Mitchell-Lama Tenants Flood Albany

Hundreds of tenants in Mitchell-Lama housing flooded Albany April 13 to urge legislators to pass laws protecting them from massive rent increases and arbitrary evictions. Many landlords of these middle-income developments are threatening to take them out of the program, which would eliminate tenant protections for their thousands of residents. “It was a fantastic rally. We had fourteen buses,” says Mitchell-Lama tenant activist Bob Woolis, right. Tenants persuaded State Sen. Roy Goodman (R-Manhattan) to endorse the pending legislation, but Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Bronx Republican Guy Velella had state troopers keep tenants away from them.