Photo by David Cruz
For 50 years, John McKee has lived the pious life in Norwood. He’s adamant in keeping it that way. But a misunderstanding has blunted that life.
Now McKee, 79, a retired plumber and devout member of St. Ann’s Church, is in the worst shape of his life following a stroke that’s rendered him frail and homebound. Notwithstanding his condition, the landlord wants to throw him out of two-bedroom apartment on Perry Avenue. And there are no signs of letup from the landlord.
McKee, a skilled plumber who uses a walker to get by, considers himself a target of MK Realty Group LLC, the new landlord that bought the building. After all, McKee’s apartment is rent controlled, a growing rarity in New York City, with some 27,000 apartments ranked so. In cases across the city, landlords, fully aware of the financial gains, employ harassing tactics to root out rent-controlled tenants.
“I asked them, ‘What do you want to do? Kill me so you can get this apartment?’” McKee recalled, speaking to the Norwood News from his two-bedroom apartment on Perry Avenue. “’Stop harassing me.’”
McKee’s problems began following the stroke in April 2016. McKee, living in his six-story walkup for half a century, recuperated at several medical centers outside the Bronx. But representatives from the realty firm, who visited tenants shortly after buying the building, accused him of subletting the apartment to a caretaker, according to McKee. The caretaker, who never paid McKee any rent, eventually left, leaving McKee to care for himself alone despite a doctor’s order mandating he have 24-hour medical supervision.
“I’m worried he’s by himself. He should not be by himself,” Rita Milanesi, McKee’s daughter, said in a phone interview with the Norwood News.
For the better part of last year, McKee has endured several forms of harassment that included brazen phone calls to McKee’s doctor to determine his health status and a call to Milanesi’s home on Father’s Day.
A court case has since lingered despite an initial ruling that the case be dismissed, only for it to inexplicably be unlogged in the system. The case resulted in the landlord not cashing McKee’s rent checks. Meantime, the case continues to linger, with the landlord hiring an attorney from Gutman, Mintz, Baker & Sonnenfeldt, to represent them in Bronx Housing Court.
West Bronx Housing, a tenant advocacy group, has since stepped in to speak out on his behalf.
For all the phone calls and court appearances, McKee simply wants to resolve the matter outside of court by remaining in the apartment he’s called home since 1966. Not even a buyout will interest him to move out.
“All the years I’ve been on this earth, I do what Jesus said—you settle out of court,” McKee said.
Still, the family is looking to sue on his behalf.
MK Realty Group LLC hired Superior Apartments Management, a management firm that oversees five buildings in the Bronx and one in Brooklyn. MK Realty Group LLC purchased the building from Mirbel Realty Corp. in July last year, according to financial records. The property has a total of 172 violations, according to the New York City Housing Preservation and Development agency.
Arianna Gonzalez-Abreu, an attorney for MK Realty Group LLC through Gutman, Mintz, Baker & Sonnefeldt, was unavailable despite numerous attempts.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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Fight the slum lord don’t give up
I’m trying can’t believe more ppl are not responding to this he life has been a nightmare
I agree that’s my Dad he was Vereran and this landlord has been harresing and making it so hard for him. I personally think it’s elderly abuse. 50 years there they want his apartment
It sounds like Elder Abuse. Use that as leverage against the bloodsucker Landlord….
This is a real disgrace , it’s obvious the greedy slumlord wants the apt.for more rent . Being that your Dad is a Vetern and protected and served this country and has paided is rent for the last 50 years should be all that counts to keep his apartment . I will say something it’s upsetting that your Dad had a stroke and I would not be schocked if it wasn’t due to the harassment of this slumlord . I would get in touch with your congressman of his neighborhood and file harassment charges against this landlord and you should be eligible for a attorney to represent him in court due to his illness and being a vetern . This is elder abuse and there are laws against that also . I pray your Dad gets the justice he so rightly deserves . Elder abuse to a disabled American Veteran is total disgrace and God doesn’t like ugly .