Alphabet City tenants marched outside the Second Avenue Deli on Friday to protest its owner and their former landlord Jack Lebewohl, who has locked them out of their old apartment without a proper opportunity to retrieve belongings for over six months.
The tenants in the building at 642 E. 14th St. were abruptly displaced on Nov. 28 by an emergency vacate order after construction next door damaged their building. Since then, the tenants have had to move or depend on the city or friends for shelter, and incurred expenses buying clothes, furniture and other daily necessities without access to their belongings.
“[We] are asking the Lebewohls to do what is decent and just. We have effectively lost our possessions, our homes and our affordable rent. We demand that these be restored to us each and all,” said tenant Michael Hawley.
The Department of Buildings issued a vacate order for the 30 tenants in the building after heavy cracks appeared in the structure — a result of construction on a tower project next door. Within hours, the tenants were forced to grab what they could carry and leave the building.
Cooper Square Committee, a housing advocacy group, connected with the tenants to help them advocate to get back their belongings. The tenants have launched a legal case, and during the initial proceedings, the landlords gave them one hour of access to their apartments, but they say the duration was completely inadequate and given with too little notice.
Over a month ago, a Manhattan Housing Court judge rescinded the full vacate order to allow tenants three more days of access to retrieve large items and furniture, while being escorted by the landlord’s engineer. Since then, Lebewohl has not abided by the ruling or responded to the tenants attempts at coordinating the access, they said. He did not return a request for comment in time for publication.
“Lebewohl stop being AWOL. Listen to your tenants,” the group chanted as it marched in front of the historic Manhattan deli that Lebewohl is widely known for operating.
With radio silence from their landlord, the displaced tenants are wondering if they will ever be able to retrieve more personal belongings, and if they should give up hope on ever being able to return to the building.
Mohammed Dawod, both a tenant and former employee at 2nd Avenue Deli, had to move with his wife and four young kids to a shelter where they’ve been living ever since being forced out of their apartment.
“The school situation is too far for my kids. I’m not comfortable. My family is not comfortable,” he said.
Dawod and the other tenants at the rally want Lebewohl to abide by the court order to let them access their belongings as soon as possible. In the meantime, they will continue to fight a court battle with the goal of forcing Lebewohl to repair the building — a process that his lawyers have claimed is economically infeasible.
“We’re saying prove it,” said Alex Matak, housing attorney TakeRoot Justice.
