Many of Yeshivaworlds readers have been emailing YW and questioning why nothing is being mentioned of the current situation with the Lakewood Landlords Association.
As many of you are aware, this past Tuesday a Lakewood Municipal Court Judge found a member of the Lakewood Landlords Association guilty of failing to obtain certificates of occupancy for a rental property and overcrowding. In all, he was fined $3,000 and ordered to serve 40 days in jail. The jail sentence was stayed, giving the landlord time to appeal the verdict and obtain the necessary COs, the attorney for the group said.
In reaction to the judge’s decision, a group of 40 Slumlords went to Mayor Lichtensteins house to stage a protest at 10:00 PM!!
I don’t have time now to judge their complaints; only to judge their complaining.
If these 40 night owls were trying to generate public sympathy by harassing a chaver’s family late at night, they have indeed created sympathy- and outrage- for the Lichenstein family!
Their unmenshlict night protest has formed a clear opinion on them: they better get their house in order.
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21 Responses
This is a huge chillul Hashem. First, Mayer Lichtenstein has no control over the courthouses. Second, these SLUM LORDS shouldn’t allow such overcrowding in their homes. They should not be blaming their problems on another yid.
Good work investors!!!!
If you genious investors had brains, you wouldn’t of done this.
Whatever miniscule of sympathy anybody might of had for you is now gone.
You managed to get the whole town hate you even more than they hate the Va’ad.
Good work!
If you guys had any real brains you would be making a living the honest way, not the easy way out of slumlording.
Never a smart idea to make your parnasah in a way that hurts other people.
Not a good idea to have people daven that bad things happen to you.
How about calling chaverim’s actions despicable and asserting you are afraid of chaverim to the APP. Is that acceptable conduct from an elected individual who represents the heimisheh olem. Seems there is enough blame to go around.
many of these landlords have been given tickets for doing nothing wrong. i know of a particular case where they were fined for overcrowding which was absolutley not true. the township started a ticket blitz, giving tickets without any evidence whatsoever.
Why doesn’t someone publish the names of the Lakewood Landlord Assc. so we can protest in front of THEIR homes! We should know who is the real cause of Lakewood becoming a slum and we should deal with those who perpetrate it.
Also, I dislike the VAAD and the Yeshiva Politicians. They are not running the Yeshiva like Rabbi Kotler ZT”L would have, and if Reb Shneur ZT”L would be alive today, it wouldn’t be this way either. They do not have the best interests of the Klall at all. Our taxes keep going up and alot of Chillul Hashem is going on.
Another gripe I have is the size and styles of some of these new homes going up in Lakewood
(and BP,Monsey etc.) If Lakewood cared about its image they would put a ban on building big
ostentatious homes, so the Goyim wouldn’t be mekaneh us.(I know this is a different subject,
but, I am just sounding off) Yes, big families need more space, but, they don’t need brick
mansions with every conceivable amenity. I live in a 2,600 sq ft. home with 12 children and it
used to look big, but, now compared to all the other homes going up around me it looks small.
My taxes have gone up almost $2000! and I think that is only because of all the developement
going on, it makes the land value that much more.
I know Meir the mayor personally a true balchesed (hatzoloh member etc.)its despicable to see these slumlords act in such a fashion,shame on them.They braught up the real estate prices & filled our kehilla with criminals.We do not sympathise with you.If you have a complaint it could have been done with mentchlichkeit.
Woo Woo Woo Take A Chill Guys!!!!
Emanon, I’m not not saying they should be overcrowding their houses. But we all not perfect, and I’m sure we do things as bad as that all the time and did you ever think of “YOU” sitting in jail for 40 DAYS “chos vesholom”.
Which leads to:
ConcernedCitizens, You don’t have sympathy for someone in such a situation I think you should take the word “Concerned” out of your title, and PLEASE don’t speak for the rest of us.
I’m not saying I would of gone to this demonstration, but you guys are taking this way too far. I mean the idea of another yid going to jail (for something not criminal) is something that should only raise our concern. And if Mayor Lichtinstein could to anything to prevent that and doesn’t – He deserves no sympathy.
And at last:
BasMelech. Well listen the daughter of the king lives on the light that she has the biggest house in town, and then, some investers come along and make her house from the smaller ones….For that I have true sympathy!
Takeachill:
The point wasn’t whether or not the punishment was right or wrong, rather the action taken on the SLUMLORDS part. Just because a yid is mayor does not mean rules should be bent for the jewish people. I don’t wish jail time upon everyone but if a non jew was mayor would they go protest in front of his home?
LAKEWOOD MADE SENSE WHEN PEOPLE’S MAIN GOAL IN LIFE WAS TORAH, CHESED AND PASHTUS. As soon as pashtus disappeared, the zeal for other two got damaged.
Those whose goal in life it is to rip out other’s eyes (Nivul Bershus Hatorah-to do Shidduchim, etc.), ought to move to Hollywood immediately, where they belong- home of artificiality!
You can reason it until you’re blue in the face- it’s still wrong.
Like R’ Pesach Kroen said in his speech in Lakewood- the only people that really fargin you when you live ostentatiously, are your parents. The others, you are causing heartache! Is he wrong too?
(AND you are only harming YOURSELF- you are causing others to OUTDO your luxury and you’ll end up envying them AND FEEL PRESSURED TO OUTDO THOSE THAT OUTDID YOU).
“Are you a Chossid or a Choteh”?
Lets be besimcha. That will solve all our problems.
Were not talking about bending rules, emanon, were talking about speaking up for whats right. If the punishment is way of norm, which it obviously is, then anyone with power should speak up.
Furthermore:
We see in the Megilas Esther that a jew in a position is always there for a purpose. Would you also say:
“Just because a jew was queen does not mean that rules should be broken!”
True, A jew in a position isn’t there to bend rules. But a jew in a position is there to help out his fellow jews by speaking up for whats right! A jew is not supposed to be in a high position just to satisfy his own honor and comfort.
Furthermore:
emanon, you mentioned earlier that “mr. Mayor has no control over the court house”. Well let me ask you a question:
If Mr. Mayor would God Forbid have such a situation with a family member of his – Would you still think “he has no control over the court house”??
Point Being:
If Mr Mayor is the same “another yid” as you mention earlier (“They should not be blaming their problems on another yid”) then “another yid” having this isue wouldn’t be “he has no control over the court house”
If Lichtenstein would have gone out of his way to help Slumlords in any way, it would be a defeat for all the Ehrliche hardworking people whose property values Slumlords lowered and peace of mind they stole, for years now, and would bring about Chizuk for the Oppressors over the Oppressed.
Let Slumlords Incorporated take Pedro and his families to live on their (Slumlords) blocks for a couple of years, and only then will Slumlords understand.
takacill:
stop it!! he is not going if he cleans up his act. it is up to him! he fact that he has decieded not to clean up and chalange jail ime is just a stunt. it just shows who we are dealing with!? you know there realy is a thing called a ”meantch” lakewood slum lords are just to self-centered to learn to one. if you invest in a community think a little about the good of the community not just about your self. and if it is a jewish commuity? a frum one? rov bni thora? you trow 6ooo family’s and there childrens chinch aside just for a few $ .you don’t care about 6000 yeden but mayer lichenstein to care about you and your few$ and your stunt about going to jail??? we are not yet all that stupid . one thing I can say to you ‘takeacill’ & all your slum l. friends & ‘the one going to jail’. sham on you ! all of you!
This group was formed because of unfair punishment being handed out – You can see that – nobody thinks it’s fair that a yid should sit in jail for not getting a CO – nobody could sit back and say he deserves it – the punishment does not fit the crime! and that is unconstitutional!
Concerned Citizen – Why didn’t it bother you to have the biggest house in Lakewood – wasn’t that ostentatious at the time? I don’t like the big mansions either – i agree it’s too much – but it generally is – a little expansion and then we might as well add three more bedrooms for the married kids – and then of course, you need a huge milchige,fleishig,pesach kitchen etc etc etc – and then the builders want to build what sells – so they compete with the best – It’s a tough thing to stop and i think it’s wrong – but it’s not so simple…..
BUT THE MOST VILE THING – To Daven that bad things should happen to someone! That is Horrifying! Daven that the situation should change – that they should have a change of heart -Daven that they should find frum or palatable tenants – Daven for am yisroel’s hatzlocha – Chas V’Shalom that a yid should daven for bad to happen to another yid.
Mister Take A Chill,
Let’s straighten the record of who is the victim and who is the aggressor.
These landlords are hurting lots of innocent victims in Lakewood.
1. Everybody’s property taxes are going up because of the HUGE influx of Mexicans. Our taxes are mostly from School budget. In fact, the number of public school students continues to rise even though logically they should be falling. Especially, since most Mexican kids need special Ed/Bi-Lingual Ed, which costs about $26,000 per year per kid. Do the math and you will see that the landlords are costing EACH AND EVERY homeowner in Lakewood THOUSANDS per year.
2. Crime in Lakewood is going up. Especially gangs like Latin Kings, etc… These are primarily from these rentals properties. These days there are murders all the time in Lakewood. Lakewood is becoming a high crime area due to the landlords.
3. Lots of frum people moved onto gorgeous blocks where there were no rental properties. Then the selfish landlords started buying up all the houses and changed the block from a middle class decent block to a trashy dirty noisy block.
4. Number 3 has the great side effect of causing MASSIVE hatred of orthodox by middle class goyim who see these SELFISH investors transforming their nice middle class neighborhoods into trash bins.
5. As a result of number 5, the frum on these blocks are victimized twice, once by the trash and by the decent Goyishe neighbors who now hate them because the frum are destroying their block.
Now you have the Chutzpah to complain when the township takes some steps to take back the town from these elements.
Shame on you!!!!
I have more to say, but I won’t be ma’arach.
In summation, the 1/4% of Lakewood that are hurting the other 99.75% of Lakewood better wake up, because even though we have stood by silently as you have been hurting us all this time, your actions roused everybody from their slumber and the response from civilized society will be forthcoming.
Hatzlocho.
SeeAllSides,
I am not condoing davening for bad things to happen to those who torture you. Just reminding you that it is human nature for people to in their heart hope something bad happens to somebody who is constantly hurting you.
Just like the posuk where it says that if the Yosoim Or Almana cry out the aibishter will listen and punish the aggressor, same thing here, the aibishter listens to weak helpless people being victimized by big people.
This was just said as an Aitza Toiva to landlords, that they should think about these things when doing their deeds.
When I looked for parnassa, I looked for something that has no negative side affects and only brings good and happiness to people.
It’s called parnassa bheter, bnachas, etc…..
you don’t build without a permit you don’t drive without a lic.
you don’t rent without a co
evryone knows that!
& if you do it anyway you are ‘shotahh’ and chaza”l say ‘shotahh osur lerachem olov’ ‘e hu de afsin anafsy’ yes we yeden do say ‘to bad to you’ in this case
groisnaches:
I’m not saying Lichtinstein should take his side. I agree with you 100% – “whats right is right, and he definately should not get away with it”. But you still have to be fair. I mean as seeallsides says not getting a CO doesn’t in any way add up too jail time!!!
And Smeel:
Regardless of if he cleans up his act, Jail Time shouldn’t be mentioned. It seems you didn’t read my previous comments. To make it simpler I’ll copy and paste my previous statement:
Emanon, I’m not not saying they should be overcrowding their houses. But were all not perfect, and I’m sure we do things as bad as that all the time and did you ever think of “YOU�? sitting in jail for 40 DAYS “chos vesholom�?.
Yes Smeel, we all do things wrong. I only own one house in lakewood, its very small and I live in it myself. And I’m trying to convince investers in my neighbrohood to rent their houses to yidin. Trust me, I know what it feels like to have these overcrowded houses next door. (Your a little too quick too judge. How did you goof like that by including me in, we were having a nice conversation until you came?? Oh Oh Oh I think you shoud read your words again I think it spells SELFISH. Selfish people see others as guilty untill proven innocent.)
Don’t get me wrong:
‘I’m not sticking up for him”, smeel. But I realize that I also do things wrong from time to time. And, I think people shouldn’t be aloud to do things that aren’t right. But you still can’t put them in jail because they do something wrong. The punishment has got to fit the crime wether the person is a ” meanch” (mench) or not.
Smeel, I think that last comment of yours tops it all off!!
If you think that someone that not getting a CO on his property puts him in the “Geder” of shottah that chazal talk about, I think thats the biggest “Tipshus” I’ve ever heard.
One thing I could tell you that from what I know about this invester he sounds like a pretty bright man that messed up in a way many of us in his possition would of. But your comments do not seem bright at all. Bright people don’t have to speak as aggressive as you do, rather in a smart calm way, like “groisnachas” does and trust me the message comes accross a lot stronger and sharper that way!!!!!!
If there’s any one here that has to fit in to the “geder” of shottah I would vote for You!
WHY NOT CALL IMMIGRATION AND GIVE SPECIFIC ADDRESSES?!?
messed up! bright guy? becouse he made some money? I don’t think geting in truble with the is that bright. anyway! he not going to jail he has to clean up his act & he will be fine. remember! if you pay your speeding ticket (or parking ticket in some places) you can allso go to jail.dos that fit the crime? NO!! but you did ‘t take care It so it’s your fult same here