Tenants at 128 Hester Street in Chinatown were evacuated yesterday, because the Department of Buildings found the tenement unsafe—and ordered that the five-story building be demolished. And the tenants are fuming, because they say that their complaints about the building's problems have gone ignored: Besides the vacate order, there are 32 complaints to the DOB, including ones from months ago (April, February), indicating that neighboring construction created cracks in the walls of 128 Hester. City Councilman Alan Gerson's says the DOB ignored tenants' complaints. more ›

Yesterday, the Post reported that a Second Avenue building—right near where the MTA is working on Second Avenue subway construction—was vacated by the Department of Buidlings. Residents and business owners were annoyed, with one saying, "They came today at 2 p.m. and said you have to get out. The building could collapse at any minute." Now it turns out that the building, 1768 2nd Avenue was leaning by 18 inches: According to the DOB, the specific issue is a "FAIL TO MAINTAIN BLDG EXTERIOR BLDG LEANING TO NORTH BY 18' OUT OF PLUMB." While residents and business owners blame the subway construction, today the Post says that an MTA consultant sent a memo to the DOB, back in 2006, "about the poor conditions of the buildings on the block," but the memo was ignored. more ›