Stakeholders to hold Press Conference at slumlord-owned Binghamton property
WHO: Stakeholders of Broome County
WHEN: Monday, March 14, 2022 – 2pm
WHERE: 57 Mary St. Binghamton NY 13903
CONTACT: Salka Valerio - (607) 322-6261; svalerio@citizenactionny.org
On February 4th, 2022, local property owner and frequent Code offender Douglas Ritter maliciously cut off essential utilities to one of his apartments, leaving a family with 7 young children without water in an illegal self-help eviction attempt. Despite being charged with a misdemeanor and court-ordered to restore the tenant’s water, he has not only taken no action to do so but has also fully restricted access to on-site facilities to prohibit the tenant from repairing the tampered plumbing themselves.
This is far from the first time Ritter has pursued such action and is not even the most recent occurrence we are aware of. Ritter owns at least 34 properties within the City of Binghamton as well as others in surrounding towns, several which he recently purchased through the Broome County Tax Foreclosure Auction despite Code violations dating back at least 25 years.
Ritter and slumlords like him have been permitted to profit from the exploitation and harassment of our neighbors for too long. In response to systemic failures at the City, County, and State levels that have left vulnerable residents to fend for themselves against negligent and predatory landlords, the Stakeholders of Broome County will be announcing our demands to Mayor Kraham, Chris Schleider, Executive Garnar, Assemblywoman Lupardo, and Senator Akshar to take immediate action toward ensuring that this family and countless impacted others are no longer subject to such practices. We will also be calling on community members in the City of Binghamton and across the Southern Tier to join us in standing up to declare continued inaction unacceptable.
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