UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan — Everywhere you look there are cockroaches.
On the kitchen counter, in the kitchen drawers. On the floors and on the walls.
The Ibrahim family apartment at 868 Amsterdam Avenue, part of Douglass Houses, run by the New York City Housing Authority, is being overrun by cockroaches.
Mohamed Ibrahim family says they are all coming from this huge ugly gaping hole in their bathroom wall that was covered over by a thin board by NYCHA repairmen.
“Every time the upstairs neighbor flushes the toilet, water with fecal matter comes down,” Ibrahim said. He added that there is also an awful smell and the cockroaches are attracted to all the water.
“It’s disgusting to have all these cockroaches,” Ibrahim added.
The Ibrahim family says it’s been a two-year battle with NYCHA for repairs. Workers show up, the family says, but they don’t do anything.
Residents of 868 Amsterdam Ave. and the other buildings in Douglass houses say the Ibrahim family problems are not unique but others are just afraid to speak out.
“They are afraid if they speak out, housing will force them out of their apartments,” Millicent Clindinim, a neighbor, told PIX11.
“NYCHA needs to spend more money for repairs at Douglass Houses,” Carmen Quinones, Tenants Association president, said.
Quinones is asking for all the residents of Douglass Houses to participate in a rally on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
City Councilman Mark Levine is expected to be there at well.
When PIX11 asked for a comment from NYCHA about conditions in the Ibrahim apartment, a spokesperson responded:
“There are multiple repairs scheduled for this apartment. We apologize for the impact these issues are having on the quality of life for the residents.”
