Town gets win in housing fight
BY BART JONES
STAFF WRITER
www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lifile17,0,2804450.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines
The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund yesterday filed an unsuccessful court motion to halt the removal of Mexican day laborers from overcrowded houses in Brookhaven and asked a judge to allow 11 homeless tenants living in backyard tents back into one of the homes.

State Supreme Court Justice Ralph Costello, who signed the temporary restraining order shutting down 196 Berkshire Dr. in Farmingville last week, denied the group's motion, saying it would be too risky to allow the renters back in.

"The danger to them in an overcrowded situation would be intolerable," Costello said, adding that he didn't want to bear the brunt of media reaction if a fire broke out in the house and tenants died.

The Manhattan-based group argued that Brookhaven officials were engaging in a plan "to rid the town of its day laborer population." Foster Maer, an attorney with the group, said town officials have never asserted the six-bedroom house on Berkshire Drive is overly dangerous, and that all it needs are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors among other things.

He said the town showed up midafternoon last Wednesday and illegally ordered the tenants out by that night. About a dozen tenants have been sleeping in the yard, saying they have no place to go.

"This is as American as apple pie: You get notice before you get evicted," Maer said during a one-hour court hearing that turned testy at times.

Costello responded that Maer and his allies "should be more concerned with finding decent housing" for the tenants and also asked whether the tenants had consulted real estate agents.

Assistant Town Attorney Edward McCarthy told the court that Brookhaven has no legal obligation to provide emergency housing, and that that responsibility falls to Suffolk County. County officials have said immigrants who are not legal U.S. residents qualify for only one night in county-financed homeless shelters.

Brookhaven spokeswoman Inez Birbiglia denied the town wanted to rid the area of Mexican day laborers and said officials were ensuring the "health, safety and welfare" of the tenants and their neighbors. Town officials have said 450 houses including about 150 in Farmingville are under investigation for overcrowding. Advocates warn the crackdown could lead to large-scale .homelessness.

Brookhaven officials said the Berkshire Drive home contained between 14 and 42 tenants. They also said the home violated single-family housing codes, with obstructed exits and exposed electrical wires, and that it had no rental permit or certificate of occupancy.

Yesterday, they issued eight court appearance tickets to owner Maria Esteves, alleging she was illegally permitting a tent campground in her backyard, among other violations. Esteves, who lives in Selden, could not be reached for comment.

Why doesn't the town of Brookhaven say they want to get rid of the illegals. Would definitely not offend my sensibilities. They've  killed the job market out here and our driving up the cost of a bunch of other things car insurance, health insurance, taxes, etc. in addition they refuse to assimilate. Why should the town even bother debating it give them the one night in the shelter they're entitled to then have INS provide the remainder of their lodging while they await their deportation.

Quoted: Why doesn't the town of Brookhaven say they want to get rid of the illegals. Would definitely not offend my sensibilities. They've  killed the job market out here and our driving up the cost of a bunch of other things car insurance, health insurance, taxes, etc. in addition they refuse to assimilate. Why should the town even bother debating it give them the one night in the shelter they're entitled to then have INS provide the remainder of their lodging while they await their deportation.

because that wouldn't be PC. BTW welcome to our world, we've been dealing with this shit for years.

Quoted: Quoted: Why doesn't the town of Brookhaven say they want to get rid of the illegals. Would definitely not offend my sensibilities. They've  killed the job market out here and our driving up the cost of a bunch of other things car insurance, health insurance, taxes, etc. in addition they refuse to assimilate. Why should the town even bother debating it give them the one night in the shelter they're entitled to then have INS provide the remainder of their lodging while they await their deportation. because that wouldn't be PC. BTW welcome to our world, we've been dealing with this shit for years.

bush is going to make them legal soon............

We need to get rid off the no-good immigrants to the USA.  Keep the hard-working and smart ones, and send the rest back to depress competing foreign economies.

Man white people are so racist