Thank you for the opportunity to be heard.
My name is Dr. Kesha Crawford, and I stand before you not only as a long-time resident of Stuyvesant Gardens but as the duly elected Resident Management Corporation (RMC) Chair. Today, I speak on behalf of the residents who have endured years of neglect, deception, and now direct retaliation by RAD PACT and NYCHA. I have been threatened, lied upon, and retaliated against simply for exercising my rights, advocating for my community, and demanding transparency, accountability, and fairness.
I moved into Stuyvesant Gardens with the hope of providing my family with a stable home. Instead, for decades, I—along with my neighbors—have suffered through deplorable living conditions. The lack of insulation, malfunctioning radiators that spew steam, and the bathroom vents that have never worked have led to chronic mold infestations in our closets and bathrooms. Leaks from above are routinely patched up without addressing the root cause, allowing moisture to fester, attracting roaches and mice that scurry through our walls.
When we ask about the future of our development, we are met with silence, half-truths, or outright misinformation. I was personally approached by individuals pushing RAD PACT’s agenda, asking me what I wanted. My answer was simple: accountability. Instead of a meaningful response, I was told I should simply be happy with a “nice apartment” and accept whatever is handed to me. That is unacceptable.
Residents are being harassed, intimidated, and told that they must sign documents without being given full and honest disclosures. We have seniors in Stuyvesant Gardens II who were told that their heat would not be turned back on unless they signed new leases. Where is the morality in that? Where is the legal justification? Where is the oversight?
We have submitted multiple requests for reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and those requests have been ignored or denied without cause. This is a clear violation of federal law under 24 CFR, 42 U.S.C., and NYC Human Rights Law. The “My NYCHA” system is riddled with conflicts of interest, and maintenance tickets are regularly closed without resolution, allowing these hazardous conditions to persist.
Beyond the deteriorating conditions, we are witnessing a coordinated effort to silence and coerce residents into compliance. We have reports of tenants being told that if they do not open their doors, their locks will be drilled open. Let me ask you this: Is this what transparency looks like?
Why is RAD PACT threatening residents to force them into conversion? Who benefits from this scheme? Certainly not the residents. Instead, NYCHA dodges accountability, developers profit, financial institutions rake in the rewards, and tenants are left in the dark—confused, misinformed, and struggling with the mental and emotional toll of this manufactured chaos.
Enough is enough. The residents of Stuyvesant Gardens have passed a binding resolution rejecting RAD PACT’s coercion and fraud. We have asserted our rights and will take judicial, legislative, and watchdog measures to prevent the conversion of our development.
This letter serves as a formal cease and desist demand to NYCHA and all associated entities. If the harassment, intimidation, and fraudulent tactics do not immediately cease within seven business days, we will:
- File formal complaints with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the NYC Comptroller, the NY Attorney General, and federal watchdog agencies.
- Pursue legal action against NYCHA and all involved parties for violations of federal housing laws, ADA non-compliance, and tenant harassment.
- Petition legislators to conduct oversight hearings into NYCHA’s mismanagement and misconduct under RAD PACT.
- Mobilize media coverage and expose the corruption, intimidation, and coercion being imposed on tenants.
We will not be forced into conversion against our will.
Other developments were given the right to choose their future—why is that right being stripped from us? We demand a moratorium on RAD PACT conversions until a full, transparent investigation is conducted, and we demand an independent oversight body that does not have direct conflicts of interest with NYCHA or private developers.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Stuyvesant Gardens matters. Our voices matter. Our rights matter.
NYCHA, RAD PACT, and all involved parties—you have seven days to correct your course. If not, we will escalate every legal, legislative, and public action available to us. We refuse to be ignored, and we refuse to be silenced.
Respectfully,
Dr. Kesha Crawford
Resident Management Corporation Chair
Stuyvesant Gardens
This version keeps all the details intact while strengthening the legal assertions, cease-and-desist language, and the residents’ collective action plan. Let me know if you need any refinements.
Vision Warehouse 