“Say his name”: East New York tenants and Council Member Chris Banks put a landlord on notice at 255 Pennsylvania Avenue

Standing in front of 255 Pennsylvania Avenue, Council Member Chris Banks did not soften what he was there to say.

“This particular rally was about exposing Mr. Goldberger to let him know that you can’t continue to abuse these tenants,” Banks told the crowd. “In some of the apartments, folks are living with mold, leaks, rodents, pests. You name it. This is unacceptable. You have young children, and I believe the age range goes from young to old, they have to live in this day in and day out. It’s not fair.”

The four-story building holds about 24 units and close to 60 residents, many of whom have lived there more than 30 years, according to Banks and to a media advisory issued by his District 42 office. Tenants have been organizing since April 2026 around what the office described as “inconsistent heat and hot water, major leaks, pest infestations, electrical fires, and recurring ceiling collapses.” City building records list 24 units, 23 of them rent-stabilized, under Plaza Management USA and Crown Holdings Management (Displacement Alert Project, CB5 buildings).

“We need enforcement”

The rally, co-attended by organizers and members of the East New York Community Land Trust, was aimed as much at the enforcement gap as at the landlord.

“We know that there’s been multiple inspections that have been done, multiple complaints that have been put in or filed through 311,” Banks said. “We’re saying we need enforcement. We need enforcement. We need enforcement. It’s not the time to sit back on the sideline. We need the city, HPD, to come out, and if it takes having to step in and do the leading repairs, so two or three months later the residents are not dealing with the leaks, the mold, and the pests all over that continue to reoccur.”

“No more patchwork”

An organizer working with the tenants described the same pattern in operational terms. “The only time repairs get done, I think, is when they come,” the organizer said, referring to Housing Preservation and Development inspections. “There’s also an issue with the way repairs are being done. Tenants are really clear on that and have been really specific about needing deep repairs that are addressing the root cause of these issues. They like to come and just patch up spots where leaks have sprung up, and then they spring back up. They’re making all these surface-level repairs, but it’s the way that they’re making the repairs that is important too.”

The chant that followed named the problem and the person. “No more patchwork,” tenants called. Then: “Say his name. Mark Goldberg. Say his name. Mark Goldberg.”

A 14-day notice

Tamika, a five-year resident who lives in the building with her husband and two children, said the organizing has already come at a cost.

“After we organized the first couple of times, we sent out letters to the management company and the owner of the building, and I had what I thought was a closed case with management, and they took the opportunity to give me a 14-day eviction notice,” she said. “Went to court, and they tried to say that I owed more than I did. And because I do have an accounting background, it didn’t go far. I ended up only owing about $335, so I paid that right away. And yeah, I do feel like there’s a lot of retaliation going on for sure.”

Her experience with the city’s complaint process was familiar. “I haven’t had an inspector come by,” Tamika said of her 311 calls. “I think maybe one time they left a yellow notice on my door saying that they did stop by, but I wasn’t aware of the date or time. I worked. But after that, nothing, nothing else happened.”

Asked what she wanted other tenants to know, she said: “You have to actually know your rights and fight and advocate for yourself. Nobody else is gonna do it. We’re out here today organizing, and anybody could do it. So hopefully we get a positive outcome, and it brings more attention to these matters, and you guys could do the same.”

What the tenants have already tried

The Banks office advisory said tenants had raised the same issues directly with Plaza Management, submitted written demands, contacted the building’s lender, and sought help from elected officials, and that the underlying conditions “remain unresolved.” The advisory also noted that Plaza Management operates other Brooklyn properties, “including newer luxury developments” — a point tenants were pressing when they named the landlord in the street.

Banks framed the ask on behalf of the group.

“What we’re saying today, that these tenants are saying with one collective voice, is that we are standing up and we’re saying enough is enough. This rally is about us coming together as a community and exposing a slumlord.”