NY Times Article on Maintenance Worker's Eviction Issue at Clinton Hill Co-Ops

Here is a letter I wrote to some I know about this issue.

Hello Everyone, 

Thank you for working diligently on this important issue for the co-op community and the issues at large. I have been following the e-mails, video, NY Times article-- "A Handyman, A Sudden Eviction and A Gentrification Battle Royale" by John Leland. I had to subscribe but likely that's a good thing overall.

 

 I have met John Leland before since he wrote a book  called Happiness Is a Choice You Make about what it's like to age. He had interviewed people for a year, and far more than those who were in his book. So I was pleased to think he was there, knowing he is a compassionate, sensible person.

 

Best of luck and thinking through the next steps. It is amazing we have talented capable people ready and able to dig deep and see all angles. This is a work in progress for more than Hector's situation. Seeing people pull together when the chips are down, when someone is placed in a difficult situation, calls a lot from other people...Some have more skills than others, but in groups more people feel willing to listen and learn, ask questions, and lend support, come up with ideas and connections to other resources. I feel at this time the PR and momentum building would readily garner a successful gofundme for Hector to be able to afford support (legal, housing if it comes to that to ease transitions, help for his family and more.) I have met people in other states who have 'helped a few' then it turned into a non-profit helping many. 

 

The Berkshire Taconic Foundation for instance was formed over 20 years ago (in the MA/ CT/NY tri-corner area) with donations to help non-profits and even to start new ones. They have given out millions since many leave part of their estate or other donations to them.

 

 Students get scholarships for travel, arts, and towns get help with guidance for boards and capital campaign projects. Housing US is another recent endeavor helping people find ways 'to age in place' and use their home to assist another (with a small apartment which zoning may not have allowed before.)

 

 In general, I hope more people from Brooklyn and urban areas can find ways to enjoy the rural areas, and more bridging efforts can happen to share the lovely rural area with more people. The Metro-North and Hudson Lines  are easy enough ways to get to the area, then zip cars (possibly) or other transportation could be made...

 

 In the summer, camping in tents to more indoor upscale housing could be secured...again, with some networking. Maybe more people could host urban folks, offer air B 'n Bs and so on. Eventually some people may be interested in retiring up this way (or another quieter area).

 

 There are many programs offered through the two main nursing homes (and assisted living) homes in NWCT, Noble Horizons and Geer Village as well as with Taconic Learning Center and other adult ed at the high school.

 

But back to the basic idea of promoting Hector's ability to stay on in the apartment. The meeting should be very well attended and I would think everyone is feeling a vested interest now.  The board likely has realized there need to be more avenues to 'give people a head's up' if anything this serious is being considered.

 

 They were acknowledging that they were not prepared to handle concerns and that they are 'just volunteers.' Maybe other agencies in NYC would want to help everyone be more aware of the rules and best practices currently in place to respect the rights of tenants and shareholders, workman or other people who are involved with housing, such as management and board members and other volunteers. Whatever role someone has, officially or on an impromptu basis, needs clarification to help 'keep the peace'. 

 

There are efforts to promote amicable resolution to conflicts, and people skilled in those areas. Victoria Christgau in CT started a center based on Martin Luther King's  approaches. Understanding ways to put pressure on people to be heard can take time...so others could share the basic tactics as well. 

 

Yet also being open to 'keeping the dialogue going' and asserting concerns with other audiences, which is what has been happening with the press coverage is also effective. We need to keep in mind that 'when police are called, they have guns. They can make mistakes and have accidents. They also have rules to follow and ways to cover their tracks if they feel threatened, etc.
 

I feel it was not appropriate to put one woman police officer in the position she was put in with so many people and a kind of agitation that she alone may have not felt able to handle. Had someone called her a name or gestured in a concerning way, we may have been dealing with a difficult other set of factors.  Even knowing whether the police had a right to order people to disperse or not is important. Residents of any complex could be briefed on what is legal and 'what's crossing the line' in terms of being grounds for an arrest. 

 

Unfortunately in the Berkshires, which years ago had one of the first school gun violence episodes (at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington), recent events included a young man dying after a police chase for a minor traffic violation. It was concerning also because he was Hispanic, and the police person was new.

 

Then in Sheffield MA, a father who was an attorney apparently killed his wife and three children and took his own life. There were no obvious signs of imbalance or threats that friends or family knew of. Those domestic violence issues are a worry in any town or city, but rarely escalate to such dangerous and fatal levels.There are more advocates working on those kinds of issues such as at Battered Mothers Custody Conference in Albany at the end of April. Their website and that of CA Protective Parents has a lot of information. 

 

The efforts people make over time to improve situations on all levels add up, sometimes become law or guide responses. Now that it's clear co-op residents want to have a sense of shared community, including when times are very challenging, likely many other needs and dreams could be addressed. It takes time to build trust and follow through with basic agreements, find resources and see what's working.

 

 A willingness to put 'principles above personalities' is part of 12-step recovery programs, and could be extended to helping people mend bridges.

 

 That may mean promoting more friendship on a floor or group of floors (above and below, concerns about noise or other matters, helping one another during the time of having windows and radiators done, making sure people all have at least 1 or 2 contact people on a list with the board if there's a concern about their housing, payments or to check on someone.

 

 Each building could have 2 co-captains (ideally a man and a woman and overall getting women to help each other and men to do the same may help keep things simple for starters and have most interactions in a lobby, the courtyard or other public meeting space, whether CT Muffin or other space to visit. 

 

Checking in on one another as anyone would appreciate could be promoted with volunteers and maybe referrals to other agencies, faith groups or professionals...new parents, people with young children or someone who is ill or has an elder to care for or who may need help with a project, address concerns early if a need is determined or offer support after a change such as a death in the family or other matter...)

 

Thanks for letting me share some of these ideas here. I do not mean to speak out of turn and have appreciated learning more about the co-ops in the past few years. I hope more welcoming folks could be part of a team effort so anyone would feel at ease to have people to connect with in the crowd or to renew ties if they have been away, whether students, other guests (even visitors) or elders.

 

Maybe we could put a few lists together that could be updated and help facilitate help for people with various needs, short-term or longer. 

 

Meanwhile I do blog on livfully.org and cover a lot of topics, trying to help people think through some basics or unusual resources and then apply to their own situations or think of what else may be helpful... All the best.. I will share that my former mother-in-law Caroline Paton passed away March 18th, 2019.  Maybe during the wonderful block party there could be a place to share the first (and last) names of people we want to remember...and  sadly that would be including our amazing Community Hero, the late Sharon Robinson who worked tirelessly overseeing the party for years. I know efforts are underway to keep the tradition going.

 

There is more information online about these following points..

Caroline was a folk singer and helped run Folk Legacy Records with her now late husband Sandy Paton. They were the grandparents of my teen son, Kaelan A. Palmer Paton who passed in June 2009, saving a friend from a CT river at the end of his freshman year of high school. That is part of why I do a lot of outreach and try to help people keep plans clear and to a low-conflict level. I have also faced many other challenges that didn't seen to have the right support system, so I try to put some basics in place to give people hope and real help.

 

Thanks again for all you are doing 'in the big leagues' and hope more can think of making a visit to sleepy little towns which are facing similar issues and need more support too.