John,

Slumlords should not be in charge of housing policy. Just days after a
deadly fire ripped through a crowded Philadelphia home, New York City was
hit with its deadliest fire in three decades.^1,2 On January 9th, a faulty
space heater sparked a fire that raged through an affordable housing
complex in the West Bronx, killing 17 people, including 8 children, and
injuring over 60 people.^3,4 The apartment complex was home to a large
community of Black and Brown New Yorkers, including West African migrants,
many of whom were victims of the fire. And the owner of the building?
Hot-shot developer Rick Gropper, who sits on New York City Mayor Eric
Adams’ transition team for housing issues.

[ [link removed] ]TELL MAYOR ADAMS TO KEEP SLUMLORDS OFF HIS HOUSING TRANSITION TEAM

This fire was preventable. New York City law states that landlords must
maintain their rental properties at safe and healthy temperatures.^5 For
months before this tragedy, tenants submitted complaints regarding a lack
of heat inside the building and a door that did not close properly.^6 The
complaints were ignored. Had Gropper addressed these maintenance issues
according to New York City law, the malfunctioning space heater would not
have been necessary, and the self-closing door would have worked to
prevent the spread of the fire. Most importantly, these people would still
be alive and unharmed.^7 Gropper’s inaction, which caused the worst NYC
fire in three decades, proves that he is unfit to act as a public official
on housing issues.

[ [link removed] ]DEMAND THAT GROPPER BE REMOVED FROM THE MAYOR'S TRANSITION TEAM

Black people deserve affordable and safe housing. Black people make up
almost half of the Bronx’s population, and the Bronx has an average
poverty rate of 30% and the highest population of Black people compared to
the other four NYC boroughs.^8,9 Racist policies and tactics—such as
redlining and blockbusting—have made New York City one of the most
segregated cities in the United States, with poverty concentrated in
predominantly Black communities.^10,11 Affordable housing is a necessity
for the working families of New York City and is essential to economic
mobility for Black families. Affordable housing should not mean cutting
corners and forgoing safety measures just to save slumlords a few
dollars. 

As made clear in Philadelphia and the Bronx, the government has failed to
provide safe housing for us all, leading to residential fires killing
Black people at more than twice the rate of white people between 1999 and
2019.^12 We need strict enforcement of necessary safety measures such as
fire escapes, up-to-code sprinkler systems, and operational self-closing
doors for residential single-family, duplex, and apartment buildings.
Gropper broke the law and his promises to his tenants, resulting in their
deaths. He should not be a leading voice for housing issues on Mayor
Adams’ transition team, and we demand his immediate removal.

[ [link removed] ]TELL MAYOR ADAMS TO KEEP LANDLORDS OFF HIS HOUSING TRANSITION TEAM

Until justice is real,

— Jade Magnus Ogunnaike

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References

 1. David Porter, Bobby Caina Calvan, and Michelle L. Price, “Bronx
apartment fire kills 19, including 9 children,” AP News, January 10,
2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

 2. Sophie Kasakove, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Frances Robles and Campbell
Robertson, “18 People, a Deadly Fire: For Some, Crowded Housing Is Not
a Choice,” NY Times, January 8, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

 3. “Bronx Fire: May Revises Number Killed to 17, Including 8 Children,”
The New York Times, January 11, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

 4. Erin Durkin, “Adams: NYC probing door malfunction in Bronx fire that
left at least 19 dead,” Politico, January 10, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

 5. “NYC Heat Law; Know Your Rights,” JustFix.nyc, November 15, 2021,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

 6. Caleb Melby, Natalie Wong, and Fola Akinnibi, “NYC Tenants Complained
of Lack of Heat Ahead of Deadly Fire,” Bloomberg, January 10, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

 7. Jeffrey C. Mays, Ali Watkins, and Michael Gold, “Mayor says a door in
the Bronx high-rise may have malfunctioned and revises the number
killed to 17,” The New York Times, January 11, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

 8. “QuickFacts: Bronx County, New York,” United States Census Bureau,
Accessed on January 11, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

 9. “The Bronx,” Bronx Impact, [ [link removed] ][link removed] 

10. “Most to Least Segregated Cities,” Othering & Belonging Institute,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]  

11. Emily Badger, “How Redlining’s Racist Effects Lasted for Decades,” The
New York Times, August 24, 2017,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 

12. Jessie Singer, “Opinion: Don’t call the deadly Bronx apartment fire an
accident. It’s a failure of government.” The Washington Post, January
11, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]


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