83-85 Bowery

The Fight for 83-85 Bowery

Tenants at 83 and 85 Bowery faced displacement and won in later 2010’s. Joseph Betesh, a new landlord, had plans for his properties that did not include the current residents. He came in, bought up a huge chunk of the block and sought to redevelop. The next step was to start evicting the newest tenants. Betesh colluded with the city to kick out the tenants. Under the guise of doing repairs, he evicted his undesired residents and left them on the street.

They were not silent and fought back. In 2018, they undertook two hunger strikes. These protests caught the attention of the city, even from press. People from across the city united together because of how clearly they saw NYC government helping developers citywide displace tenant. Due to public outcry, Betesh was forced to let tenants go back and complete the repairs he had used against his occupants.