Ten Brooklyn tenants are so fed up with their horrible living conditions that they're displaying photos of their damaged apartments in a local art show this weekend, reports Mark Morales with the New York Daily News.
“Not even animals live like this. We live worse than pigs,” one resident, Sara Lopez, told Morales.
Lopez and her neighbors live in three separate buildings in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and claim their landlord, Orazio Petito, has been ignoring a court order for much-needed repairs.
In what has become known as Occupy Sunset Park, the tenants used disposable cameras to photographed cracked walls and windows, piles of garbage outside the buildings, mold growing on walls and some shoddy electrical wiring throughout their buildings.
This isn't their first stab at protesting. Last month, the same buildings held a rent strike, refusing to pay rent for as many as seven months to protest the conditions, ABC reported.
During the strike, tenant Marco Lopez told ABC his electricity goes out nearly 40 times a day and Petito ran extension cords between buildings just to try and keep the hall lights on.
Renters rights vary by state. According to the New York City Tenant's Rights Guide, landlords are required to keep apartments and public area's of the building in "good repair." This includes removing all garbage, vermin, mold, or any other offensive substance. They are also required to maintain the plumbing and electricity.
A judge ordered Petito to repair the buildings after the rent strike, the tenants say he never lifted a finger.
Beginning Aug. 4, the pictures will be on display for two weeks at La Casita Comunal de Sunset Park 414 45th st.
Petito has not returned our call for comment.
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