Editorial

Pinnacle Tenants Unite …In Manhattan

Tenants in Pinnacle buildings from three northern Manhattan community boards gathered for a joint public hearing Monday night. It was the culmination of months of activism by tenants fed up with rent increases based on falsified repair reports, unlawful rent increases and baseless legal actions.

As we report in this issue, Pinnacle’s tactics in harassing tenants have deep roots. The lesson from this quarter-century old tale at Vinmont Houses in Riverdale is that the only thing that will hold Joel Wiener and his company accountable is a united and tireless front.

But the Bronx tenants of today are far behind the activism of their Manhattan counterparts, who have formed vocal, focused tenant associations to fight Pinnacle. Two grassroots groups — Mirabal Sisters and BRUSH — staged a demonstration in front of Pinnacle’s Penn Plaza offices earlier this year.

We’re a little perplexed that the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, which practically pioneered the kind of building-based organizing that saved our neighborhoods in the 1970s and ‘80s, has, so far, been silent on this issue.

It makes sense that two tough Bronx women were among those at Vinmont houses who led the successful charge against Wiener. It’s also not surprising that they are both terrific educators. We hope their Bronx neighbors can learn from their lessons.

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