No-Prison Sentence for Slumlord Brothers
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INSIDE: GET THE RIGHT RESULTS WITH OUR CLASSIFIEDS SECTION Yo u r World — Yo u r News BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260–2500 • Brooklyn, NY • ©2016 Serving Brownstone Brooklyn, Williamsburg & Greenpoint AWP/14 pages • Vol. 39, No. 50 • December 9–15, 2016 • FREE ‘LOVE’ IS DEAD B’Bridge ‘love lock’ crackdown looks like success By Lauren Gill Brooklyn Paper The Brooklyn Bridge is unlocked! New signs warning tourists not to at- tach so-called “love locks” to the bor- ough’s most beloved bridge appear to be working, with regular visitors no- ticing a big drop in the number of the security devices and other junk show- ing up on the fabled span since the cam- paign began two months ago . “Since they put the signs up, it’s bet- ter and cleaner,” said Albert Zylyftari, who has been selling his artwork on the span for five years. “Every day, peo- ple used to ask me if I sold locks, but not anymore.” After years of clipping off the weighty Transportation Department of tokens of love only to see more appear A photo posted on the transportation department’s Brooklyn Bridge the next day, the Department of Trans- Facebook page shows crews cutting off some of the locks. portation launched an offensive in Oc- tober, placing 16 signs along the span structing cops on the bridge to inter- Those remain a problem, however threatening anyone who secures a lock vene whenever they see a visitor about — in September, one lock-laden pole on the bridge with a $100 fine — in- to latch on. became so heavy that it broke off and cluding a particularly pun-y design that The transportation department fell onto the roadway below. Photo by Caleb Caldwell reads “No locks, yes lox” and has a pic- wouldn’t say how many of the mementos Police haven’t issued any of the threat- British tourists Milly Sloan and James Iles take a look at the sign — but don’t dare defy it. ture of a smoked-salmon-stuffed ba- it has removed since the crackdown be- ened fines, according to a Police De- gel on it. gan, but the stretch was almost entirely partment spokeswoman — though they “I visited Europe in the first week cently visited the bridge while on vaca- The Department of Transportation The Police Department — which lock-free during two visits over the past never really intended to — but tour- of November so I saw a lot of locks tion from the Philippines. “I wouldn’t will release more data on its lock-lop- had previously turned a blind eye to month, with only a few rusted souvenirs ists say they’re self-policing thanks to everywhere and there’s no signs like put one up here though because the po- ping efforts on the bridge in the coming the vandalism — also joined in, in- stuck on hard-to-reach lampposts. the signs. this,” said Chaney Reduerto, who re- lice will fine me.” months, a spokeswoman said. No-prison sentence for slumlord brothers As punishment, the pair have go unpunished,” Gonzalez said Critics call it a merely a ‘slap on the wrist’ to cough up roughly $248,000 in a statement. in restitution — with each vic- But without prison time, Gold- By Lauren Gill after admitting they trashed rent- yer for one victim who says the tim receiving between $12,000 iner thinks the penalty just tells Brooklyn Paper stabilized apartments to force duo got a “slap on the wrist” just and $68,000. other slumlords that they can Notorious Brooklyn slumlord their low-income tenants out, because they’re white real-estate They must also set up a abuse their tenants for a fee. siblings Joel and Amrom Israel the district attorney announced moguls. $100,000 fund to cover expenses “If you get caught, the cost of will not serve any time in prison on Tuesday — outraging the law- “We’re very disappointed, if tenants incurred from the harass- doing business is a slap on the they were low-income people ment, perform 500 hours of com- wrist,” she said. of color they would be going to munity service, and will be on And Borough President Ad- jail,” said Judith Goldiner, head probation for five years. ams — who ran a campaign to attorney at the Legal Aid Soci- The criminal conviction is the help other low-income residents Shame! Shame! ety. “The Israels are the worst first from a special tenant-harass- bring criminal charges against kind of people and the idea that Landlords Joel and Amrom • At 91 Linden St. in Bush- ment task-force city and state au- their own crappy landlords after they will receive no jail time is thorities set up in 2015, prom- authorities arrested the Israels in Israel may not be spending a wick, the brothers promised to appalling.” Brooklyn District Attorney’s office ising to bring the “full force of 2015 — agrees. day in the slammer for harass- renovate the kitchens and bath- As part of plea deal with Dis- the law” down on bad landlords , “We’re not sending the right rooms of two families’ apart- Brothers Amrom Israel, who is also known as Aaron Israel, ing tenants out of their Brook- trict Attorney Eric Gonzalez, they and the borough’s top attorney message throughout the city as lyn buildings , but they did have ments, but instead just demol- and Joel Israel pleaded guilty to trashing their tenants’ rent- ’fessed up to a scheme of mak- stabilized apartments in order to force them to move out. said he thinks the result sends a shameless landlords are robbing to sign a 20-page plea agree- ished them. The families then ing life miserable for residents strong message. people of their decency,” said ment outlining their dastardly had to live in the decimated do- from eight rent-stabilized units “Landlords across Brooklyn the Beep, a former police offi- deeds. miciles for 17 months with no across five of their 10 buildings ket rates. ing “security guards” to wander should be put on notice by to- cer. “We need to explore tougher Here are some of their worst cooking or cleaning facilities in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and The brothers’ tactics included the halls with pit bulls and base- day’s felony guilty pleas that il- penalties.” acts, according to the docu- and no running water, while Bushwick between 2010 and 2014, demolishing kitchens and bath- ball bats, and, in one case, build- legal actions they may take to The district attorney’s office ment: See SHAME on page 4 in an effort to force the denizens rooms, hiring goons to smash up ing a wall to block a man’s front harass and intimidate tenants in refused to comment on the crit- out and jack up the rent to mar- apartments, recruiting intimidat- door, they admitted. rent regulated apartments will not icism. Closing the book Beloved Cobble Hill shop is selling By Lauren Gill husband and wife duo really wrote the Brooklyn Paper book on running a successful neighbor- That’s all she wrote. hood bookstore. By owning their own digs The owners of beloved Cobble Hill while rents on the strip boomed, they sur- bookshop BookCourt have sold their vived the arrival of megachain Barnes and Court Street storefront to a developer Noble nearby, and expanded three times as and are closing the em- the store’s popularity grew, porium at the end of the most recently opening an year after 35 years in busi- event space in 2008 where ness, crushing local book- they hosted big names in- lovers who say it will leave cluding Jonathan Lethem, a huge hole in the lit-lov- R.L. Stine, Michel Gondry, Community News Group / Lauren Gill ing neighborhood. and Jonathan Franzen. BookCourt will close at the end of this month after 35 years of serving The family sold their “I’m absolutely devas- Brooklyn’s bookworms. tated,” said George Wash- two storefronts between ington Francis Gaw Jr., a Boerum Hill Dean and Pacific streets — not to men- resident who frequents the store at least tion the apartments upstairs — to devel- “It’s really tragic, it’s such a part of tome boutique Community Bookstore once a week. “I think it’s a tremendous oper Eastern Capital for $13.6 million, the neighborhood,” said Debra Robbins, recently shut up shop after three decades loss for the neighborhood … it’s like according to a report in the Real Deal. who has lived in Cobble Hill for 32 years. at the corner of Warren Street , also cash- losing a good friend.” The company plans on keeping the space “I don’t want to see another bank come ing in on the strip’s rising real-estate for- Owners Henry Zook and Mary Gan- a mix of residential and retail, a honcho in here or a nail salon.” tunes to the tune of $5.5 million. nett broke the news of their retirement told the real-estate magazine. BookCourt is the second loss for BookCourt will remain open for on Tuesday. Customers say they are already Court Street bibliophiles this year — Christmas shopping, and its last day Since opening in September 1981, the dreading a dull replacement. the owner of notoriously cluttered used- See BOOKCOURT on page 11 a second outpost in Prospect-Lef- ferts Gardens — that one isn’t walk- Six nearby bookstores to visit instead ing distance from Cobble Hill, of course, we’re just saying: print’s not Court Street’s beloved BookCourt of other great independent bookstores hood word emporium has knowledge- dead yet.