to ignore, neglect, and disrespect this community for the sake of their investors and stakeholders,” said Rick Ortiz, a Community Voices Heard Member and tenant leader at E 103rd. “We want a housing initiative that shares our vision for a united East Harlem that can grow, thrive, and continue to be one of the greatest neighborhoods in New York City.”

The launch follows a major tenant victory last December, when residents of five buildings along the south side of East 103rd Street won a legal settlement in which the landlord agreed to provide $500,000 in rent credits and repairs — the product of years of organizing with Community Voices Heard.

“Forming and sustaining a tenant union is one of the most effective ways for New Yorkers to enforce their rights and ensure housing quality concerns are met. Congratulations to the members of the East Harlem Tenant Union — our administration looks forward to working together to secure safe, stable, and affordable homes,” said Cea Weaver, Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants.

Mayor Mamdani and top city officials have said they hope to influence the outcome of the sale to protect tenants.

With the June 10 auction now weeks away, the East Harlem Tenant Union says it will continue to organize and plan to make the auction as unwelcoming as possible for buyers who do not share their vision for the community.

About Community Voices Heard

Community Voices Heard (CVH) is a member-led, multiracial organization principally comprised of women of color and low-income families in New York State. CVH builds power to secure social, economic, and racial justice through grassroots organizing, leadership development, and policy advocacy. Learn more at cvhaction.org.

Read at Harlem World Magazine