Housing protest
Jumaane, 12 others, busted in fight vs. landlords
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams was one of more than a dozen people arrested Thursday afternoon during a protest outside the Midtown offices of the Real Estate Board of New York amid a last-minute push by Albany lawmakers to secure a housing deal.
Williams’ office released a statement saying he and others were “engaging in civil disobedience” by blocking the entrance to the powerful real estate group’s headquarters to protest REBNY’s “campaign to protect bad landlords and prevent tenant protections from being enacted statewide.”
About 200 tenants and advocates were present and 13 were arrested, according to Housing Justice for All (HJ4A), one of the groups involved.
Speaking to the Daily News after his release from Manhattan’s 7th Precinct stationhouse, Williams said he was given an order to appear in court in late April on a charge of obstructing pedestrian traffic. He said he was processed by the NYPD without any issues.
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve done this,” the progressive politician said of getting arrested during a protest. “The last time, it was also about housing, back in 2019.”
At the time, Williams and other advocates were pushing then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo to enact certain rent increase restrictions — a demand the governor eventually acquiesced to.
Williams said the fact that advocates are still having to stage housing-related protests is a bad sign, but voiced hope the state Legislature will push through a budget this year that includes Good Cause Eviction, which he sees as the top priority this cycle.
“We cannot go home for the year without getting that through. We cannot afford that,” he said.
Addressing the decision to host the protest outside REBNY, Williams said the industry group should be shamed for its heavy spending on opposing Good Cause.
“Real estate in general has been at the center of the problem when it comes to the housing crisis,” he said. “We need new housing, but the best way to preserve what we have right now is Good Cause.”
Williams has been arrested several times in the past for acts of civil disobedience over issues including housing and immigration.
The other arrestees have also been released, an HJ4A rep told The News.
Pressure has grown on legislators in Albany to pass a stalled housing deal as part of the larger state budget, which was originally due on April 1.
Housing issues have become a major sticking point in the budget talks.
Topics that are being hotly debated include whether to tuck a new construction tax break championed by the real estate industry into the budget and whether to adopt Good Cause, a measure backed by many tenant groups that would usher in various new protections against rent hikes and evictions.
“Real estate has spent millions of dollars they’ve made off of renters’ backs to block tenant protections — all so they can keep getting rich off of rent gouging vulnerable families,” said Cea Weaver, HJ4A’s coalition director. “It’s time to hold the real estate industry accountable for its role in the housing emergency that grips our state. New York’s leaders must stand with working families over real estate and protect tenants in this year’s budget.”
Labor leaders have accused REBNY of negotiating in bad faith when it comes to a wage deal and other issues on the table, a charge the group has rejected.
“The right to express views on important public policy matters is a bedrock of democracy,” REBNY President James Whelan said in a statement following the Thursday arrests. “We remain focused on advancing policies that meaningfully address the housing crisis New Yorkers face every day.”
Dorca Reynoso is a board member of the Met Council on Housing and was one of those arrested at Thursday’s protest.
“We need to make sure that REBNY understands that they’re not the only ones with power,” she told The News. “They have the money, but we are willing to stand up to them and make sure that the governor and the Legislature hear our voices.”
Budget negotiations in Albany are ongoing.