Communities Resist Attends Rally Calling for the Implementation of Local Law 1

Communities Resist Attends Rally Calling for the Implementation of Local Law 1
Despite an August 3rd effective date, HPD has still not implemented Local Law 1

Director of Litigation Sam Chiera speaks at City Hall rally calling for the implementation of Local Law 1.

Council Members Carlina Rivera, Gale Brewer, and Erik Bottcher gather with Communities Resist and advocates at rally calling for the implementation of Local Law 1.

Brooklyn, NY – On October 10, Communities Resist attended a rally at City Hall calling for the implementation of Local Law 1. The rally was hosted by the bill’s sponsors, Council Members Carlina Rivera and Gale Brewer.

Local Law 1 was enacted in January 2024, with an effective date of August 3. This new law is designed to allow tenants to report issues with vacant apartments in their buildings by calling the Department of Housing Preservation (HPD) via 311. However, despite the August 3 effective date, HPD has still not implemented this new law. As Local Law 1 is not implemented, tenants living among empty apartments that contain trash, mold, open windows, leaky gas pipes, and rodents are not able to call 311 to report these dangerous conditions.

At the rally, our Director of Litigation Sam Chiera called for HPD to immediately get the 311 system up and running so tenants can finally call and make a complaint. Sam also played a key role in helping to draft this legislation. You can watch his full speech here: Click Here.

“Local Law 1 was passed because too many tenants were living near vacant apartments in deteriorating conditions,” said Communities Resist Executive Director Nick Smith. “The longer that tenants have to wait to call the 311 system, they will continue to be exposed to toxic mold, rats, and other harmful materials these vacant units contain. I urge HPD and the Adams administration to implement Local Law 1 immediately. The health and well-being of these tenants are at stake.”

“It’s a matter of common sense that a tenant living in New York City should be able to call 311 and make a complaint about hazardous conditions emanating from a vacant apartment next to them,” said Communities Resist Director of Litigation Sam Chiera. “When we negotiated the vacant unit inspection bill into law, the city demanded 210 days to build out a system for 311 complaints, but has done nothing with this time. They’ve given no serious answers as to what they did with the 210 days, or when they plan to comply with the law. New Yorkers deserve to be protected by their city from threats to safe and habitable housing under the law. It’s past time for the administration to implement it.”

About Communities Resist

Communities Resist (“CoRe”) is a community-based housing legal services and advocacy organization established and led by people of color to empower, educate and represent low-income communities and community coalitions preventing gentrification and displacement. Founded in 2019, CoRe has racked up several impressive wins, stopping nearly 1,000 evictions, filing 4,000+ affirmative litigation cases, engaging more than 8,000 New Yorkers at housing rights workshops and recovering settlements of all sizes for tenants across New York City.

“After years of feeling powerless against our abusive landlord who wasn’t providing heat and hot water nor repairing my apartments, my neighbors and I had no other choice than to reach out for help. With the help of our attorney from Communities Resist we were able to organize a Tenant Association and fight back against the abusive landlord. We finally won,” said Ramona Blash of 316 Suydam St. Tenant Association.

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