Tenants in five East Harlem buildings won half a million dollars in back rent and repairs, in a settlement with their landlord over poor housing conditions. They now hope other tenants across the city can learn from their organizing.

NEW YORK – Caroline Schettler, 28, in her apartment in East Harlem, where she said previous ownership was known for “slapping a Band-Aid over something that needs stitches—or needs surgery,” when it came to repairs. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Tenants in five East Harlem buildings won half a million dollars in back rent and repairs, in a settlement finalized this week with their landlord over poor housing conditions. 

It’s a victory for tenants organizing in New York City, where Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has pledged to “crack down” on bad landlords.

“This settlement shows the power of tenants who stand together and demand change,” said Matt Latterner, staff attorney at Manhattan Legal Services. “These tenants drove one of the worst slumlords in the city from their buildings and won’t stop fighting until they get the repairs they need.”

The building’s most recent owner, Isaac Kassirer, was number 72 on the list of the city’s worst landlords in 2023. His firm, Emerald Equities, and its portfolio of rent-stabilized homes has been struggling for years, after the firm’s plan to deregulate the apartments came to a screeching halt after 2019, when new state laws made taking units out of rent stabilization much more difficult.

The buildings have been sliding into disrepair since.

“There’s so many code violations that it’s unfixable. And you know what it is, the landlord wasn’t paying the mortgage to the bank all these years. They were just taking our money, and I don’t know what they were doing [with it],” said Abir, a tenant in the building who asked to be identified only by his first name.

Emerald Equities did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

The settlement win comes after a 16-month rent strike where tenants withheld payments and demanded the landlord make repairs. They now hope that their building will finally get the attention it deserves, and that other tenants across the city can learn from their organizing.

“You should stick it to the man if you feel like you are being cheated, and if you feel like you’re living in unsanitary conditions, call 311,” said Caroline Schettler, a 28-year-old tenant in the building who works nights on Broadway shows.

Organizing around bad building conditions

Black mold. Locked fire exits. Broken front doors. Leaks. No hot water. No heat. No electricity. Roach infestations. Stolen security deposits.

Those were just a few of the problems cited over the past six years by the city’s housing department and a lawsuit from Manhattan Legal Services.

“This building has been okay at slapping a Band-Aid over something that needs stitches—or needs surgery,” said Schettler.

The set of five buildings has 523 open housing code violations for 142 units—more than four violations per unit. The dysfunction took a toll on tenants, who told City Limits the repair issues caused them health problems, stress, and even risked their livelihoods.

Abir said that his bathroom roof leaked for months without remedy, and developed mold that affected his family’s health and made them miss work. “At one point we were even about to lose our jobs, because we would stay up all night cleaning out the water,” said Abir. “We would go to our work as zombies.”

“I was always thinking about my apartment when I was at work. I was always scared to go back home. I was always scared that I might get more sick because of this situation that I’m living in. So that emotional stress, I cannot even explain it,” he added.

Schettler said that some days she would have to shower at work or at the local Planet Fitness because of the lack of hot water.

The set of five buildings has 523 open housing code violations for 142 units, more than four violations per unit. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Residents banded together and worked with a local organizing group, Community Voices Heard. They began meeting regularly, laying out demands, documenting all the problems with the building and calling the city’s 311 line. They sued in May 2024.

“To hear stories from other people about all of the same issues that we’re having has been really, really helpful in not feeling like we’re going crazy here. Everybody’s experiencing the same issues, and everybody wants the same solutions,” said Schettler.

How to win a rent strike

Management was unresponsive to tenants’ repeated asks for help with repairs, they said.

“You got to complain, complain, and keep complaining and nothing is happening… I [felt] like it could cause revenge on us for complaining,” said Carlos Rodriguez, who moved to one of the buildings seven years ago to take care of his aging mother.

When landlords don’t make repairs, tenants can legally withhold rent until they address it, setting the funds aside. (If you’re having repair issues in your apartment, you may want to consult professional advice before withholding rent).

But starting a rent strike was scary, and many tenants feared retaliation from their landlord. “I did not go on the rent strike at first. I went on rent strike way after every other tenant, because I am a student, I’m young. I had no idea that this would even work, and I got so many threatening letters from the landlord,” said Abir.

But there is strength in numbers. By the end of the 16-month strike, 50 tenants were withholding rent and demanding repairs. “I did not know organizing had that much power,” said Abir.

In the middle of the rent strike, the building foreclosed, and the court appointed a receiver to manage the building. As part of the settlement, which Legal Services NYC began negotiating with Emerald Equities and completed with the receiver, residents will receive six months rent credit, and pay back the rest they withheld on strike. The receiver is legally obligated to use the remaining settlement money and future rent proceeds to fund repairs.

Rodriguez was one of the lead organizers in his building. He said the settlement is a relief, and might help him get some home health help for his mom so he could work more.

“That was wonderful because it shows we were in the right. It was a relief to not have the headaches, running around trying to get our apartment repaired,” said Rodriguez.

Mayor-elect Mamdani has promised to reactivate the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, among other changes. (Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com)

What’s next

The incoming Mamdani administration has signaled seriousness about enforcing the city’s housing code and rooting out bad landlords, and some advocates hope that it will be a boon for tenant organizing in the city.

“I would recommend to folks who are dealing with bad landlords, talk to your tenants, talk to your neighbors, start holding meetings and start comparing notes. The thing that scares bad landlords the most is a good tenant association,” said Latterner.

Mamdani has promised to reactivate the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, which has been largely dormant under Mayor Eric Adams. His plan would increase fines for hazardous violations, consolidate code enforcement, and have the city step in to take buildings in disrepair from bad landlords and give them to community groups.

At the same time, property owners are pressing the incoming Mamdani administration to expand resources for owners of rent regulated properties in financial distress, arguing the mayor-elect’s pledge rent freeze could spiral into worsening conditions for tenants. 

Cea Weaver, director of the New York Tenant Bloc, said Mayor Mamdani could make the accountability process for landlords clearer. 

“We are going to hold you accountable to operating [affordable housing] alongside the housing maintenance code. If you can’t do that, we are going to offer you money so that you can do it, but you have to make the homes affordable,” Weaver said. “And if you still don’t do it, we’re going to take it away from you. Making that pipeline more clear is what I hope the Mayor’s Office of Tenant Protection can do.”

Tenants on East 103rd have dreams of turning the strip of buildings into a community land trust, where a nonprofit entity controlled by the tenants would own the property and each tenant would have a condominium.

“In this city it is so often taken for granted—we’ll just take what we get. We’re lucky to live here,” said Schettler. “And we still are entitled to electricity. We are still entitled to a mold-free and roach-free living space and locks on our doors.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Patrick@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post How These East Harlem Tenants Won Their Rent Strike appeared first on City Limits.

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Raul Malo, the soulful tenor and frontman of the genre-defying, Grammy-winning band The Mavericks, has died. He was 60.

Malo died Monday night, his wife, Betty Malo, posted on his Facebook page. He had been battling cancer. The frontman of The Mavericks had documented his health journey on social media since he disclosed in June 2024 that he was receiving treatment for colon cancer.

In September 2025, Malo said on Instagram that he was battling LMD, or leptomeningeal disease, a rare complication when cancer spreads to membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.

The diagnosis forced The Mavericks to cancel dates with Dwight Yoakam in the middle of a joint tour. Malo left home in Nashville, Tennessee, to seek treatment in Houston, keeping his fans updated along his health journey.

“He was called to do another gig — this time in the sky — and he’s flying high like an eagle,” Betty Malo wrote. “No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family, friends, music, and adventure the way our beloved Raul did. Now he will look down on us with all that heaven will allow, lighting the way and reminding us to savor every moment.”

FILE – Raul Malo of The Mavericks performs at the Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 22, 2021, (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File)

Malo’s band praised his deep commitment to the “preservation of the multilingual American musical repertoire” and his steadfast championing of “music education as an inspiration for every child across America and throughout the world.”

Born Raul Francisco Martínez-Malo Jr. in Miami to Cuban parents, he co-founded The Mavericks in 1989 with drummer Paul Deakin and bass guitarist Robert Reynolds. Their self-titled debut album was released the following year on the independent, Miami-based label Y&T Music.

Some call the band alt-country. Others describe it as Americana, roots, Latin, Tejano or swing. It’s all of the above and more, driven by songs written by Malo, his expansive guitar style and his broad vocal range, from a soaring, velvety baritone to operatic high notes.

His musical prowess was in the blend, also incorporating rock, traditional country and surf. In the early days in Miami, The Mavericks played punk and rock clubs to get their sound out there.

“I grew up in a household where we listened to all kinds of music,” Malo said in a 2020 NPR interview. “I just remember it was a celebration of all these cultures.”

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At that time, The Mavericks had just released an all-Spanish album, “En Español,” featuring original songs and classic Latin American standards. In 2002, Malo released an all-Spanish album for children, “el Cancionero de la Familia Volume 1,” featuring vocals from his sister, Carol, wife, Betty, and mother, Norma, along with other guests.

The band has taken on various iterations over the years as some members came and went. The Mavericks also disbanded a couple of times. Malo put out a dozen or so solo albums and collaboration projects as well, including his instrumental “Say Less,” “You’re Only Lonely” and “Sinners & Saints.”

The Mavericks released their 13th studio album, “Moon & Stars,” in 2024. Between that and their debut, the band received a Grammy, two Country Music Association awards and three Academy of Country Music Awards.

Raul has a BMI award for songwriting, for “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” and was nominated for several solo Grammys, including one for his album “Lucky One” and another for his work with the Latin supergroup “Los Super Seven.”

He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Betty; sons Dino, Victor, and Max, mother Norma, sister Carol, and Mavericks bandmates Paul Deakin, Eddie Perez, and Jerry Dale McFadden.

Twin Cities, brace for slop. The National Weather Service in Chanhassen has issued a winter weather advisory that runs from noon Tuesday through 6 a.m. Wednesday and calls for heavy winds and mixed precipitation, as in a rotating mix of snow and freezing rain well into the night.

When all is said and done Wednesday, as much as 4 to 7 inches of snow could accumulate, especially along Interstate 94. Given slippery roads and wind gusts of up to 30 to 40 miles per hour, travel is expected to be difficult from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning. Metro Mobility and other transit service providers are encouraging passengers to expect delays and consider rescheduling their rides.

“When extreme winter conditions exist, it is always safest to stay where you are,” reads a statement from Metro Mobility.

West St. Paul declares snow emergency

The city of West St. Paul has called a pre-emptive snow emergency that will begin at 2 a.m. Wednesday.

To avoid being towed, avoid parking after 2 a.m. on snow emergency routes such as Annapolis, Butler, Stryker, Thompson and Wentworth until they have been fully plowed.

Heaviest snow forecast along, north of I-94

According to the National Weather Service, the heaviest snow is likely along and north of I-94, where “a narrow band of 4 to 7 inches of snow is possible.” South of I-94, snowfall totals could be lower. Wednesday’s high temperature could reach 24 degrees, a relative sauna compared to the coming weekend.

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After the snow, rain and wind comes the cold.

There’s a 30% chance of snow during the day Thursday, when high temperatures will be around 17 degrees, and a 50% chance of snow Thursday night. By Friday, afternoon temperatures could fall to around 4 degrees, and the high on Saturday is expected to be 1 degree.

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan issued a megaquake advisory Tuesday after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main island of Honshu, and just south of the northern island of Hokkaido. Damage from this quake was modest — 34 mostly mild injuries and some damage to roads and buildings.

Officials said the advisory is not a prediction and the probability of a magnitude 8 or larger quake is only about 1%. But there’s hope the advisory will serve as a wake-up call for a quake that could have the devastation of the 2011 disaster that killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed a nuclear plant.

There’s said to be an increased risk of a subsequent, magnitude-8 or larger quake within the next week. Officials are urging residents, especially along coastal areas, to be well prepared so they can grab an emergency bag and run as soon as possible if a bigger quake hits.

This advisory seemed mindful compared with another advisory last year. The southern half of Japan’s Pacific coastline received a “Nankai Trough” megaquake advisory in the summer of 2024, but the ambiguity of that warning led to panic buying of emergency food, event cancellations and business closures.

People cover the broken glasses with a blue sheet at a beauty salon in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, following a powerful earthquake on late Monday. (Kazuki Kozaki/Kyodo News via AP)

A megaquake advisory for Japan’s northeastern coast

The Japan Meteorological Agency says Monday’s powerful quake temporarily increased potential risks in the regions of Hokkaido and the Sanriku coast. That’s where the Pacific Plate beneath Japan forms the two trenches — the Japan Trench and Chishima Trench — that have caused many large quakes in the past.

Experts say the deadly quake and tsunami in 2011 was caused by movement associated with the Japan Trench. It spans from off the eastern coast of Chiba to Aomori, and the Chishima Trench goes from the eastern coast of Hokkaido to the northern islands and the Kurils.

In explaining the advisory, the JMA said the magnitude 9.0 quake on March 11, 2011, that devastated large swaths of Japan’s northern coast occurred two days after a magnitude 7.3 temblor that occurred at the Japan Trench off the eastern coast of Iwate, one of the hardest-hit areas in that disaster as well as in Monday’s quake.

The 2011 quake caused a tsunami that battered northern coastal towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. The tsunami, which topped 15 meters (50 feet) in some areas, slammed into and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. That created deep fears of radiation that linger to this day.

A man clears the debris from a powerful earthquake at a commercial facility in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Ren Onuma/Kyodo News via AP)

A megaquake could cause a 98-foot tsunami and kill nearly 200,000

Another offshore megaquake in the Hokkaido-Sanriku area could cause up to a 30-meter (98-foot) tsunami in the region, kill as many as 199,000 people, destroy up to 220,000 houses and buildings, and cause estimated economic damages of up to 31 trillion yen ($198 billion), according to an estimate by the government. It says as many as 42,000 people could suffer from hypothermia in the winter.

The areas covered by the advisory extend across 182 municipalities from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture.

Japan’s separate advisory for an even more damaging megaquake stemming from the Nankai Trough, which affects the southern half of Japan’s Pacific coast, was activated for the first time last August after a magnitude 7.1 quake occurred off the eastern coast of Miyazaki.

In a 2013 damage estimate for a possible Nankai Trough megaquake, the government said a magnitude 9.1 quake could generate a tsunami exceeding 10 meters (33 feet) within minutes, killing as many as 323,000 people, destroying more than 2 million buildings and causing economic damage exceeding 200 trillion yen ($1.28 trillion) in the region.

Officials call on people to be calm and prepared

Officials are stressing that the latest advisory has no prediction for any megaquake happening at any specific time or location, a Cabinet official for disaster prevention, Tsukasa Morikubo, told a news conference early Tuesday. He called on residents to be cautious and prepared while continuing their daily activity and work.

Officials urge people to keep an emergency bag containing a few days’ worth of daily necessities along with shoes and helmets. People in the region are also advised to discuss evacuation procedures with family members and sleep in day clothes, not in pajamas, so they can flee immediately. Furniture should also be fixed to the floor or the wall.

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The designated municipalities explained the advisory on their websites and started inspecting stocks of relief goods and equipment to be used at evacuation centers.

Iwaki City in Fukushima urged residents to register for emergency emails, while officials in the town of Oarai in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, inspected wireless communication devices.

Japan’s first megaquake advisory in August of last year contained a lot of scientific jargon. It worried and baffled many across the country. Some towns closed beaches and canceled annual events, disappointing many travelers during Japan’s Buddhist holidays.

Many people postponed planned trips and rushed to stock up on rice, dried noodles, bottled water and portable toilets, leaving shelves empty at many supermarkets in western Japan and even Tokyo, which is outside of the at-risk area.