Dozens of protestors rallied in front of Queens Housing Court in Jamaica on Thursday, April 10th, calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul and Queens elected officials to pass crucial statewide tenant-rights legislation.
The protest brought supporters of all backgrounds, including tenant organizers, union members, and nonprofit organizations, who demanded that Gov. Hochul, Assembly Member Vivian Cook, and Assembly Member Rajkumar support and pass the Clean Hands Act and Statewide Right to Counsel.
Attendees included members of Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA), Chhaya, Crown Heights Tenant Union (CHTU), Catholic Migration Services (CMS), Flatbush Tenant Coalition (FTC), Housing Organizers for People Empowerment (HOPE), Queens Tenant Coalition (QTC), United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2320, Woodside On The Move (WOTM), other Right to Counsel Coalition member organizations, and NYS legislators.
Statewide Right To Counsel (A4669/S6772) would establish the right to a free attorney for all New Yorkers facing displacement, including eviction proceedings, illegal lockouts, and repair cases. It would mandate that courts adjourn cases until tenants can secure an attorney.
Clean Hands (A1621/S4098) would prohibit landlords from suing a tenant for eviction if there are open violations in the tenant’s apartment or common areas.
During the rally, many tenants, advocates, and tenant organizers emphasized how passing the Statewide Right to Council Act and Clean Hands Act would support vulnerable tenants who do not have the right to representation in court.
Lauren Springer, tenant leader with Catholic Migration Services, explained that over 82,000 tenants across New York City have faced the “trauma” of housing court and eviction without the right to counsel. In facing these court cases without counsel, Springer said that tenants are often evicted and eventually become homeless. “We have community members who are forced out of their homes and are now living in shelters and on subways,” Springer said.
Springer added that while facing evictions and disrepair in their buildings, tenants are simultaneously dealing with a housing crisis. According to Springer, from November 2023 to October 2024, New York City’s worst landlords accumulated over 50,000 Housing Preservation and Development Violations (HPD). “This is a nearly 30% increase from the year before. Landlords are failing to repair broken radiators, leaks, and mold to force tenants out of buildings in communities they’ve once called home,” Springer added.
Springer called on Governor Hochul and the New York State legislature members to end the crisis by passing the proposed bills. “Governor Hochul, you call yourself an ally of working-class New Yorkers. Show that you truly stand with them by supporting our legislation,” she said. “And to the Queens legislators who haven’t supported our legislation yet, including Assembly Member Vivian Cook and Assembly Member Rajkumar, now is the time to get on board.”
Springer added that the passage of the two bills extends beyond legal representation, as it is directly tied to the cost-of-living crisis. Additionally, she said the bills can be used in the coalition’s fight against the Trump Administration’s controversial policies against immigrants and Elon Musk’s DOGE federal budget cuts, which have directly affected the HUD workforce.
Springer said that having available legal representation for tenants has a direct effect on keeping working-class families in their homes and mitigating the violence tied to housing instability.
Through English and Spanish translations, tenant leaders shared their varying experiences.
Jessie Nagin, a tenant leader from Catholic Migration Services and a member of UAW Local 20325, shared his experience. Nagin, a Sunnyside resident for the past 15 years, testified on forming a tenant association within his apartment complex.
Following the group’s formation, over 200 complaints were filed against Nagen’s landlord due to the extent of repairs the building management company ignored. “These issues range from leaking ceilings allowing mold to grow to a broken elevator that prevented our elderly neighbors from leaving the building,” Nagin said. “Our basic rights are being ignored; neighbors went without heat and hot water for days on end during the middle of winter, where temperatures dropped below zero.”
According to Nagin, between July 2023 and June 2024, there were over 900,000 HPD violations throughout New York City, with the most serious violations, such as rodents and lack of heat and hot water, increasing within the last year. “In this economy, where people are barely able to afford groceries, it is unacceptable that tenants have to pay for repairs, which should be the responsibility of the landlords,” Nagin added.
Nagin said that due to the current political climate, immigrant tenants are scared to report housing conditions for fear of retaliation from landlords. “I even talked to one tenant who said their landlord threatened to call ICE on them after they reported their lack of hot water,” he said. Despite the negligence towards repairs, Nagin said that landlords still have the right to evict tenants. “Something must be done to hold landlords accountable and complete these necessary repairs,” he said.
During the event, organizers handed out postcards addressed to Hochul, Cook, and Rajkumar as a practical way for the representatives to hear from rallyers directly. In a symbolic gesture to the lawmakers, tenants “served” Governor Hochul with an eviction notice posted on the Queens Civil Court entrance.
