REMARKS
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams addresses deed theft and supports protective legislation
0:09:02
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168 sec
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams provides remarks on the issue of deed theft in New York City, highlighting its disproportionate impact on Black and Brown homeowners, particularly seniors. He expresses support for two bills aimed at protecting homeowners and educating them about property values and financial planning.
- Williams cites that NYC received around 3,000 deed theft complaints between 2014 and 2019, with 45% coming from Brooklyn.
- He emphasizes the need for additional protections, especially for vulnerable populations such as Black and Brown seniors.
- Williams endorses bills introduced by Councilmembers Hudson and Riley, which aim to disclose property market values and provide financial counseling to homeowners.
Jumaane Williams
0:09:02
Thank you so much, madam chairs.
0:09:03
You mentioned my name is Jumaane Williams, public advocate for the city of New York.
0:09:07
Thank you again to chair Hudson and many and committee members for holding this hearing.
0:09:11
In the midst of the pandemic, my office began to receive detheft complaints from constituents, seeking legal assistance.
0:09:17
I will say I've been hearing about these, issues since I was a council member and only increased as I became public advocate.
0:09:24
My staff advised these concerned and afraid citizens to share the complaint with the attorney general's office.
0:09:30
The New York attorney general does not have legal authority to assist individuals in court and, therefore, cannot always prevent these individuals from further legal troubles.
0:09:37
According to a report done by that office between 2014 and 2019, New York City received around 3,000 complaints regarding deed theft.
0:09:45
Of those 3,000 complaints, 45% of them came from Brooklyn.
0:09:48
That number might be higher due to likelihood of homeowners not knowing they are a victim of this kind of scam.
0:09:53
By the time a homeowner realizes that they are a victim, their home could be sold or mortgaged multiple times.
0:09:59
This time last year, governor Hochul signed an anti deed theft bill into law, assisting prosecutors with challenging fraudulent real estate transactions.
0:10:07
The governor and attorney general both publicly stated that deed theft had disproportionately affected black and brown homeowners.
0:10:14
Despite knowing who was being targeted, despite knowing which neighborhoods are being targeted, victims are still targeted in our city and in need of additional protections, especially the intersectionality of our black and brown elder and senior population and others who may be vulnerable to forgery, fraud, and other scam and tricks.
0:10:30
I will say in the most recent recession, black homeowners in particular, came into recession, with the least amount of wealth and they left the recession having lost the most amount of wealth.
0:10:40
It always seems that these things hit those communities the most.
0:10:44
I would like to add my name to Councilmember, Hudson's bills, which requires a purchase of property due to disclose the market value of substantial similar properties listed for sale in publicly searchable database as designated by, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
0:10:58
I also want to add my name to, the Councilman Riley's bill.
0:11:02
The legislation seeks to provide counseling and support to homeowners through Office of Financial Empowerment and the Office of Homeowner Advocate.
0:11:08
Importantly, this measure gives homeowners a program to assist them with planning their finances, navigating their mortgages, and recognizing scams from bad actors.
0:11:16
These bills represent an exceptional opportunity to have both a safeguard against swindlers and a mechanism for educating folks about the value of their communities.
0:11:25
If enacted, they will help curtail the behavior of those who have found it easy to steal property and deplete the wealth of historic black and brown communities.
0:11:33
I applaud councilman Mahasin and Riley and Menon, for these bills and for the hearings.
0:11:38
I can serve a benchmark for other needed legislation that actively protects our long standing communities.
0:11:42
I do wanna just, lift up communities like, Central Brooklyn and Southeast Queens who have heard a lot from, dealing with these issues.
0:11:50
Thank you.
