Apparently I'm a racist bastard

I didn’t actually go to the meeting, but since I live within 300 feet, I’m a racist bastard anyway. Stupid Motherfuckers!

What? You want some background? OK, here goes.

Four years ago I moved into a nice old building where most of the residents have lived for 10+ years, many of them for decades longer. A good 6th of us, some 27 or so units, look out over what is a beautiful historic building, two stories high, surrounded by old trees. I love my view! The owners were somewhat slack in upkeep, and this historic monument has been steadily decaying.

In 2004 they sold the building to a fraternity for ~$1,000,000. Great. My only view was now overlooking Delta House. Parties all night, every night. There was a full trash can spilled in the back yard, and the trash was not picked up for six months. Yes, six. And the frat boys, who drove Lexuses and Saturns, apparently could not pool their meager resources to buy a snow shovel. All Winter, simply walking by their place was a serious health hazard. The sidewalk was a two-inch thick sheet of ice.

I should mention, re: the ice, that my building is mostly populated by little old ladies who use walkers. In the Winter, they have two choices in getting around: Walk on a solid sheet of ice, or walk in the street. I should also mention that not shovelling your sidewalk is a building violation punishable by a fine. Apparently, the “poor” frat boys would rather pay a fine than invest in a snow shovel.

But all that’s in the past. The frat boys moved out. Thank Og!

Nope, a certain Mr. Yu bought the place for $5,000,000. To restore it to its former beauty. And by “restore”, I mean "move it back sixty feet, in the hopes the ‘oops, it crumbled to the ground’, and thus erect (good word for such a major prick) a six story apartment building complete with an underground garage.

The bedrock in this neighborhood is granite, which means blasting. We’re probably looking at two years or more of construction. Which means noise, dust, and likely lost utilities. And Mr. Yu, in his bid to “restore”, has proposed breaking a huge number of building violations, including encroaching on neighboring property. His plans exceed zoning ordinances by some 80%. And of course, the trees ouside my window will be gone.

My place will become unlivable. And what it will be, when all is said and done, is a view of a brick wall and a bunch of windows. And no sunlight, ever.

At least Mr. Yu is honest in his dealings, correct? No. He has tried to sneak his proposal past the public every single time, scheduling town meetings in unpublicized places and at odd hours. And yet he has publicly stated that he has personally spoken to every resident in a 300’ radius. Not one single person I have spoken to has ever met the guy, except maybe at the few town meetings where concerned citizens have organized attendance.

Mr. Yu, you are a criminal and a fucking liar.

Oh, and when a resident of my building found out about this asswipe’s plans, and told her neighbors, she got an anonymous threat.

Mr. Yu, you are a fucking thug.

At least this poor excuse for a puddle of smegma will be a good neighbor, right? I leave, as an exercise for the reader, a guess as to how often the sidewalk has been shovelled since this shitstain bought the place. I will also let you guess as to how much yard maintenance has been done since the rectal fuckbomb bought the place. Hint: It looks like the fucking jungles of Borneo. Walls are now cracking because of the weeds growing through them. In just a year, a “real fixer upper” has become a crumbling wreck due to neglect. There is little choice but to raze the place, as it is now a hazard. Mr. Yu, you are a sly dog.

Actually, Mr. Yu, you are a bad neighbor. I don’t expect your behavior to improve over the years.

But that’s not what I started this thread to rant about. No, that’s all water under the bridge. I came here to talk about what a racist bastard I am. Simply because of where I live.

Last week there was a town meeting concerning this project. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend, as I had plans on the night where the stealth meeting was moved at the last minute. But a number of people in the neighborhood did. I understand there was a good turnout.

By far, the largest amount of the turnout was Mr. Yu’s retinue. That is, his close relatives, all of whom were investors. Let’s see, there was his mother Nancy, his sister Rita, his other sister Frank, his brother in law Morty, Morty’s sister’s daughter Sue, his brother Alice, his children Abigail, Barry, Clarice, Dennis, Ephriam, Felicity, Getrude, Hermione, Isador, Jacob, Kerry, Lamont, Maurice, Ned, Ophelia, Pete, Quigley, Ralph, Simone, Tad, Ursula, Velma, Wilson, Xander, Yolanda, and Zeke, and grandchildren Fred, Bonnie, Cletis, Bobbie-Joe, Alma, Richard, Penelope, Aggie, Melba, Persephone, Larry, Darryl, Darryl, Moe, Curly, Constance, Patience, Chastity, Sobriety, Dead Seriousness, Snoopy, Frodo, Bilbo, Dildo, Vibrator, and Bo.

In all, over 100 close personal relatives. All Chinese, for what it’s worth. And all driving Lexuses, Mercedes, Jaguars, Saturns – in short, not one of then walked. Clearly, not poor, and clearly not from the neighborhood.

When attendees arrived at the meeting, one of Mr. Yu’s toadies was there to take a snapshot of every neighbor who attended. I can think of no other reason he’d do this than to stir up an environment of intimidation. It was as if he wanted to say “I know what you look like and I know where you live.”

But let’s get on with the racism part, shall we?

The first speaker was the insufferable gonad’s lawyer. He started the proceedings with, and I paraphrase, “You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves. You are all racists. You hate the Chinese, and wish to see them removed from this city. All they ask is for a decent place to live, and the chance to make a living. Is it too much to ask for these poor oppressed immigrants to have a roof over thier heads? These Nazi tactics must stop. Won’t someone please think of the poor Chinese babies? You are all racist Nazis.”

I understand that jaws dropped. When asked how many members of Mr. Yu’s extended clan were to move into the monstrosity, the question was evaded. When pressed, as it turns out, not a single one of them was going to move in. I guess it’s because their new neighbors are all racist bastards. No, better for them to suffer in their houses, townhouses, and luxury apartments than to live the good life in dinky apartments.

Clearly Mr. Yu is a rich man that wants to become even richer. Hey, nothing wrong with that. I love money. Send some this way, please. But is it too much to ask that Mr. Yu follow zoning ordinances, inform his new neighbors, not resort to intimidation and threats, and SHOVEL THE FUCKING SIDEWALK?

Mr. Yu, you’d better hope I never meet you. If I do, I will tie you down, paint your face like the evil clown that you are, scoop your eyeballs out with a rusty graopefruit knife, piss in the sockets, feed your scrawny genitals to a food processor, and nail your tongue to a tall tree. With you still attached, of course. I hope you remain conscious through all of it. I hope to hear you scream for mercy like a tortured puppy. And I will laugh my ass off.

Sick fuck.

Has the local newspaper been following this? What do they have to say? What about your local politician, have you contacted them about this?

I’m not sure what’s going on with the press. Local politicians, yes. But Mr. Yu apparently has a high-ranking politician in his corner. And of course there are very few willing to come out as racist and anti-business.

Complain to the various Boards & Commissions. Send around petitions. Donate to your local politicos. Get your owner involved as this will mean less rent and lower property values for him.

Much of this has been done, but it’s still not looking good.

What I don’t get is why the owners of our building weren’t at the meeting. They normally get involved in neighborhood events such as this. The only one present at the meeting was one of the brothers of the owners, and he was there not as an owner, but as a renter.

I wonder why.

I’ve come down on the wrong end of a couple local zoning disputes like this.
It is amazing how right you can be under all reasonable interpretations of the relevant statures and such, yet still lose to someone with $ and connections. Good luck and keep up the good fight, but especially if you are in a dicey neighborhood, I can see this sailing through under the rubric of “community improvement” and “increased tax revenues” - with little concern for the “screw the existing residents” aspect.
Look on the bright side - at least you will likely get the sidewalk shoveled! :slight_smile:

Ugh, sorry to hear that you’re going through this. All this demolish and rebuild crap is really getting out of control. A similar thing happened next door to us, rent controlled building that had most of the same residents for the last 30 years. It was sold and quickly demolished and is being rebuilt as condos now, not sure what happened to all the residents but last I talked to them it wasn’t looking great for them. Or for us either for that matter as our balcony overlooks the construction.
On a lighter note, I found it amusing that you listed Saturns alongside Mercedes and Jaguar as examples of people with money. :wink:

Slightly off topic, but I am the only one who finds it odd the OP is lumping in Saturns with Mercedes, Lexuses and Jaguars? :slight_smile:

Look on the bright side. Conversations about this have great potential:

“Who’s responsible for this mess?”

“Yu!”

“Me?”

“No, Yu!”

Comedy Gold!

To be a bit more serious here: Zoning By-Laws are just that. Laws. You can get a copy at Town Hall, or perhaps even on-line (what town are you?). There are usage requirements, set-back requirements, parking requirements. There are undoubtedly landscaping requirements. If he can meet all of these requirements, then you are probably SOL.

But, if he can’t, he needs to go to the Board of Appeals, and they will schedule a public meeting. This is where you can make your voice heard. I believe that the owner is required to notify (by registered mail) all abutters within (x) feet of the property that there will be a meeting to discuss this.

You don’t specifically mention whether you are an owner or a tenant. If you are a tenant, this may be the reason that that you are having trouble finding out about the meetings; he probably only contacted your building’s owner. Although you will be able to speak at a meeting, your voice will probably not count as much as a property owner who has a financial interest in the preservation of his property values. You should contact your landlord to voice your concern, and to let him know that this is of concern to you and your fellow tenants.

If you are an owner, read the By-Laws and know your rights! If they are not notifying you in accordance with the regulations, demand that the meetings be rescheduled and proof shown of the registered mail. Demand that his proposed work conform to the regulations. Bear in mind that some parts of the site may be “grandfathered” and you won’t be able to do anything about that. For example, if his building encroached on the side yard setback before, he may be able to maintain that distance. But hold his feet to the fire anyway.

nyctea scandiaca has a good point about the local newspaper. If this guy is trying to get away with something, and if the BOA is complicit, this should be brought to daylight.

[nitpick]I’d suggest using a rusty grapefruit spoon, not a knife.[/nitpick]

Good luck.

Nope, beat you by a minute. :wink:

It’s not enough just to show up at meetings. You have to organize and present a united front. Form a “Citizens Against Blight” group.

This isn’t a newspaper story. It’s a TV story. If one of you has access to a video camera, shoot footage for the local TV stations and cable public-affairs shows. (As long as you’re shooting from the street, you’re legally in the clear.) Make yourselves available for comment for stories. Cultivate contacts in the local media and keep them abreast of everything that’s going on. If there’s a hearing or a meeting, make sure your contacts know about it, so they can cover it.

Likely allies might include the local historical society, and you might also talk to your local high-school history teachers. They might be able to have a class or two research the history of the building as a project.

Don’t let them make it about race. Keep it about the building and the blight. From the sound of it, they’re the ones framing that part of the discussion, and you’re not doing anything to address that. If they bring that up, deflect it.

Robin

D’oh! Damn Chinks, they forced me to make a typo! And think of Saturns as expensive cars!

I am a renter, not the owner. And I think the YuHoo is just barely playing within the bounds of the law.

Dinsdale, I don’t hold out much hope for the sidewalk getting shovelled. Mr. Yu has already demonstrated his unwillingness to be a good neighbor. I don’t think things will improve much should he get his way.

Assuming that he has scrawny genitals because he’s Asian? Racist bastard!

Cletis and Bobby-Joe seem like odd names for people of Chinese descent.

tdn, some suggestions…

If you’re able, shovel the side walk yourself, and make sure the little old ladies see you do it, nothing sells a story like helping out little old ladies.

I second the video taping, though I would try and walk into the meeting with the camera in the open, after I’ve contacted some news folks, and asked them to be there. No body screws up in front of reporters.

Also, take a picture of the thugs taking the attendees pictures, let them know you’re doing it. Ask their names, too. They won’t give them, but ask anyway.

A 3x5 sheet of plywood, some white paint and some red spray paint. Make a sign that says ‘PUBLIC MEETING HERE, FREE REFRESHMENTS’ make sure someone (if not you) posts that sucker in front of every meeting location, and bring a coffee cake.

If they hold the meetings in a public place, bring a tape recorder with you no matter what, and advise as many people as you can to take notes. They don’t have to actually keep track of things, they just have to scribble things down. and get everyone you can, even if they have no stake in the area, fill the room with people taking notes.

That will undo Yu and his crew.

Aside from the suggestions here and some things that are, shall we say, in the gray area legally, there’s not much you as a tenant can do.

I was going to bring this up myself, as soon as I saw it. It doesn’t compute. Saturns are crappily-designed budget cars. I think they’re supposed to be pretty reliable and safe, but I think Saturn consistently comes out with the ugliest sedans out of all the automakers. The other companies might make occasional design anomalies like the Honda Element, Nissan Pathfinder Armada (looks like it was designed by Ray Charles. On acid.) and the Ford Jord. But Saturn puts out a consistent and steady stream of crap.

Lexuses are so common now that they’ve become generic and are no longer really a high-class luxury car. BMW is headed in the same direction.

Let me clarify. The videotaping isn’t for harassment. The videotape is supposed to go to the TV news people. They need pictures, and you want to make sure they have some. The more use they can get from the stuff you give them, the happier they are and the happier you are. Video of you and others shoveling the (PUBLIC) sidewalk in front of Yu’s building would be good, too, especially if you have little old ladies there.

Something else you might consider doing is shooting some good stills, writing a good story, and distributing that to your neighborhood newspapers. They need news, and if you can give them some, it can’t hurt, at least in terms of exposure. If your local radio station has a community calendar-type of thing, make sure your meeting announcements are in that. Ditto for those community-announcement cable channels. These are free (or cheap) ways to publicize your meetings.

And, again, get the local historical society and high school history teachers involved. They may have ideas that can help, as well, and the historical society may have resources they can offer.

Robin

Dude, forget every other suggestion. You need to realize that you have slipped out of reality, and are living in a Hong Kong action flick. Call Jackie Chan. Now. Video cameras and shovels can’t help you. Unless you are whooping ass with the shovel, and the ass kicking is being videotaped by a cinematographer for final editing and overdubbing. Hurry, before Yu’s goons prove that they mean business by kidnapping your girl.

May I be the first to say, “Fuck Yu!”

Only that new Saturn Sky Roadster or whatever it’s called looks expensive and cool. Other Saturns, not so much.

It reminds me of that line from Beautyshop:

“$16,000? You coulda bought a Saturn for that!”