Inwood Building Residents Say They're Living In Unsafe Conditions
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- People living in an Upper Manhattan apartment building are scared for their safety, and the problems are nothing new.
But as WCBS 880's Ethan Harp reported, lawmakers on Sunday afternoon were putting new pressure on the landlord – whom they called one of the worst in the city.
With his father watching, 8-year-old Bryan Orellana showed Harp black mold on the wall right next to his mattress on the floor.
"I sleep kind of bad because of the mold; scratching myself, and I don't like that," Bryan said.
That is just one of a long list of worries for tenants like Noel Romero, in the building at 3852 Tenth Ave. a 206th Street.
From a lack of heat and hot water to rodents, they claim landlord Julian Rodriguez is all talk.
"Promises, promises, promises -- all the time, promises, all right?" said city Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-10th). "We don't support no more promises. We need action."
Rodriguez showed up along with state Sen. Marisol Alcántara (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa (D-Manhattan), demanding that the city's housing agency beef up its response.
The building already went through a carbon monoxide scare last year.
"Enough is enough," Councilman Rodriguez said.
A phone number for the landlord would not let WCBS 880 leave a message asking for comment.
