For five Democratic candidates for the mayor of New York City, Saturday night was spent in moldy, roach infested public houses in Harlem.
City Council Speak Christine Quinn, former Rep. Anthony Weiner, Comptroller John Liu, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and former Comptroller Bill Thompson spent 12 hours in the dilapidated houses in an attempt to draw attention to poor living conditions. The Lincoln Houses were their home for the night, and the politicians shared their experiences on Sunday morning.
Quinn detailed the conditions that her host family were living in; their bathroom had a black mold that was threatening to spread to the kitchen.
“They're... going to have the same kind of black mold right over where they prepare their food," she said in a report from Newsday. "There is no real sense at all of when this is going to get fixed for them."
The five politicians are calling for better management of the houses from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The NYCHA did not comment.
Reverend Al Sharpton helped organize the event, and said that it was the first of its kind. His group, the National Action Network, along with other activist groups found the volunteer host families and arranged for the politicians to sleep on couches and living room floors.
Weiner stated that he could barely sleep in the apartment he stayed in, there was no air conditioning in the over 80-degree heat.
"This doesn't happen all the time, a politician in your house, listening to you,” said a member of one of the host families.
Meanwhile, Liu said that he spent some time in the courtyard and listened to what some of the residents had to say.
The New York City mayoral elections will be held in November.
[Source: Newsday]
