CHRONOLOGY:
Note that parenthesis ("(#)") indicate events to which I was not present; brackets ("[#]") indicate events at which I was present.
(1) A person was sent by HPD to take a look at the leak in the bathroom ceiling. We'll call him "Mr. A" as I don't know his name.
(2) Mr. A attempts to enter the building by asking the superintendent, "Mr. B", to let him in.
(3) Mr. B ejects Mr. A from the building, despite the seemingly-obvious fact that Mr. A is on official HPD business.
[4] Mr. A contacts me directly and asks me to let him into the building. I concede.
[5] I go downstairs to open up the door of the building for Mr. A and escort him up the flight of stairs and to my apartment (as is my custom).
[6] As Mr. A and I head from the building's entrance to the stairwell through the lobby, I spot the backside Mr. B entering into apartment 3. This is the first time that I have seen Mr. B with my own two eyes since February 2008. I assume that Mr. B is likely conducting repairs to a ground-level apartment, or more likely renovating a vacant apartment, or most likely confronting the tenant(s) with his trademark charm and diplomatic touch. (That was sarcasm, in case you weren't aware.)
[7] Not wanting a confrontation of my own, I discretely head for the stairs and lead Mr. A up the stairs.
Note well that I do not yet know about the previous altercation between Mr. A and Mr. B. Also note that I do not yet know that Mr. B had ejected Mr. A from the building. Finally, note well that although I could see Mr. B the whole time, Mr. B could not see me - he would have had to turn around 180° to see me, and I did not see him move at all.
[8] Mr. A and I enter the apartment and and close the apartment door behind us.
By now I am bracing for a confrontation with Mr. B. The last time HPD inspected the apartment, Mr. B banged on my door, raised all sorts of cain, blamed me for all the problems in the apartment, and effectively asserted his "authority" by bullying me.
(9) Mr. B decides to comes up the stairs to my apartment.
I just want to underscore that point: Mr. B made the decision; the decision was not made for him.
[10] Now in the bathroom and with the apartment door closed, Mr. A informs me of the altercation he had with Mr. B.
Before I can say "I'm not surprised - every thing in need of repair reflects poorly on him", Mr. B starts pounding on my apartment door.
[11] Mr. A says "That will probably be him." I say "I hope you don't mind, but I have to start recording."
This is where the video begins.
COMMENTS:
— Indeed I am late for work - I woke up less than five minutes before point 4. In fact, I was still stunned when I arrived at work an hour later.
— I was not expecting HPD to show up, nor had I filed any complaint recently enough to warrant an HPD inspection.
— I do not know if the person sent by HPD came to see the repairs needed in my apartment only, or if he came to see other repairs needed in other tenants' apartments.
— Note how superintendent goes from making demands that HPD leave and that repairs will being immediately, to "I want to be good neighbors". This is how the superintendent has treated me in every one of our (mercifully) few encounters.
— My remark that the superintendent "can not" begin making repairs "by law" without "prior advance notice" is 100% correct: see «http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/tenants/faqs-for-tenants.shtml#tr1» and «http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/faq/quality.html#force».
— My remark that I "will call the police" is genuine and dead serious: I am being harassed by my superintendent; the superintendent is obstructing HPD from conducting official business; the person sent on official HPD business is being harassed; and the superintendent is interfering with the "privacy, comfort, or quiet enjoyment" clause of DHCR fact sheet 14 «http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/dhcr/dhcr17.html» by acting bombastic, belligirent, and, quite frankly, crazy.
— Note that the superintendent refers to the bedroom steam riser, the radiator, and other issues that are completely irrelevant to this visit from HPD. This indicates that he is demanding to repair everything immediately while simultaneously indicating that he doesn't know what needs to be repaired in the first place.
— NOTE DAMN FUCKING WELL that the superintendent HAS been informed of this particular needed repair as far back as 2008 - see «http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UeFfM_JX8o» (2008-02-19 15:15), «http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK7BgaBJR9E» (2008-02-19 15:30), «http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j8KyjBQKPg» (2008-02-21), and «http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsIRzPh60Xc» (2008-02-24).
— Finally, I mean it when I compliment his beard - it really does look good on him. It reminds me of, but lacks the grooming of, George Clooney's character in "Syriana" (2005).
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2011-11-11 08:44:42by NeoAmsterdam9 views
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