The residents of 172 N 8th Street in Williamsburg and landlord Jamal Alokasheh are scheduled to meet in court today, where the residents will ask that a judge appoint someone else to manage the building. They've accused Alokasheh of intentionally harming the building's foundation in an attempt to empty the rent-controlled apartments (some as low as $300 a month) so he can rent them for more. The tenants' lawyer told the Times, “He’s the only one who had access this entire time; therefore he’s the one who did this. He was the only one with the key. He’s openly made threats that he does not want them in the building." more ›

Residents of 172 N 8th Street in Williamsburg had to break through a padlock to get back into their building, even though they are legally allowed to be in there. The residents recently beat landlord Jamal Alokasheh in court, accusing him of trying to empty the rent-stabilized building so he can charge more in the trendy neighborhood. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] The dream of the Second Avenue subway line is turning into a nightmare for dozens of Upper East Side residents who must relocate to make way for ventilation shafts, stairwells and infrastructure for the $4.5 billion line, scheduled to open in 2017. (Coincidentally, that's the very same year a team of leprechauns and unicorns will finish transforming the East River into hot chocolate waterfalls.) Some 60 residences in the neighborhood must be vacated, and tenants—many of whom occupy rent-stabilized apartments far below market rates—say the relocation service hired by the MTA is not providing them with comparable options, as required by federal eminent domain laws. more ›