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September 10, 2024

Buffalo Common Council Summary: Week of September 2, 2024

by PPG Staff Each week, PPG summarizes important takeaways from Buffalo Common Council meetings. We also include information from council meetings related to our Community Agenda items. If you want to learn more about how the council meetings work and how you can get involved, check out our …

August 29, 2024

Investigative Post: "Judges have ignored housing law for 30 years"

I'Jaz Ja'ciel | August 29, 2024 For the past 30 years, state court officials have ignored a law mandating independent oversight of Buffalo’s oft-criticized Housing Court. After the state Legislature in 1978 passed a law establishing an advisory council to monitor the court and recommend …

August 21, 2024

270 People Unite on the High Road to Economic Justice and Real Democracy

Over the course of three days in late June 2024, PPG and Cornell in Buffalo hosted Uniting on the High Road, a national conference bringing more than 270 people to the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo. The participants and speakers were advocates, organizers, and leaders working in local and …

August 19, 2024

Buffalo News Editorial Board: "Buffalo's rental registry needs more work"

Buffalo News Editorial Board | August 19, 2024 Buffalo’s rental registry needs improvement – as soon as possible. The registry’s purpose is to enhance housing quality through tracking and revenue generation. Instead, it is struggling due to persistent issues with delinquent …

August 11, 2024

Buffalo News: "'There are no consequences': Nearly half of Buffalo's small rental properties delinquent on registration fees, hinting at bigger issues"

Justin O'Connor | August 11, 2024 When Buffalo created a rental registry in the mid-2000s to track the ownership of small rental properties, officials hoped the landlord licensing program would help improve the quality of the city’s housing stock by providing information about …

July 17, 2024

Buffalo News Editorial Board: "It's no surprise that community groups are pressing for inspections"

Buffalo News Editorial Board | July 17, 2024 Safe housing should be at the top of any city government’s priority list. Families in New York State rental properties have the legal right to expect an environment free of toxic lead paint and other threats. Regular inspections of rental …

July 11, 2024

WKBW: "Community organizations and residents sue City of Buffalo for failure to implement rental inspections law"

Jeff Russo | July 11, 2024 Community organizations and residents came together on Thursday to announce that they are suing the City of Buffalo for failure to provide safe rental housing. The petition filed in Erie County Supreme Court claims The City of Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown, and Catherine …

July 11, 2024

WGRZ: "Lawsuit filed vs. City of Buffalo over rental inspections"

Claudine Ewing | July 11, 2024 Several organizations have filed a lawsuit against the City of Buffalo. They want the city to implement the proactive rental inspection law.  Andrea Ó Súilleabháin, executive director of Partnership for the Public Good,  cited a …

July 11, 2024

WBFO: "Lawsuit against City of Buffalo seeks full implementation of Proactive Rental Inspections Law"

Thomas O'Neil-White | July 11, 2024 Eight plaintiffs including four City of Buffalo residents and four community organizations filed a lawsuit to compel the city to fully implement the Proactive Rental Inspections Law. The law is intended to protect residents living in rental properties from health …

July 11, 2024

Buffalo News: "Community groups, residents ask judge to order Buffalo to do more lead paint inspections"

Deidre Williams | July 11, 2024 Dorothy Oatmeyer says the Duerstein Street house where she and her family reside feels as though it is falling apart. There are holes between bricks and in the corners of windowsills. Bricks are falling off the back of the house. The kitchen floor is missing in large …

July 11, 2024

Investigative Post: "Buffalo sued over inner-city lead poisoning"

I'Jaz Ja'ciel | July 11, 2024 Tenants and community organizations are taking the City of Buffalo to court, contending it is failing to enforce rental inspection laws aimed at reducing lead paint in the city’s aging housing stock. The inspection law, enacted in 2020, was in response to the …

July 11, 2024

Community Organizations and Residents Sue City of Buffalo for Failure to Provide Safe and Habitable Housing

Four community organizations and four city residents filed a lawsuit to compel the City of Buffalo to fully implement the Proactive Rental Inspections (PRI) Law intended to protect residents in rental housing from lead paint and other health and safety hazards.