'Chinatown Not For Sale:' Tenants Of 85 Bowery Protest Landlord

CHINATOWN, NY — Tenants of a Chinatown building took to the streets Thursday to protest what they say are attempts by their landlord to unfairly evict them.

Tenants and a previously reported article said the building's owner was Joseph Betesh. Efforts made by Patch to contact him and his company, Milestone Equities, were not successful Thursday.

"He wants to kick out the tenants, to tear down the building, to build a high-rise to make money," said Jin Ming Cao, who said he was a representative of the tenants association of 85 Bowery.

"But where can the tenants go? This is a rent stabilized building."

The FDNY said Thursday that it responded to the address during the protest and evacuated the building because of a "life safety" issue. Further details weren't available.

The protest drew about 20 people who chanted "Chinatown not for sale" and held signs that labeled the building's landlord a slumlord.

The protest Thursday was the latest chapter in a long-running feud between Betesh and the residents at the Bowery location.

DNAinfo reported in July that Betesh had been attempting to remove residents so he can carry out needed structural repairs to the old building. Betesh told that website he would bring the tenants back once the repairs were finished but refused to acknowledge that the building is rent stabilized, according to the report.

The residents struck down a deal that Public Advocate Letitia James procured that would move them from their apartments for a short period of time and put them back in after repairs were done, according to DNAinfo. Under the deal, Betesh would have been allowed to raise rents after they moved back.

Photo credit: Ben Feuerherd