CLEVELAND, Ohio — The calls to action continued Wednesday afternoon at the Residences at Shaker Square, as tenants beg for better living conditions.
"I just want to be treated like a human being," said tenant Regina Burton.
Cleveland city leaders have joined the fight, demanding change and accountability.
"This is probably one of the worst conditions that I've seen within an apartment building," Council President Blaine A. Griffin said at a press conference Wednesday. "I can tell you that I'm beside myself. I'm very angry."
Griffin and Councilwoman Deborah Gray called the property owners, the Chetrit Group based in New York City, "slum" landlords
Some tenants like Chimene Anderson say they're in one of at least 10 units that haven't had heat in over two years.
"We have been in and out of that office," Anderson fumed. "We have been lied to, deceived. All they say is, 'It's going to be fixed, the plumber's coming, we've got the heating people coming. Oh, its going to be ready.'"
Griffin says the city will seek a civil nuisance order for the building and push for receivership which would give control to another entity. He wants stricter code enforcement, and stated Council will discuss ways to support deteriorating large apartment buildings around the city during next week's budget hearing.
"What's next is to continue to push this nuisance abatement action," Griffin added. "I'd like to get this apartment out of their hands, and if they can't take care of it, then maybe we need to get it in the hands of somebody that can take care of it."
Just after the meeting, residents showed 3News a new leak in the garage. That's in addition to the visible water damage throughout the building, along with mold, untouched damage in some units, and unfinished repairs in others.
WKYC attempted to ask the property manager on site about the issues, but they declined to comment, shutting the office door on our crew — a similar sentiment to what tenants tell us they deal with on a daily basis.
"You get tired of when something happens and you call the numbers they say and nobody even answers," Burton said.
Building owners have already been charged with multiple city building code violations. Gray says she has purchased a ticket to go to New York City and confront the property owners, but did not detail when that will take place.