Support 475 Kent Street Artists

247 Water Street

Remembering that Dumbo artists were kicked out of their lofts in 2000, Dumbo’s Smack Mellon is asking everyone to show their support of the 475 Kent Street artists who were evicted last week by gathering support for a letter writing campaign to Mayor Bloomberg. In an email, Smack Mellon is asking to support the artists by faxing a letter to the Mayor:


Dear Friends of Smack Mellon,

In support of the artists living at 475 Kent Street who are in a terrible situation we ask that you to please fax a letter to Mayor Bloomberg. We urge you to please do so now. And please forward this to your friends. With all of our efforts, hundreds of letters can be on his desk by tomorrow morning.

For more information about what’s happening at 475 Kent Street, click here to read the article published by the New York Times on February 10.

Thank you for your support!
Smack Mellon

____________________
The FAX #s: 212 788 2460, 212 341 3810, 212 788 7745

**If your fax does not go through, please email your letter to the Mayor at:
mike@cityhall.nyc.gov
mbloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov

A similar situation occurred in Dumbo in 2000. Approximately 60 artists were evicted from their lofts at Joshua Guttman owned 247 Water Street. In December, 2000, the city’s Department of Buildings ordered the building vacated, citing fire hazards. After the artists were allowed back in, the developer then tried to evict the tenants who sued Mr. Guttman, seeking protection from eviction under rent-stabilization and tenant-rights laws. In 2003, seven days after Mr. Guttman applied to have the zoning for the building changed to allow for legal apartments, the building was mysteriously burned down. Let’s hope the residents at 475 Kent Street will get better results.

___________________
(Sample letter to the Mayor after the jump.)

Here is a sample letter:

To:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

My attention has recently been drawn to the problem of the artist’s building at 475 Kent Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.

You are certainly aware by now that over 200 artists are in danger of losing their homes and workplaces permanently – which usually spells financial ruin in a community already subjected to considerable risk.

In the spirit of the cultural tradition that has long prevailed in this great city, I urge you to do everything you can to help the artists return to their professions immediately and to foster our common creative capital.

Sincerely,
****

{Glimmers of Hope for 475 Kent Residents, 11Feb2008, Brownstoner}
{The Lofts, a Landlord and a Battle to Remember, 14May2006, NY Times}
{Amid Old Brooklyn Factories, A Shrinking Canvas, 24Jul1995, NY Times}
{The Fire Down Below, 17Mar2004, Village Voice}

24 Comment

  • …and back in 2000, Guiliani said these type of evictions would never happen again.

    How soon we forget when presented with the prospect of luxury living.

  • …and back in 2000, Guiliani said these type of evictions would never happen again.

    How soon we forget when presented with the prospect of luxury living.

  • And why should we care? If you can’t pay rent, leave. Why should they get anything for free? We all pay high rents around here.

  • And why should we care? If you can’t pay rent, leave. Why should they get anything for free? We all pay high rents around here.

  • @Blurry; no-one got anything for free. These were NOT squatters… and the issue had nothing about people being able to pay rent.

    My point, and Guiliani’s (at the time) was that it’s about humanity. You can give notice, you can treat people with respect. If you’ve followed the issue you’d know that the FDNY regularly makes concessions to businesses that they haven’t been in this case. It was a freezing night and people were not dealt with humanely.

    BTW, We don’t ALL pay high rents around here. Just because you’re paying a sucker-rate doesn’t mean you’ve got to be a dick.

  • @Blurry; no-one got anything for free. These were NOT squatters… and the issue had nothing about people being able to pay rent.

    My point, and Guiliani’s (at the time) was that it’s about humanity. You can give notice, you can treat people with respect. If you’ve followed the issue you’d know that the FDNY regularly makes concessions to businesses that they haven’t been in this case. It was a freezing night and people were not dealt with humanely.

    BTW, We don’t ALL pay high rents around here. Just because you’re paying a sucker-rate doesn’t mean you’ve got to be a dick.

  • I’ve lived here for 10 years douche, I’m not paying J Condo size rent. Your disjointed argument made little sense, but ok…sounds like a bunch of whiners who are pissed they lost their free/cheap apts. Are eviction notices supposed to wait politely for summer time?

  • I’ve lived here for 10 years douche, I’m not paying J Condo size rent. Your disjointed argument made little sense, but ok…sounds like a bunch of whiners who are pissed they lost their free/cheap apts. Are eviction notices supposed to wait politely for summer time?

  • Mr. Blurry needs a reach around

  • Mr. Blurry needs a reach around

  • How about 3 days, which is usually the absolute minimum for evictions?

    …and again, the apartments were NOT free. The one person I knew there was paying $1900 for about 900 square feet. Yes, that may be less than market, but hardly free. Also, this person was unaware that the apartment was illegal (a few more weeks and it wouldn’t have been).

    BTW, no matter how long you’ve lived here, you don’t have to be a dick. If you were around in 2000 then the folks at 247 water were your neighbors. What did you do, go by there and heckle those people? “Ha Ha Suckers getting kicked out into the freezing cold!! Long after this neighborhood sucks, I will STILL be a total dick, HERE.” Great.

    Try some humanity.

  • How about 3 days, which is usually the absolute minimum for evictions?

    …and again, the apartments were NOT free. The one person I knew there was paying $1900 for about 900 square feet. Yes, that may be less than market, but hardly free. Also, this person was unaware that the apartment was illegal (a few more weeks and it wouldn’t have been).

    BTW, no matter how long you’ve lived here, you don’t have to be a dick. If you were around in 2000 then the folks at 247 water were your neighbors. What did you do, go by there and heckle those people? “Ha Ha Suckers getting kicked out into the freezing cold!! Long after this neighborhood sucks, I will STILL be a total dick, HERE.” Great.

    Try some humanity.

  • I used to live there. Very interesting community. Many of the artists at 475 Kent are very accomplished (this is not an issue of rent, condos, etc.); they are not a bunch of hipsters, at least not exclusively! The city needs more communities like these, not less.

  • I used to live there. Very interesting community. Many of the artists at 475 Kent are very accomplished (this is not an issue of rent, condos, etc.); they are not a bunch of hipsters, at least not exclusively! The city needs more communities like these, not less.

  • @dumbostreets;

    As much as I appreciate the sentiment that ‘The city needs more communities like these, not less’… I hardly think being a successful artist should be a prerequisite for being treated humanely.

  • @dumbostreets;

    As much as I appreciate the sentiment that ‘The city needs more communities like these, not less’… I hardly think being a successful artist should be a prerequisite for being treated humanely.

  • Wah wah wah…crybabies. As usual Rula is an idiot.

  • Wah wah wah…crybabies. As usual Rula is an idiot.

  • SBMH:
    Now that the status of the building is in the spotlight, there are all sorts of legal questions concerning long term occupancy. I think, in this case, the community is a factor in favor of something being worked out. This was not in reference to how they were treated, obviously, which was cruel.

  • SBMH:
    Now that the status of the building is in the spotlight, there are all sorts of legal questions concerning long term occupancy. I think, in this case, the community is a factor in favor of something being worked out. This was not in reference to how they were treated, obviously, which was cruel.

  • Pingback: Dumbo NYC, Brooklyn » Archive » Remembering the Dumbo Wilderness by Paul Raphaelson (DumboNYC.com)

  • Pingback: Dumbo NYC, Brooklyn » Archive » Remembering the Dumbo Wilderness by Paul Raphaelson (DumboNYC.com)

  • @Blurry; no-one got anything for free. These were NOT squatters… and the issue had nothing about people being able to pay rent.

    My point, and Guiliani's (at the time) was that it's about humanity. You can give notice, you can treat people with respect. If you've followed the issue you'd know that the FDNY regularly makes concessions to businesses that they haven't been in this case. It was a freezing night and people were not dealt with humanely.

    BTW, We don't ALL pay high rents around here. Just because you're paying a sucker-rate doesn't mean you've got to be a dick.

  • @Blurry; no-one got anything for free. These were NOT squatters… and the issue had nothing about people being able to pay rent.

    My point, and Guiliani's (at the time) was that it's about humanity. You can give notice, you can treat people with respect. If you've followed the issue you'd know that the FDNY regularly makes concessions to businesses that they haven't been in this case. It was a freezing night and people were not dealt with humanely.

    BTW, We don't ALL pay high rents around here. Just because you're paying a sucker-rate doesn't mean you've got to be a dick.