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On Sept. 29th, over a hundred New York state tenants and community members gathered at the site proposed for the construction of the aquarium. Onondaga County legislators voted to spend $85 million for the aquarium plan last month. Protestors called for the county and the state to listen to the voices of the people and fund human needs first.

With a third of Syracuse residents, including 44% of the city’s children, living below the poverty line and the continuing impacts of the pandemic, Syracuse is facing a housing crisis. Residents in the most impacted neighborhoods face eviction as landlords respond to code violations and tenants complaints, with eviction threats and proceedings. With more than half of all Syracuse households living in rental units, the eviction crisis and the poor housing conditions define the city.

“Instead of luxury apartments and aquariums, our politicians should be funding our needs,” said Palmer Harvey, Co-founder of the Syracuse Tenants Union.

Community organizations rallied to address misplaced county and state legislatures’ priorities, exemplified by County Executive Ryan McMahon spending crucial COVID-19 relief funds on an aquarium. Protestors called out politicians who prioritize the real estate industry’s desires over their own constituents.

For example, in 2018, Syracuse’s COR Development executives Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi were found guilty of rigging bids to obtain state-funded contracts that totaled more than $850 million. In 2019, the Bankers Healthcare Group was meant to build a five-story corporate headquarters, with “a commercial kitchen, gym and parking for 500 cars” and promised to create new jobs. However, the company decided to not build, leaving a $35 million project that included state funding and tax credits on the market for $5.75 million. In 2020, Syracuse approved and provided grants to Equitable Financial Life Insurance Co. to build a $74 million office building at the Inner Harbor.

Tenants from New York City to Rochester joined the Syracuse community in raising awareness and accountability to these politicians. Organizations in attendance included Syracuse Tenants Organizing for Power! (STOP!) Coalition, Families for Lead Freedom Now, Syracuse Tenants Union, Unchained, Syracuse Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Syracuse Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the statewide coalition Housing Justice for All.

“We will not stand for backroom dealings. We need real democracy,” said Tara Sandlin, a member of Syracuse PSL.

“McMahon promised that things would be different under him, that he would listen to employees and end nepotism. But those promises have all been broken. County resources have been wasted because he wasn’t listening,” said Tammy Honeywell, a former employee and union member of Onondaga County as well as co-chair of Syracuse DSA.

Legislators and politicians need to focus on these key areas. Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director

Protestors called on politicians to stop doling out giveaways to the developers donating to their campaigns. Instead, state-level elections must support permanent rental assistance — the Housing Access Voucher Program — and Good Cause Eviction protections. Protestors demanded that county-level elected politicians support public housing investments, expand and fully fund lead poisoning interventions, end the County’s practice of union busting, increase government transparency and increase support for the formerly incarcerated.

“New York is for the people, not for real estate. Tenants and homeless leaders from across the state stand in solidarity with the people of Syracuse. We must end real estate corruption at all levels of government. It’s time that New York electeds put the people first,” said Althea Matthews, a VOCAL-NY leader in New York City who has struggled with homelessness.

Landlords and property managers often get away with building code violations such as lead paint, broken windows, under-insulated apartments, electrical systems that are not up to code and much more.

Syracuse University students have a share in this struggle and must not be silent — these issues aren’t for the Syracuse community only. The issues affect students that are living outside of university provided living spaces. Students need to see what’s going on in their community and step outside beyond the campus walls. We invite SU to the table with us to write letters to county and state legislatures and connect with neighbors about our rights as tenants.

We can’t let this happen to our community, so let’s organize together, as neighbors, to address this at the local and state level. Poor housing conditions, lead exposure and evictions affect us all, in the university area, city wide and beyond.

By the Syracuse Tenants Organizing for Power! Coalition

Published on October 3, 2022 at 11:51 pm