Crown Heights Raises $5K To Help Harassed Tenant: Advocates

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — Crown Heights locals have stepped in to help their neighbor after the legal system failed to protect him from years of harassment, advocates say.

Locals raised $5,000 in just six days to help Francis Roberts, 78, get a fresh start after a year of "bizarre" harassment, all detailed in a lawsuit against the owners and managers of his long-time, rent-stabilized home on Park Place.

In May, a "shocking" judgment that found no harassment on the part of Roberts' landlord — a particularly difficult outcome considering Roberts was expecting a monetary judgment, according to Amadi Ozier, organizer with the Crown Heights C.A.R.E collective.

"This court decision is shocking, given the evidence that the judge heard and that our entire community witnessed. Even the judge admitted that this was one of the most extreme situations she’d ever encountered," organizers said.

Now, the $5,000 raised will help Roberts get a fresh start. After he pays off a storage unit rented while property management made structural repairs, Roberts can now get new furniture and start hosting guests again, something he has always loved to do in his 25-year-home.

"The community has always been very supportive of Francis," Ozier said. "It's not just Francis who was impacted by this whole thing."

If there's anything left over after vet costs for his cat Trixie and repairs around the apartment, Roberts will donate the funds to the Park Place 900s Block Association, organizers said.

"Francis is extremely grateful for the continued show of kindness and generosity from our community," said organizers with the C.A.R.E. Collective. "This ordeal... has given Francis and his neighbors a chance to re-connect and build anew."

The judgment required property managers to repair a number of open Housing Preservation and Development violations by July 21, something organizers said has not happened.

The landlord's lawyer, Heather Ticotin, told Patch the property managers are "actively working to remedy" outstanding HPD violations.

Property records show the building has 15 open violations since November 2022, including a defective stair handrail, hallway floor damage and a faulty gas supply to Roberts' kitchen.

Some Building's department violations, included illegal cellar residency, uncapped gas lines and hazardous conditions at boiler, were expected to be complete later in July, court records show.

Additional complaints detailed in the lawsuit show bizarre goings on at 972 Park Place, including another tenant — dubbed the "biggest weirdo in NYC" by the New York Post — allowing chickens to run loose in the apartment's entryway. Roberts has also detailed leaks, mold issues and sewage backup in his kitchen.

Property managers made every effort to remove the disruptive neighbor, Ticotin said.

Advocates suspected the harassment was, in part, retaliation for Roberts' refusing an illegal buyout but the landlords' lawyer chalked up Roberts' complaints to normal life as a New York City renter.

"While it cannot be disputed that [Roberts] has had to deal with disruptive living conditions, such is the nature of living in New York City," landlords' lawyer said.