TESTIMONY
Joel Kupferman, Executive Director, Environment Justice Initiative on Environmental Hazards in NYCHA Housing and the Need for External Oversight
2:29:11
·
4 min
Joel Kupferman discusses the environmental hazards in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties and urges for external oversight.
- Kupferman emphasizes the worsening environmental conditions in NYCHA housing and the ineffective response from agencies.
- He highlights the health risks posed by poor construction and renovation practices, including increased COVID-19 mortality among residents.
- Kupferman criticizes NYCHA for ignoring external agencies with resources to help and advocates for their involvement.
- The testimony calls out the diversion of complaints away from responsible city agencies, undermining residents' ability to seek help.
- Finally, Kupferman underlines the importance of strengthening whistleblower protections to support workers exposing unsafe practices.
Joel Kupferman
2:29:11
Joel Kaufman, environmental justice initiative.
2:29:14
Thank you for being here.
2:29:18
I've been at night shift hearings for the last 2, 3 years, and it sort of annoys me that I would say that collectively, we're all guilty of not making things change.
2:29:29
Things have gotten worse.
2:29:31
I'm really concerned about the environmental conditions.
2:29:33
I am counseled to Alfred Smith Houses and work with the RPPH residents for to serve public housing.
2:29:39
I've contacted agencies for years including DOI, the federal monitor, city health department, and DEP.
2:29:47
But now, NICEHA has convinced me to speak to the contractor that's dealing with Smith with a lot of these problems that we're talking about are happening.
2:29:57
So complaints have fallen upon deaf ears.
2:30:00
A collective non res response, which serves as an alibi for people's actions.
2:30:07
Good contractors, I think it's a point for you to know, have avoid working for nature, calling it unfair competition.
2:30:14
At Smith, we have a contractor that wants to do good work, and they're being silenced.
2:30:18
So part of the problem, it's not just a few bad contracts, a few people getting extra money.
2:30:23
We're pushing out the bad, and it's just basically the word on the street is that You could follow the bad stuff, little contracts and big contractors, go to night shift, and you're and you're there.
2:30:33
Poor construction and renovation is not just a financial burden BUT A SERIOUS HEALTH BURDEN, A SPECIALED RURING SUREGE IS HITTING PEOPLE NOW.
2:30:42
WE SHOW THAT IN COVID AND COVID COMING BACK, with increased exposure to dust, chronic exposure, that's what all these nitro residents are getting, leads to a major increase in COVID death.
2:30:53
So There's a health problem here, and part of the solution is this federal and state agencies that should be called in, that have money to help, and Nitro doesn't wanna hear from them.
2:31:04
Alright?
2:31:05
This we go out for health and safety measures.
2:31:07
We put in it over and over again.
2:31:09
We've caught monitors asleep away from the thing This is a $300 air monitor that measures better than the monitors that's there.
2:31:18
These should be outfitted to to to residents.
2:31:21
When you're doing any type of construction work to make a solid record of what's happening.
2:31:25
Alright?
Chris Banks
2:31:25
Wrap up your statement.
UNKNOWN
2:31:26
Excuse me?
Chris Banks
2:31:27
Please wrap up your testimony.
Joel Kupferman
2:31:29
Okay.
2:31:30
So part of the problem is on the inside is cutting it to asbestos led walls.
2:31:34
There's a bad act of policy that the city has that has been invoked that we used against the bed, Precise Spring, the city ripped up an $8,000,000 contract over 23 OSHA violation.
2:31:46
That is one way to clean up our nature.
2:31:49
We OSHA has a program called strategic partner participation where they come in and do a complete evaluation of all the work practices, which would help all the residents there for preventing any exposure to the workers or whatever.
2:32:03
We asked Dan Green who testified here, firstly said yes, then they limited to Smith, and then they rejected it.
2:32:09
That's one way that overnight, you could have the federal government come in and tell you that all the bad working conditions that are on a free evaluation and recommendations with with temporary you know, a waiver of any fines.
2:32:22
That's the questions you should be asking.
2:32:24
Why are they not turning down help from outside agencies and not just talking?
2:32:28
Tended participation.
2:32:29
Part of the problem is when people call up to complain, they call up 311.
2:32:34
Right now, those calls are being diverted to nature, the city health department, DEP, and and and all the other agencies that should be involved that mandated by City Charter are not even getting those complaints.
2:32:47
So part of the problem is you the city council is allowing these people to just be forced to, you know, talk to the bad landlord and not to agencies that have the mandate to do it.
2:32:57
It's unconstitutional.
2:32:58
It's just totally unfair.
Chris Banks
2:32:59
Alright.
2:32:59
Thank
Joel Kupferman
2:32:59
you.
2:32:59
Thank you.
2:33:00
System.
2:33:01
You gotta wrap
Chris Banks
2:33:02
it up for
Joel Kupferman
2:33:02
2 more minutes.
2:33:03
Okay?
Chris Banks
2:33:03
No.
2:33:04
No.
2:33:04
No.
2:33:04
No.
2:33:04
No.
2:33:06
10 more seconds.
Joel Kupferman
2:33:06
Okay.
2:33:07
You should have to strengthen the whistleblower protection.
2:33:10
Today, I got called by whistleblowerers that work at night shift that are complaining about work practices.
2:33:15
Other other whistleblowerists have left because they got hounded out.
2:33:19
You're listening to them, you should be listening to people that that that have insights.
2:33:24
Thank you
Chris Banks
2:33:24
for your testimony.
2:33:26
Next.
Joel Kupferman
2:33:27
Thank you.