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City revokes no-harassment certificate, tying landlord's hands
By Erik Engquist — The Real Deal
Follow-up report covering HPD's revocation of the certificate of no harassment, a tenant protest organized by TakeRoot Justice and Council member Harvey Epstein, and the landlord confronting the narrative by presenting his evidence to media — causing PIX11 to cancel its segment.
"Tenant activists thought they had the perfect target in Michael Geylik. They thought wrong."
TakeRoot Justice and Council member Harvey Epstein organized a protest outside 109 East Ninth Street. Then something unusual happened — the owner showed up and told his side of the story.
PIX11 was among the media outlets present. After Geylik welcomed the crew into his building, gave his version of events, and emailed supporting documents, the news station canceled its segment and apologized for wasting his time.
The article reveals troubling details about several tenants:
One tenant, a CUNY professor, claims his 80-square-foot unit with no kitchen or bathroom is his primary residence — while owning a house in Pittsburgh and sharing a rent-stabilized apartment in Brooklyn with his wife.
Another tenant, Remigiusz Chlapek, is being held at Rikers Island on sex trafficking charges. A third tenant was accused of stalking by a fellow resident, and was seen at the protest beside Council member Epstein.
HPD revoked the certificate of no harassment — the very certificate needed for Geylik to do the repairs DOB ordered. The Department of Buildings then revoked his building permits, and now refuses to meet with him about granting new ones.
"Not once has a city official or politician put everyone in a room to work out a solution."
The article concludes: "Instead the activists protest, the politicians pontificate and the lawyers litigate. City agencies pass memos back and forth and deny the permits needed to fix the property. And 109 East Ninth Street slips, ever so steadily, toward the abyss."