Last night the tenant/shareholders of the Harry Silver Housing Complex convened for the first meeting of the re-awoken Co-op Association! As you can see the meeting took place outside, in the complex’s courtyard, and not in the complex’s 300-person community room.
We applied to use the community room, per co-op guidelines and were promptly rejected (see slide 5). The community room is just one of the amenities of the complex that have been locked away from the residents. A beautiful playground–built by residents!– is now nearly-permanently locked. The walkway through the six buildings used to be dotted with benches, on which shareholder-tenants would sit and convene. These benches were removed and now people are given fines for ‘loitering.’
The gym has been inaccessible for five years now. On top of this management and the board conduct ceaseless surveillance and harassment. Their lawyer has already sent us (BED!) a baseless and retaliatory cease and desist letter in regards to our organizing effort.
This organized abandonment is the result of a corrupt board of directors, who no longer hold shareholder meetings and consistently rig elections. The people are fed up and are reclaiming their community.