« Invasion of the Chain Stores? Fort Greene's Thirst in Business »
January 16, 2007
More Hot Amateur Video, South Slope Style
A little illegal Sunday afternoon asbestos removal with your morning coffee courtesy of Knockout Construction? How 'bout some night-time footage of a worker with no protective gear smashing a chimney by light of a generator, all with no sheds or barriers to stop debris from raining down on the street and neighboring yards? When it comes to allowing a repeat offender with hard evidence against it to continue to flagrantly violate the law, we just can't see how there's any explanation other than some kind of corruption within the DOB. Incompetence and cronyism can only explain so much.
338 22nd Street--Illegal Work Part 1 [YouTube] GMAP
338 22nd Street--Illegal Work Part 2 [YouTube]
338 22nd Street--Illegal Work Part 3 [YouTube]
Destroying the Evidence on 22nd Street [Brownstoner]
Flouting the Rules Again on 22nd Street [Brownstoner]
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/331
Comments
This video is obnoxious. It sounds like the biggest violation these guys are engaged in is working on a Sunday. The guy shooting this video would feel very differently about this if it were his house being renovated and his dollars paying interest on a construction loan which as far as I know accrues on Sundays as well as every other day.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 11:37 AM
How does he know they are removing asbestos?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 11:49 AM
anon 11:37 am
The obnoxious is this is NOT a house being renovated, it's a tear down. They lied to DOB stating there was no asbestos on the property in their demo application, then run an illegal abatement move during a long weekend with all Dept. offices closed for MLK.
This is a repeat performance from December. Do your homework before you open your mouth.
And when I reno'd my house, we didn't even work on Saturdays, let alone Sundays.
Illegal all the way around, no matter how you look at it...which obviously you have not.
Posted by: ccgh at January 16, 2007 11:52 AM
Unfortunately tear-down 101 in our 'nabe is "tear the roof off" (legally or illegally), remove the windows, the let the fun begin.
The majority of the frame houses in the area, well kept up or run down, have old school roofing material (my house included). If you do the job right (and I have seen many that were not done right) you get an abatement company to come out.
They set up a "clean room" for the workers (who are in coveralls, gloves, ventilators and hoods, like some of these boys appear to be, not all), you wet down the surface (to keep the dust down) and begin removing the material, bagging it in special haz-mat bags. From there the bags are lowered into the "safe room" re-bagged (sometimes washed off) and loaded into a sealed truck or haz-mat dumpster. When the guys are finished, the goto the "safe room" to remove and bag their clothing and shower off any dirt & dust.
From what I observe rewatching the videos, this was not done. No "safe room," one guy with no gear at all (he was the chimney man) and the bags are being thrown into the back of a semi. Piss-poor and dangerous removal all the way around.
Can't wait to see the demo.
And, no sidewalk shed and construction fence to protect the neighbors, who I hear watched in horror...
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at January 16, 2007 12:14 PM
What are the permitted work hours for M-F and for Saturday?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 1:28 PM
M-F: 7am to 6pm (after that you need a variance permit to work till 8pm)
SAT: Variance permit needed-10AM to 5PM
SUN: Not permitted
AND the rub with folks who work after hours or on weekends illegally is the freekin' variance permit is approx. $150. Seems like a good deal to me to get an extra 7 hours in on a weekend.
We have a site on 6th Ave (the tree killers) who have pulled a weekend permit every weekend since the fall. PITA for the neighbors, but legal.
But alas, most of these boys don't often play by the rules ;)
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at January 16, 2007 1:41 PM
Dear Lost in Brooklyn (and Brownstoner)
I recommend that you try a new approach, rather than the continuous pleading with 311 and the DOB that you do on a weekly basis. It seems obvious that the DOB is the enemy, as they are corrupt - they do not care about what is happening in our neighborhoods.
Since you have intimate knowledge of, and, more importantly, video documentation of this illegal demo (and subsequent threat to the public health and safety due to asbestos fibers being released) why not go after Knockout Construction with a lawsuit? In fact, why not start a class-action suit from all of the neighbors in Greenwood who may have been subjected to asbestos dust, against Knockout Construction and these other goon contractors? I'll sure as hell join in - I'll bet 90% of all homeowners in this area would participate.
The other thing that should be done is to inform OSHA that the workers are at huge risk to do this kind of work (and most are probably immigrants and/or ignorant of the danger they are exposing themselves to. OSHA would shut those guys down fast, so stop calling the DOB. They are not going to help you.
And while you're at it, sue the DOB commissioner, Marty Markowitz and Michael Bloomberg for not taking control of the situation. This MUST STOP. It is absolutely inexcusable. It's probably safe to say that the cops are involved too. (look at the 16th street situation with the ex-cop/developer. No cops would come to the aid of the folks who tried many times.)
It's nonsense that homebuyers pay crazy-ass taxes on properties in the "New" Brooklyn and yet are expected to put up with such a huge threat to personal health and safety.
SUE KNOCKOUT CONSTRUCTION. I guarantee this bullshit will stop if you win a suit, which I think would not be that hard to do.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 5:02 PM
this shits gotta stop..and I mean the video taping of nonsense. who said this was asbestos removal? and why would they bring it to the roof? gut reno yes, and so what, it didn't sound like they were making major noise. I've done hundreds of guts in my day, and the only place i found asbestos was the basement. if this guy video taping had a job he wouldn't have the time or ambition to waste his time taping.
Posted by: anon at January 16, 2007 5:32 PM
Anon 5;32 lets hope your retired cause you don't know shit. Demo guys are dumb shits to begin with other wise they would have been in one of the trades. Swinging a sledge hammer is not rocket science as the video shows.
• Some roofing and siding shingles are made of asbestos cement.
• Houses built between 1930 and 1950 may have asbestos as insulation.
• Asbestos may be present in textured paint and in patching compounds used on wall and ceiling joints. Their use was banned in 1977.
• Artificial ashes and embers sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces may contain asbestos.
• Older products such as stovetop pads may have some asbestos compounds.
• Walls and floors around wood burning stoves may be protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets.
• Asbestos is found in some vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives.
• Hot water and steam pipes in older houses may be coated with an asbestos material, or covered asbestos shielding or tape.
• Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets may have asbestos insulati
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 5:50 PM
Anon 5:32
1. On the front of the house, 2 signs said "WARNING: ASBESTOS REMOVAL IN PROGRESS." Sorry I couldn't videotaped that just for you. And the suits, gloves and respirators on a "few" of the workers made it obvious, even if you did not see the signs.
2. It was roof demo and abatement...that's why they are on the roof, not the interior. Did you watch any of the videos.
3. There was tons of noise, dust, debris, etc.
4. glad you are an expert. I have done a gut reno as well...and I know what an illegal tear-off looks like. Unfortunately I have witnessed too many of them. I assume you disposed of your basement in a professional manner...just like this crew.
5. I do have a job. These videos were taken on a SUNDAY, again, have you watched the videos?
6. And finally, my "ambition" is to make sure my hood and neighbors are safe from scumbags like these guys. This is a repeat performance, no the first time. And, likely not to be the last.
Any further questions?
Posted by: ccgh at January 16, 2007 5:54 PM
ccgh..i don't like your tude. no, i didn't watch the movie, it has a 'g' rating.
5:50..your an idiot. yeah, i can get info that from a book too, but practically speaking its all bullshit.
i'll be on the corner of 6th and 22nd at 7pm, if anyone cares to confront me and have a further discussion of the topic.
Posted by: anon at January 16, 2007 6:19 PM
Anon 6:19pm
Have fun freezing yer buns off.
No "tude" meant other than I am very tired of pointing out the obvious and dealing with folks who write before they read (or in this case watch).
A well informed poster is a good poster, right?
So, have a good cool off on 22nd St. No malice from my end.
Posted by: ccgh at January 16, 2007 6:43 PM
Oh, and anon 6:19, while you are on 22nd St., take a stroll to 338, 340 and 342 22nd St. construction sites. Notice the demo, rat baiting posts and all the garbage. Might make you reconsider the "meet you on the corner" confrontation stuff.
Let's all play nice, yes?
Posted by: ccgh at January 16, 2007 6:47 PM
hey 6:19,
FUCK YOU! You are a fuckin' pussy! I just logged on, if I had signed on earlier, I would have met you there you fuckin' prick.
I'm sure you're the dick that owns Knockout Construction.
You're company is in trouble, fucker.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 7:50 PM
6:19 back again..
its damn cold outside..and thanks for not showing up..i'm getting too old for this.
i've had time to cool down, eat something and am back to my sensible self. Your right, the uncontionable demo of potentially harmful material must end. Unfortunately a video such as this isn't enough, there must be steeper penalties, imprisonment and civil action. why should my babies have to breath this air!!
maybe the tough guy at 7:50 has it in him/her to confront the contractor, rather then ranting here. or, we should rally city hall, or do a million person march or something..i don't know, but i feel helpless.
any ideas?
Posted by: anon at January 16, 2007 8:08 PM
there will be a massive (multi community group) protest at DOB-Bklyn in the next month or so. Stay tuned and I am glad you chilled out :)
And I totally feel the same angst...on a minute to minute basis.
Don't worry about Anon 7:50, as I intimated to you on above posts, folks gotta chill out and use this forum in a (hopefully) positive manner.
Posted by: ccgh at January 16, 2007 8:28 PM
invest in a tripod
Posted by: gpt at January 16, 2007 11:26 PM
Is Knockout Construction the same as this company? I had heard they were reputable and considered using them: http://www.knockoutrenovation.com/
Any info would be great.
Thanks.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 11:39 PM
not the same company...
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at January 19, 2007 11:06 AM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.