A rally was organized for a disabled veteran who allegedly received a notice to leave the facility

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WBNG) – Citizens Action New York, along with several members of the Binghamton City Council, gathered at 42 Fayette St. on Friday. This is the address of a disabled veteran who they claimed was unfairly asked to leave his home.

The group, including New York Citizen Action organizer Salma Valerio, advocated for the city of Binghamton to adopt a just cause eviction law. Its purpose is to protect tenants from retaliatory evictions resulting from disputes with landlords.

“No one should live in constant fear of losing their home,” Valerio said. “Housing stability is the foundation of thriving communities. Without it, people will not be able to focus on work, family or the future.”

City Council leader Michael Dundon said the tenant lived in the building for more than four years before being given notice to vacate, partly due to the condition of the building. Dundon said adopting good cause evictions would prevent such cases in the future.

“A good eviction is exactly what tenants like this one need,” Dundon said. “So we do not have unscrupulous owners who allow properties that cannot be repaired to be demolished. They can hold owners accountable, invest in the property and ensure it meets code standards.”

In a statement provided to 12 News Friday, Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham said:

“The property at 42 Fayette St. it has many regulatory problems, making it unsafe and requiring demolition. No amount of empty rhetoric from Civic Action and its allies will pressure the city to allow a person to stay in an unsafe building.

It’s one of nearly two dozen properties the city has taken ownership of as part of a historic settlement against one of Binghamton’s most notorious slumlords, Isaac Anzaroot. The settlement effectively ended Mr. Anzaroot’s decade-long pattern of preying on vulnerable Binghamton tenants and neglecting dozens of properties across the city, causing widespread damage to neighborhoods that would take years to recover.

The city’s work to demolish these properties or revitalize them where possible is an important step toward cleaning up the mess left by Mr. Anzaroot and creating blight-free neighborhoods based on safe, high-quality housing.

The attempt by members of the City Council and Citizens’ Action to link this issue to the “urgent need for evictions for cause” is both wrong and misleading. A just cause eviction would provide no additional protection for a resident who has never paid rent to the city, has no lease, and has been ordered to leave a building that is unsafe. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. 42 Fayette St. that’s not it.