Illegal, Dangerous Satmar Yeshiva Still Open, Despite Repeated Violations
Like a bad neighbor who refuses to move away, Satmar is still there. A Satmar yeshiva illegally occupying an old factory building in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York for the past 20 years as successive city governments turned a blind eye has now amassed a large number of complaints about dangerous illegal construction at the site.
Illegal, Dangerous Satmar Yeshiva Still Open, Despite Repeated Violations
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Like a bad neighbor who refuses to move away, Satmar is still there.
A Satmar yeshiva illegally occupying an old factory building in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York for the past 20 years as successive city governments turned a blind eye has now amassed a large number of complaints about dangerous illegal construction at the site, DNAInfo reported today.
Neighbors previously complained about the United Talmudical Academy school, located at 25 Waverly Avenue, for using the street as parking for school buses, over students who allegedly harass women who live in adjacent buildings, and because students allegedly throw garbage out of school windows onto an adjoining lot.
Neighbors now say the illegal Satmar school does construction work without a permit – sometimes in the middle of the night. Four complaints were made to the city’s Department of Buildings on November 6 alone.
On November 7, city inspectors visited the site and reportedly issued a stop-work order for the un-permitted work, which not only included work on an elevator shaft, but also included putting up walls to divide rooms – a clear fire and safety hazard that endangers the lives of students, teacher and firefighters.
The city inspectors also found what neighbors and the media have known for years – the school lacks a certificate of occupancy and is therefore illegal. Inspectors issued two violations: the first for doing construction work without a permit, the second for using the factory building as a school without a certificate of occupancy.
But none of this stopped Satmar from continuing the illegal work or from illegally occupying the building.
Over the next few days, 12 more complaints were reportedly made to the DOB about illegal construction at the site – including construction that allegedly took place 2:00 am.
Besides the current construction issues, the building reportedly has three open violations, including one for failure to maintain the safety of the building, and owes more than $5,000 in fines.
None of this, however, as moved the city to evict the school – perhaps because of the Satmar bloc vote.
United Talmudical Academy is now trying to legalize its illegal use of the building by getting a special permit to operate a school in an industrial district – something that is not otherwise allowed under city regulations.
But the local community board will not agree to the special permit.
Satmar has appealed the board’s denial to the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals.
Related Post:
Community Board To Illegal Satmar Yeshiva: Get Out! Move To Williamsburg!
Just like their pigsty dump in Spring Valley.
Posted by: flatearth | November 18, 2014 at 12:21 PM
This reminds me of the State Farm jingle: "Like a bad neighbor/ Satmar is there."
Posted by: Yochanan Lavie | November 18, 2014 at 01:43 PM