Craptacular Thanksgiving on Adelphi Street
We were already on our way out of town on Wednesday when we received this disturbing email from a Fort Greene resident: I am a tenant of a brownstone at 370 Adelphi Street between Lafayette and Greene. For the last few weeks the hallway has smelt toxic. After investigating where it was coming from we…
We were already on our way out of town on Wednesday when we received this disturbing email from a Fort Greene resident:
I am a tenant of a brownstone at 370 Adelphi Street between Lafayette and Greene. For the last few weeks the hallway has smelt toxic. After investigating where it was coming from we found 6 inches of raw sewage piling up in the basement from a leak in the pipes. The landlords never pick up the calls we make to them and refuse to hire professionals to fix anything. So the tenants arranged for a professional to come take care of this problem. The landlords came over and put a stop to it, because they knew we would submit the bill in lieu of our rent. Instead, the landlords spread tons of bleach over all the sewage and let it sit overnight. The next day, today, at around 3pm – 5pm, the landlords were somehow pumping the toxic-smelling waste out DIRECTLY onto the street. There were many witnesses to this incident – various residents of the block came over and expressed their concern to my landlord who shoo’ed them away. The waste is now on the sidewalk and the curblane. In fact there is a large pile of waste at the drain at the end of the block, at Greene Avenue. The block, which is residential and full of families, smells toxic. Our apartment still smells toxic as well. I am nervous for anyone who lives on the block, as well as all the school children who come through in waves to get to and from school.
We heard again from the tenant over the weekend, who says that the EPA showed up and fined the landlords, despite their denying having dumped the waste. And as of this morning, the waste was still in the gutter, though the street cleaners come today at 11:30 a.m.
I used to live here and left in despair after the poopy landlords refused to fix a huge, smelly leak in our apartment (likely the precursor to the huge stink they created in November). The fact that the home is in foreclosure certainly played a part in their reluctance to handle any of the responsibilities that come with owning a home.
After agonizing weeks of them avoiding us and the problem, they actually entered our apartment when we were out of town and changed the locks. We moved out upon returning.
Their names are James Fulton and Larry Best. They deserve worse than a fine; they deserve to lose the house.
The Hasidim at it again?
The EPA guy didn’t say anything specific about the fine, just that it was in question because there wasn’t a clear connection from the startpoint to the sewer drain. He said he needed to find neighbors to testify they saw the dumping first-hand.
I know the woman living in 372 was especially angry. I don’t know if that meant she saw them do it.
The recent rain seems to have abated most of the mess. Or the smell, anyways. I didn’t check carefully enough this morning. While more authentic, a great Thanksgiving would have been better without the 19th century stink on the block.
I submitted a request via 311 to find out the range of fine for a non-accidental, (probably) first-time offense event. I was curious myself. I guessed it was at least 50 gallons.
Dr. Seuss, reading your comment above I have to wonder what your “on’…
Look the sewer line broke and filled the basement with sewage. By you the tenants complaining, wanting to take action and then upset (along with most of the homeowners on the block) when the landlords illegally dumped the waste…this by you constitutes tenants with a “beef” and escalating this inappropriately???
Seuss, you’re an ass.
Hey! Let’s name some names. The landlords have names and should be exposed to public ridicule. What are you afraid of? That they’ll dump more crap on your block?
You regularly see restaurants and contractors dumping waste water loaded with stuff down storm sewers and this is ILLEGAL. The building owners in the above case, I hope, really get nailed by the DEP. So disgusting. People don’t even realize that the storm sewer water is not treated. Plus, they chlorinated the whole mess making it even more toxic. Idiots!
Z said, “this is gross. but for a little bit of perspective, remember that 100 years ago, the streets were lined with piles of horse crap taller than your head. brownstones were built with stoops to rise above the poops!”
When is offal pick up on Adelphi anyway? I have a few animal corpses for the the rendering wagon.
Whenever being a homeowner gets me down, I can read a story like this and remember what it was like having a landlord. I recall the basement of “our” brownstone being filled with water, the whole house stinking, and having to beg the greedy fools (a yuppie-scum architect and his educator wife, who lived mere blocks away in the Slope) to have it pumped and cleared out; I recall screaming, “Hey, it may be our quality of life, but it’s your actual property you’re destroying here!” That seemed to faintly penetrate their thick skulls. My sympathies to the tenants, and props for their acting quickly and in concert.
dreamking, it sounds as though you live on the block — as do I. The smell was so horrendous, and I also noticed the street-dumpers sitting around very casually during the process telling passers-by what they were doing. As if they weren’t part of the problem!
I didn’t see the EPA, however. Do you know what, if anything, they will do besides levying a fine? How about clean-up? Is there anything more we can do to get some action on this?
This is one of the most beautiful blocks in Fort Greene, as you know. Well tended gardens, neighbors constanstly cleaning their stoops and the sidewalk, etc. It’s a real shame to see this happen here — or anywhere.