The beleaguered but emboldened residents of 85 Strong St. gathered in the lobby of their apartment building on Sunday afternoon to demand action from their aloof landlord. It felt like a high school play. Some glanced at scripts, while others held up props. Everyone took their places. Lights. News 12 cameras. Action.

It was opening day for these Kingsbridge-area tenants who say they are finally fighting back after enduring more than two decades of neglect and unresponsiveness from their landlord, Martin Hyman. Organizers and other activists who helped orchestrate the rally say 85 Strong residents are not alone. This type of treatment is happening to tenants in buildings throughout the borough.

“It’s a systematic problem in the Bronx,” said Sergio Cuevas, who became active in the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition when his own building, 2785 Sedgwick Ave., one of the infamous Milbank buildings, began to rapidly deteriorate from neglect. (The Milbank buildings were sold to a landlord who agreed to make repairs with city oversight. Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn both recently attended an announcement of what they considered a historic agreement.)

The Coalition, which was established in 1974 to combat rampant housing neglect, never stopped organizing tenants, but its success in getting citywide attention for its Milbank work appears to signal a renewed focus on housing work. The Coalition’s lead housing organizer, Gabe Pendas, said the group is now working in 117 Bronx buildings.

“They’re empowering us to go forward,” said Cuevas, who was so fired up at the 85 Strong rally that he flubbed a couple of his chants.
In the cast of 85 Strong St., Josie Rodriguez is the main character. A 27-year resident of the building, Rodriguez said Hyman wants old tenants in the rent-stabilized building out, so he can hike up rents. He encourages them to leave, she said, by simply doing nothing when tenants complain about leaks or rats or wheelchair access or mold or cockroaches.

“He doesn’t really do anything,” Rodriguez said. “And when he does, it’s quick patch-up jobs by unlicensed workers.”

Hyman did not respond to calls for this article. At the rally, Rodriguez acted as emcee, taking the microphone in front of a giant homemade sign reading “MARTIN HYMAN SHAME ON YOU!”  One by one, she introduced tenants who had experienced various hardships.

Maria Almonte spoke about being in the shower and having cockroaches crawl up her body and held up receipts for repairs she paid for with her own money.
“We are citizens and we deserve respect,” she said in Spanish, directing her words toward Hyman. “I am not afraid of you!”

Yenny Valenzuela, a mother of three, said there is mold all over her apartment, her ceiling is falling apart and most of her electric outlets don’t work. “We are not animals,” she said. “We are humans.”

Leaders from “Faith and Action” committees at local churches, Fordham Manor and Our Lady of Angels, came to voice their support as well.

“A lot of landlords are doing these tactics, hoping that the tenants won’t organize or speak up about it,” said Anna Gilda Dominguez, a Coalition member, in Spanish. “But we are not alone.”

A year ago, Rodriguez said she tried to organize tenants on her own, but when Hyman found out, he took her to court and she backed down. But now, with the help of the Coalition, local churches and an animated group of fellow tenants, she says she’s once again spoiling for a fight.

“Now I’m ready to take him on,” she said.