landlord

Last semester, the crisis unleashed by the pandemic underscored how Columbia not only serves the role of educational institution and employer for its students and workers but also functions as a landlord for over 10,000 Columbia affiliates—with all of the forms of power over students’ and employees’ lives that this status implies. Columbia frames its position within the New York real estate market as beneficial for the project of higher education, but in reality, it has subjected students and faculty to a particularly brutal form of landlordism while having extremely destructive consequences for the working-class communities that surround the University. Now more than ever, Columbia’s role as a landlord-University must be challenged through an interconnected fight for housing justice, one that would unite both student-tenants and community members behind a vision of accessible and affordable housing for students, workers, and longstanding residents alike.

Columbia needs to address the housing affordability crisis facing Morningside Heights and West Harlem, and it has the ability to do so. In May 2016, a group of neighborhood activists founded the Morningside Heights Community Coalition in response to the uncontrolled development of luxury housing. We have held well-attended workshops and conducted surveys of residents that have confirmed the desperate need of our neighbors for retaining and expanding affordable housing. Our September 2020 survey revealed that affordable housing is one of the top concerns of our community members.

A couple weeks ago, David Hanzal had a bout of déjà vu. Someone came into People Against Landlord Abuse and Tenant Exploitation, the West Harlem nonprofit better known as P.A.’L.A.N.T.E., asking for advice—someone like Hanzal, four years ago. “He walks in, he says, ‘I’ve organized my building, I’ve done 311, I don’t know what to do, the landlord’s doing this.’” The client lives right near Columbia’s 17-acre Manhattanville expansion, in the neighborhood of the same name. “He's got a long road ahead of him. You know, he’s where I was in 2014.”

We've gotten some vague news about a shady business deal in Morningside Heights that's been happening right under our noses. Luis Nunez, the property manager of MoHi buildings that house Columbia students and other tenants, admitted to stealing $879,000 in rent money that he used to buy furniture, jewelry, cars, school tuition, and appliances. The Daily News suggests that the buildings in question are: 45 Tiemann Pl., 184-188 Claremont Ave., and 3139 Broadway. More info available from the NY District Attorney's office. We'll post more as we learn more.