Jared Kushner’s family firm accused of pushing out tenants

I was debating whether to even post this yesterday or today, it's already been a bad and divisive week, Pence family was already 'attacked' by the journalists, Helsinki went very poorly, Russian interference with the 12 agents -- I didn't feel like writing about more corruption from the White House families. However, we don't create the news, none of us do, and we should share all news with each other. Those who are engaging in corruption control the flow of news, we all just need to be aware.

With that said, Jared Kushner and his family are getting sued for $10 million for unsavory and illegal practices -- pushing tenants out of a rent-stabilized building by increasing rent by as much as $500 per month, entering apartments at will, doing heavy construction and remodeling until people started breaking down about it, using fans to blow carcinogenic dust into people's apartments through vents and under the doors, rats, and so on.

The hammering and drilling began just months after Jared Kushner’s family real estate firm bought a converted warehouse apartment building in the hip, Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Tenants say it started early in the morning and went on until nightfall, so loud that it drowned out normal conversation, so violent it rattled pictures off the walls. So much dust wafted through ducts and under doorways that it coated beds and clothes in closets. Rats crawled through holes in the walls. Workers with passkeys barged in unannounced. Residents who begged for relief got a standard reply, “We have permits.”

More than a dozen current and former residents of the building told The Associated Press that they believe the Kushner Cos.′ relentless construction, along with rent hikes of $500 a month or more, was part of a campaign to push tenants out of rent-stabilized apartments and bring high-paying condo buyers in.

If so, it was a remarkably successful campaign. An AP investigation found that over the past three years, more than 250 rent-stabilized apartments — 75 percent of the building — were either emptied or sold as the Kushner Cos. was converting the building to luxury condos. Those sales so far have totaled more than $155 million, an average of $1.2 million per apartment.

20 tenants have gotten together and have filed a $10m lawsuit on Sunday.

The Kushner Cos. told the AP that it didn’t harass any tenants to get them out. But the data suggest turnover at the building known as the Austin Nichols House was significantly higher than city averages for coveted rent-stabilized buildings, leaving behind a trail of anger, disrupted lives and a $10 million lawsuit filed late Sunday in which 20 tenants say they were harassed and exposed to high levels of cancer-causing dust.

“We’ve looked into hundreds of rent-stabilized buildings and this is one of the worst we’ve ever seen,” says Aaron Carr, head of tenant watchdog Housing Rights Initiative, whose investigation led to the lawsuit. “The scale and speed of tenants leaving, the conditions to which they were exposed, provides a window into the Kushner Cos.′ predatory business model.”

Dust samples taken from nine apartments in May by consultants Olmsted Environmental Services turned up dangerously high levels of lead and crystalline silica. Breathing in tiny silica particles has been linked to lung cancer, liver disease and an incurable swelling of the lungs.

The $10 million lawsuit alleges Kushner Cos. and its partners attempted to push tenants out by creating unlivable conditions with construction noise and dust in violation of state and city rules and laws. It also alleges the Kushners, by failing to take proper precautions, exposed residents to a “cloud of toxic smoke and dust.”

Associated Press

An allegation is an allegation, we'll have to see what comes out of this, but there is enough proof so far with the dust testing done and the records from the city that something nefarious was going on. I don't know enough about the Kushner family to be surprised or not, but this news certainly won't do any favors for the First family and their image.

originally posted by: Kharron

Helsinki went very poorly

Stopped reading there.

must be the next DNC e-mail

originally posted by: vinifalou

originally posted by: Kharron

Helsinki went very poorly

Stopped reading there.

Of course you did.

Stop reading after $10 million lawsuit.

All about the Benjamins people.

Civil litigation.

YAWN.

a reply to: Kharron

I am pretty sure that an owner of a building can do anything with it that they want within the law.

a reply to: Kharron

If we had only voted for Hillary.

I have such deep regrets now.

😂

converted warehouse apartment building

Converted Warehouse!

a reply to: Kharron

Workers with passkeys barged in unannounced. Residents who begged for relief got a standard reply, “We have permits.”

That's all you need to know.

originally posted by: toysforadults
must be the next DNC e-mail

Associated Press is the DNC now?

Wow, wanna post any proof of that or are you just baiting as usual with nothing of substance to add?

From the replies so far, I can deduce no one had read the article in full to get the context of the corruption and sleaziness. Some got caught on a phrase early on and just gave up.

If you find nothing of value in knowing who these people are and how they treat other people, for sheer profit, please move on -- I don't think I can explain that to you and you'll just end up derailing the thread. Much obliged.

a reply to: Kharron

no one cares because it's been a nonstop onslaught of trash from Democrat's and Liberals for over 2 years now

surprise he wasn't called racist

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: Kharron

no one cares because it's been a nonstop onslaught of trash from Democrat's and Liberals for over 2 years now

surprise he wasn't called racist

Why would he be? It had nothing to do with race, only money.

I don't blame you for wanting to ignore this. Like I said in the opening, I feel Trump supporters already feel the pressure, it's been a bad week.

At the same time ignoring it won't help anyone. It makes us liable to make the same mistakes.

His family was wealthy before, they will be during and they will be after the presidency of DJT. It will be a long 8 years but it is not like other POTUS's who suddenly were allowing their friends their fair share. The guy is doing what his family did before his dad was busted. So what. It is business.

I am surprised 'gentrification' is not in the OP...

originally posted by: Kharron
From the replies so far, I can deduce no one had read the article in full to get the context of the corruption and sleaziness. Some got caught on a phrase early on and just gave up.

If you find nothing of value in knowing who these people are and how they treat other people, for sheer profit, please move on -- I don't think I can explain that to you and you'll just end up derailing the thread. Much obliged.

They do not care because they're more concerned with defending or dismissing the actions of their "side", instead of hearing the accusations, seeing the evidence and be willing to hold them accountable for their actions.

I've learned very quickly that we are dealing with many members that lack integrity, honesty and humility.

But it is important to remember that the members on ATS are not indicative of the whole. The majority of people in real life are fairly reasonable and would be ashamed to say some of the things people say on here.

[snipped]

a reply to: Kharron

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say I think this story is BS..

I don’t doubt it is kinda true, but I would be SHOCKED if it was as it is being sold..

Take the “carcinogens through the vents” claim..

That doesn’t sound intentional to me..

Did carcinogenic dust come through the vents??


Likely.. there was construction going on..

Was it an intentional attack to make them move??


I doubt it..


This just has “trumped up” written al over it.


Lol has “trumped up” meaning overblown ever had a more relevant meaning than today??

I doubt it.

a reply to: Kharron

been a bad week

for who?

a reply to: vinifalou

Lol well it did..