Buffalo slumlord

Residents Say Slumlord Going Unpunished | WKBW News 7: News, Sports, Weather | Buffalo, NY | Local
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Residents Say Slumlord Going Unpunished
By WKBW Admin

July 14, 2010
Updated Jul 15, 2010 at 9:00 AM EDT
BUFFALO, NY ( WKBW ) Wednesday evening, Judge Henry Nowak came to the Central Park Plaza to make a list of building code violations for the owner to fix. Instead, helpless residents took their frustrations out on him.
"If it was in any other area it would have been taken care of a long time ago! It makes me feel bad because I pay taxes just like everyone else," said Jackie Stepney, the President of the Marigold Manhattan Block Club.
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Broken out windows, molded buildings, crumbling ceilings, are just a few of the problems plaguing this plaza. And while almost all of the operating businesses packed up years ago, you can still find a nail shop open in the plaza with every chair filled. The owners using buckets in the ceiling to keep water from dripping on their clients.
"The owner refuses to repair the roofs, refuses to repair the parking lots he's just been a slumlord," said Demone Smith, Councilmember of the Masten District.
Local resident, Jackie Stepney, says part of the property near her home hasn't been cleaned for 24-years and the piled up junk is inviting unwanted guests.
"We have raccoons, we have rats. I've seen deer, I've seen beaver. I can't even go in my backyard," said Stepney.
"I haven't totally figured out why the owner is not being pushed to really go ahead and really do something here because from what I've heard, the owner is a wealthy man. He has the money to repair it, so I'm not clear," said area resident Joy McDuffie.
The owner of the plaza, Samuel Kurz, lives in Brooklyn, New York. There are charges pending against him in City Court. Judge Nowak says they'll only amount to a couple thousand dollars in fines.