THE HORROR OF THE TIMES SQUARE HOTEL
****
***This Story Has Been Updated. Please Read Bottom Of Story***
****
COMMON GROUND'S TIMES SQUARE HOTEL
WANTS TO THROW FORMER HOMELESS KID
ON THE STREETS BEFORE HURRICANE IRENE
***This Story Has Been Updated. Please Read Bottom Of Story***
****
COMMON GROUND'S TIMES SQUARE HOTEL
WANTS TO THROW FORMER HOMELESS KID
ON THE STREETS BEFORE HURRICANE IRENE
Story By: James Edstrom
****
****
Dark Secrets Lie Behind Common Ground's Times Square HotelWhen I moved into The Times Square Hotel around 8 years ago, I thought I was moving into affordable housing in New York City. This building is run by Common Ground, who brags that they give affordable housing and they go on and on that they give the homeless a place to live and they provide housing for people in the entertainment business. When I first got a tour here, this building was a beautiful historic, almost 100 year building that was on the National Registry list. The huge grand piano in the lobby, the beautiful rooftops and right in Times Square, the media capital of the world.
I thought this was perfect, since at the time I was doing so many Television Shows. The rent was perfect, the location was perfect and at the time I thought the building was perfect. How wrong I was.
A few years ago, our building manager left, Claire Sheedy and they put in a new manager Seth Lamar into the position. Since then, this building has gone down hill, into the gutter in fact.
Keep in mind, I adore most of the staff here, but Seth Lamar I have never been able to reach. Any problems I have here, he will tell me he will try to fix and never does. He is a yes man. Seth Lamar will promise you the world and never comes through. Since he has taken over this building, it has been filled with the worst people in the world. Drug dealers fill our hallways, and the more I complain, the more drug dealers they fill the building with. These drug dealers deal right outside on our front steps. I have had many meetings with our security director Felix Nnorom and I am always told they are working on it. He tells me we have police patrol's in the building now and he looks at me like I should be happy. I tell Felix that this is not something that makes me happy, it makes me sad that this building has gotten so bad that now we have to have the police here. I like Felix, but he is always telling me they are taking care of the problem and it is never fixed. It gets worse and worse and the building has become dangerous.
THE PERVERT OF THE SECOND FLOOR
I have been complaining for a very long time about a tenant on the second floor who has a endless flow of homeless kids in and out of his apartment. This tenant also has two homeless kids living in his small tiny space and the building management refuses to do anything about it. The kids are about 21 or so, but to me that's a kid. Day and night these kids come in and out of this building, some as young as 18. Younger ones wait in the lobby, as management will not let them in. The police have been up to this guys apartment many times. Part of Common Ground's mission along with giving affordable housing is to help the homeless, yet they continue to let this man from the second floor, who is in his late 60's have these kids in and out of the building. Any normal and sane person can figure out that this man is not running a good will agency to help homeless kids. The more I complain about the endless flow of kids the more seem to arrive.
To me this is a disgrace on behalf of Common Ground to keep allowing this. They keep telling me that they are working on it but this has continued for years and there seems to be no end in site. Common Ground should be ashamed that they bill themselves are the saviours of the homeless and the most fragile segment of our society, the young and homeless are going to this mans apartment and nothing seems to be done about it.
BATTLE WITH PERVERT FROM SECOND FLOOR
Most of my readers know that around 4 years ago I took in a 18 year old homeless kid. The kid is straight and it was a very hard decision for me to take him in, but it has been one of the best decisions of my life. Since I am gay, it sure has ruined my social life, but to me it has all been worth it. The kid is the joy of my life. I took a kid living in Union Square Park, hanging around with thugs and drug addicts and have given him a good life. The kid has had the life from hell, filled with abuse from almost day one, but now he has a life of love and guidance from me and my friends. He has great vacations with me and spends many weekends in The Hamptons with my friends who adore him. This kid is my son in every way and even know times are tough sometimes, I keep working and working at making his life better. He has a very good life with me and I am sure I saved him from a life on the streets with no future. I am sure I saved him from jail and even death.
It took a long time for me to get the street mentality out of my kid. It also took a very long time to get him away from his former street friends. This has been a ongoing problem, as I do understand the kids needs friends his own age and at times he has begged me to have two of them over to play video games. These friends, live with the pervert from the second floor and as much as I did not want them in my apartment, I reneged, because my kid needs to relate to people his age.
One of these kids whom lives with the pervert on the second floor, mentioned to me that they all hang out at this woman's house down the street in Manhattan Plaza. This is a older woman and she has all these homeless kids in her apartment smoking weed, drinking and just about everything else. The police are aways called to this woman's apartment. There have been stabbings there and who knows what else. She has her kid there who is 15 years old who is not supposed to be with her. He was taken away by social services and he ran away and is living with this woman. The foster home as far as I know, has not even reported this kid gone. So they continue to get paid from the city even know this kid is living with his mother in this drug filled apartment. So I mention to this kid who lives with the pervert from the second floor, that I was going to call Child Services and the police on her. Well this kid told her, and this woman woke me up last week on the phone and threatened me and came over here with her 15 year thug son to attack me. When I was in front of the building, the pervert from the second floor was walking up the block and I said to him that it was not right for this kid staying with him to start this kind of trouble. This pervert started yelling at me and threatening me and at the same time, this nut case of a woman from Manhattan Plaza was arriving with her thug son to harass me. Everything escalated when I went into the lobby between me and this pervert from the second floor and this woman. The police were called. They did nothing. They witnessed this womans 15 year thug son attempting to assault me and they did nothing. One cop was so nasty and all I wanted him was to do his job. When I told this cop that this woman's son was taken away from her and he should call Social Services, he said I should do it. I told him it was his job and he told me don't tell him what his job was. This cop should not be employed by the City Of New York anymore and I will deal with that at a later time.
THE KIDS FROM THE PERVERT ON THE SECOND FLOOR STRIKE AGAIN
I was getting ready last Tuesday to head out to Fire Island to film another segment from my Reality Show. I ran to the store to pick up a new toothbrush and when I was walking into the building, three kids were in the lobby, one looked like he was 15 or so. They were waiting for the pervert from the second floor. As soon as I walked into the building, these kids started threatening me because of all the trouble with this pervert. They did this right in front of the head of security Felix Nnorom. Two of the kids have already been banned from this building for trouble and I started yelling at Felix that banned means banned and it does not mean they have these kids in our lobby waiting for the pervert of the second floor.
I ran up to the management office and our useless building manager Seth Lamar was in a meeting. He came out. He told me to call the police. Refused to do anything. We got into a shouting match and I told him I would take the building to court and contact the media. He told me to call the media and to take him to court. Now he has his wish, as I hired a lawyer on Friday and will be contacting my media friends next week, and now they have this story and more to follow.
I called the police, and the same two cops from the week before showed up. They refused to do anything and they even refused to take a report. I said to this moron cop, that he needs to do his job and he refused. I told him I knew the Police Commissioner and the Mayor and he said so what. He said to me he should have let that kid get to me last week. Imagine that. This cop is telling me he should have let this thug kid assault me. I will get the police reports next week, and I will get his name and I am going to the Commissioner and filing charges against him. At least another cop that showed up, a Officer Burns saw what I was saying and took a report. Officer Burns was one great cop who wanted to do his job.
COMMON GROUND GET'S REVENGE ON ME AND WANTS TO THROW MY KID ON THE STREETS RIGHT BEFORE HURRICANE IRENE
I got called into the Associate Director Chi Ming Li's office on Thursday. He is there with the head of security Felix Nnorom. I really like Chi Ming Li, I talk to him all the time and I am shocked at his decision to take action on me because of all this trouble with the pervert from the second floor. He said he was banning my kid for 30 days and was banning one kid from the perverts apartment for 30 days. I told him he can not do this that he has to take me to court. He said he can. I argued with Felix Nnorom and Chi Ming Li and they finally said they would lower it to 21 days. I told them how much I liked them but this was not good enough. They can not throw my kid out on the street before a hurricane and they should only be taking action against this pervert who preys on the homeless.
They handed me a letter explaining. The letter basically said they didn't know what was going on but they were banning my kid. They said this was not a isolated incident, they said there have been others. The only other incident I remember, was a few years ago when this kid Delvin from the pervert of the second floor, jumped my kid right in front of the security guards. Delvin was banned from the building then and this was the kid that threatened me the other day in the lobby.
So imagine this. Common Ground promises affordable housing, they brag about helping the homeless, they brag about renting affordable apartments to people in the entertainment business and here they are illegally throwing my kid who has lived here for 4 years out on the street right before a hurricane. They are claiming that my kid has no right to live here, but they knew and let my kid live here for 4 years. They are claiming that I have no right to a roomate, but meanwhile there are many people in this building that do.
I went to my lawyers and now it is in their hands. My kid is stashed away in a safe place, as there is no way I will have him out on the streets ever again. Common Ground should be ashamed of this.
Next week, we tell you more! We will tell you about the Drug Dealers, we will tell you about CUCS ( Center For Community Services) who are supposed to help these people here with problems and can not handle their job. CUCS is really here to back up the landlord in court, there is no doubt in mind that this is why CUCS is here. We will also tell you how it's all about grants and money for Common Ground and for The Center For Community Services. We will also tell you how they parade some of the very few talented people that live in their buildings in the media and how they clean up the buildings when the city comes in for inspection and when they bring their donors in for a tour. It's all about the money for them. They do not care about any of the normal tenants in this building that pay their rent, they cater to perverts and the drug dealers. We will also tell you about the registered sex offenders in this building. So nice we are half a block away from a childrens school!
If you support me and agree with what I have told you, feel free to contact Common Grounds main office at 212-389-9300. Tell them you are outraged that they threw a former homeless kid on the streets right before a hurricane. You can also e mail them at Info@commonground.org.
LIST OF MANAGEMENT AT COMMON GROUND
Brenda Rosen
Executive Director
David Beer
Director, Real Estate Development
Lyle Churchill
Director, External Affairs
John McKegney
Interim Chief Financial Officer
Toby Sherman
Director, Human Resources
Julie Van Dore
Director, Information Technology
BOARD OFFICERS
Peter Ezersky, Chairman
Managing Principal
Quadrangle Group, LLC
Bruce Angiolillo, Esq., Secretary
Partner
Simpson Thacher & Bartlet
Ellen Taus, Treasurer
CFO
The Rockefeller Foundation
Board Members
Tony Hannigan
Executive Director
Center for Urban Community Services
Doug Lasdon
Founder & Executive Director
Urban Justice Center
Rowan Murphy
Not-for-Profit Consultant
James S. Rubin
Senior Partner
BC Partners
Naomi Wolfensohn
Trustee
Wolfensohn Family Foundation
Jide J. Zeitlin
President
The Keffi Group
UPDATE: I received a call from Claire Sheedy on Monday, following the hurricane. She asked that I meet with her and Seth Lamar on Tuesday. We discussed many issues, including the pervert from the second floor, the drug dealers and the overall quality of living here at The Times Square Hotel. They agreed to allow my kid back into the building, which was the most important topic of conversation. Since I wrote my last story on this building, there have been drug raids, which for now seems to have tamed the drug dealing out in front of our building. The pervert continues to have his homeless kids in and out and hanging in front of the building. Hurricane weekend, another one of his kids was banned for something, building management is not telling me why, but the pervert told the kid that it was because of me, which is totally untrue. Just another example of this pervert starting so much trouble with the tenants in this building. It seems that there is so much that this pervert can be evicted for, but management does not see it my way. He clearly is a nuisance tenant and can be evicted under the rent laws.
The meeting was very friendly, I just wish everything did not have to go as far as it did. I want to live in the safe building I moved into. The Times Square Hotel is a beautiful and historic building and I just want it to stay that way and I do not want me and my kid to be bothered by anyone. Claire Sheedy as always was a breath of fresh air. We agreed on some things and disagreed on others. I also got to see a better side of Seth Lamar and I think we have made a peace treaty. This is the way I want it, until I find a new apartment with more space. I have outgrown my studio and it's time to move on, but it may take a while. I'm hoping I can become friends with Seth as I am friends with most of the employees here. The first thing I do when I wake up in the afternoon, is go downstairs and joke with everyone. This is one thing I will miss so much when I finally find a new place.
I have also spoken to a top cop in the Police Department. I can't really say what we talked about, but hopefully they can see that this area of Times Square needs more policing. The drug problem is not just on my street here, but up and down 8th avenue. They prey on the visitors to New York City and this needs to be stopped. I am so tired of being asked on the street if I want drugs and this is also not good for my kid to see.
I would also like to thank so many of my readers who wrote me e-mails of support and my media friends who contacted me right away and wanted to know what was going on in Times Square. So many of my celebrity friends also contacted me and were ready to go to bat for me and my kid. One huge star was on the phone with me for 3 hours in the middle of the night. I have such good friends.
So for now, things are moving along in Times Square. We are looking for a new place, it is time for a new adventure. With our reality show in the works, our millions of readers and more every day, it is time to move on. Thanks for everyones support!
Photo By: James Edstrom
I thought this was perfect, since at the time I was doing so many Television Shows. The rent was perfect, the location was perfect and at the time I thought the building was perfect. How wrong I was.
A few years ago, our building manager left, Claire Sheedy and they put in a new manager Seth Lamar into the position. Since then, this building has gone down hill, into the gutter in fact.
Keep in mind, I adore most of the staff here, but Seth Lamar I have never been able to reach. Any problems I have here, he will tell me he will try to fix and never does. He is a yes man. Seth Lamar will promise you the world and never comes through. Since he has taken over this building, it has been filled with the worst people in the world. Drug dealers fill our hallways, and the more I complain, the more drug dealers they fill the building with. These drug dealers deal right outside on our front steps. I have had many meetings with our security director Felix Nnorom and I am always told they are working on it. He tells me we have police patrol's in the building now and he looks at me like I should be happy. I tell Felix that this is not something that makes me happy, it makes me sad that this building has gotten so bad that now we have to have the police here. I like Felix, but he is always telling me they are taking care of the problem and it is never fixed. It gets worse and worse and the building has become dangerous.
THE PERVERT OF THE SECOND FLOOR
I have been complaining for a very long time about a tenant on the second floor who has a endless flow of homeless kids in and out of his apartment. This tenant also has two homeless kids living in his small tiny space and the building management refuses to do anything about it. The kids are about 21 or so, but to me that's a kid. Day and night these kids come in and out of this building, some as young as 18. Younger ones wait in the lobby, as management will not let them in. The police have been up to this guys apartment many times. Part of Common Ground's mission along with giving affordable housing is to help the homeless, yet they continue to let this man from the second floor, who is in his late 60's have these kids in and out of the building. Any normal and sane person can figure out that this man is not running a good will agency to help homeless kids. The more I complain about the endless flow of kids the more seem to arrive.
To me this is a disgrace on behalf of Common Ground to keep allowing this. They keep telling me that they are working on it but this has continued for years and there seems to be no end in site. Common Ground should be ashamed that they bill themselves are the saviours of the homeless and the most fragile segment of our society, the young and homeless are going to this mans apartment and nothing seems to be done about it.
BATTLE WITH PERVERT FROM SECOND FLOOR
Most of my readers know that around 4 years ago I took in a 18 year old homeless kid. The kid is straight and it was a very hard decision for me to take him in, but it has been one of the best decisions of my life. Since I am gay, it sure has ruined my social life, but to me it has all been worth it. The kid is the joy of my life. I took a kid living in Union Square Park, hanging around with thugs and drug addicts and have given him a good life. The kid has had the life from hell, filled with abuse from almost day one, but now he has a life of love and guidance from me and my friends. He has great vacations with me and spends many weekends in The Hamptons with my friends who adore him. This kid is my son in every way and even know times are tough sometimes, I keep working and working at making his life better. He has a very good life with me and I am sure I saved him from a life on the streets with no future. I am sure I saved him from jail and even death.
It took a long time for me to get the street mentality out of my kid. It also took a very long time to get him away from his former street friends. This has been a ongoing problem, as I do understand the kids needs friends his own age and at times he has begged me to have two of them over to play video games. These friends, live with the pervert from the second floor and as much as I did not want them in my apartment, I reneged, because my kid needs to relate to people his age.
One of these kids whom lives with the pervert on the second floor, mentioned to me that they all hang out at this woman's house down the street in Manhattan Plaza. This is a older woman and she has all these homeless kids in her apartment smoking weed, drinking and just about everything else. The police are aways called to this woman's apartment. There have been stabbings there and who knows what else. She has her kid there who is 15 years old who is not supposed to be with her. He was taken away by social services and he ran away and is living with this woman. The foster home as far as I know, has not even reported this kid gone. So they continue to get paid from the city even know this kid is living with his mother in this drug filled apartment. So I mention to this kid who lives with the pervert from the second floor, that I was going to call Child Services and the police on her. Well this kid told her, and this woman woke me up last week on the phone and threatened me and came over here with her 15 year thug son to attack me. When I was in front of the building, the pervert from the second floor was walking up the block and I said to him that it was not right for this kid staying with him to start this kind of trouble. This pervert started yelling at me and threatening me and at the same time, this nut case of a woman from Manhattan Plaza was arriving with her thug son to harass me. Everything escalated when I went into the lobby between me and this pervert from the second floor and this woman. The police were called. They did nothing. They witnessed this womans 15 year thug son attempting to assault me and they did nothing. One cop was so nasty and all I wanted him was to do his job. When I told this cop that this woman's son was taken away from her and he should call Social Services, he said I should do it. I told him it was his job and he told me don't tell him what his job was. This cop should not be employed by the City Of New York anymore and I will deal with that at a later time.
THE KIDS FROM THE PERVERT ON THE SECOND FLOOR STRIKE AGAIN
I was getting ready last Tuesday to head out to Fire Island to film another segment from my Reality Show. I ran to the store to pick up a new toothbrush and when I was walking into the building, three kids were in the lobby, one looked like he was 15 or so. They were waiting for the pervert from the second floor. As soon as I walked into the building, these kids started threatening me because of all the trouble with this pervert. They did this right in front of the head of security Felix Nnorom. Two of the kids have already been banned from this building for trouble and I started yelling at Felix that banned means banned and it does not mean they have these kids in our lobby waiting for the pervert of the second floor.
I ran up to the management office and our useless building manager Seth Lamar was in a meeting. He came out. He told me to call the police. Refused to do anything. We got into a shouting match and I told him I would take the building to court and contact the media. He told me to call the media and to take him to court. Now he has his wish, as I hired a lawyer on Friday and will be contacting my media friends next week, and now they have this story and more to follow.
I called the police, and the same two cops from the week before showed up. They refused to do anything and they even refused to take a report. I said to this moron cop, that he needs to do his job and he refused. I told him I knew the Police Commissioner and the Mayor and he said so what. He said to me he should have let that kid get to me last week. Imagine that. This cop is telling me he should have let this thug kid assault me. I will get the police reports next week, and I will get his name and I am going to the Commissioner and filing charges against him. At least another cop that showed up, a Officer Burns saw what I was saying and took a report. Officer Burns was one great cop who wanted to do his job.
COMMON GROUND GET'S REVENGE ON ME AND WANTS TO THROW MY KID ON THE STREETS RIGHT BEFORE HURRICANE IRENE
I got called into the Associate Director Chi Ming Li's office on Thursday. He is there with the head of security Felix Nnorom. I really like Chi Ming Li, I talk to him all the time and I am shocked at his decision to take action on me because of all this trouble with the pervert from the second floor. He said he was banning my kid for 30 days and was banning one kid from the perverts apartment for 30 days. I told him he can not do this that he has to take me to court. He said he can. I argued with Felix Nnorom and Chi Ming Li and they finally said they would lower it to 21 days. I told them how much I liked them but this was not good enough. They can not throw my kid out on the street before a hurricane and they should only be taking action against this pervert who preys on the homeless.
They handed me a letter explaining. The letter basically said they didn't know what was going on but they were banning my kid. They said this was not a isolated incident, they said there have been others. The only other incident I remember, was a few years ago when this kid Delvin from the pervert of the second floor, jumped my kid right in front of the security guards. Delvin was banned from the building then and this was the kid that threatened me the other day in the lobby.
So imagine this. Common Ground promises affordable housing, they brag about helping the homeless, they brag about renting affordable apartments to people in the entertainment business and here they are illegally throwing my kid who has lived here for 4 years out on the street right before a hurricane. They are claiming that my kid has no right to live here, but they knew and let my kid live here for 4 years. They are claiming that I have no right to a roomate, but meanwhile there are many people in this building that do.
I went to my lawyers and now it is in their hands. My kid is stashed away in a safe place, as there is no way I will have him out on the streets ever again. Common Ground should be ashamed of this.
Next week, we tell you more! We will tell you about the Drug Dealers, we will tell you about CUCS ( Center For Community Services) who are supposed to help these people here with problems and can not handle their job. CUCS is really here to back up the landlord in court, there is no doubt in mind that this is why CUCS is here. We will also tell you how it's all about grants and money for Common Ground and for The Center For Community Services. We will also tell you how they parade some of the very few talented people that live in their buildings in the media and how they clean up the buildings when the city comes in for inspection and when they bring their donors in for a tour. It's all about the money for them. They do not care about any of the normal tenants in this building that pay their rent, they cater to perverts and the drug dealers. We will also tell you about the registered sex offenders in this building. So nice we are half a block away from a childrens school!
If you support me and agree with what I have told you, feel free to contact Common Grounds main office at 212-389-9300. Tell them you are outraged that they threw a former homeless kid on the streets right before a hurricane. You can also e mail them at Info@commonground.org.
LIST OF MANAGEMENT AT COMMON GROUND
Brenda Rosen
Executive Director
David Beer
Director, Real Estate Development
Lyle Churchill
Director, External Affairs
John McKegney
Interim Chief Financial Officer
Toby Sherman
Director, Human Resources
Julie Van Dore
Director, Information Technology
BOARD OFFICERS
Peter Ezersky, Chairman
Managing Principal
Quadrangle Group, LLC
Bruce Angiolillo, Esq., Secretary
Partner
Simpson Thacher & Bartlet
Ellen Taus, Treasurer
CFO
The Rockefeller Foundation
Board Members
Tony Hannigan
Executive Director
Center for Urban Community Services
Doug Lasdon
Founder & Executive Director
Urban Justice Center
Rowan Murphy
Not-for-Profit Consultant
James S. Rubin
Senior Partner
BC Partners
Naomi Wolfensohn
Trustee
Wolfensohn Family Foundation
Jide J. Zeitlin
President
The Keffi Group
UPDATE: I received a call from Claire Sheedy on Monday, following the hurricane. She asked that I meet with her and Seth Lamar on Tuesday. We discussed many issues, including the pervert from the second floor, the drug dealers and the overall quality of living here at The Times Square Hotel. They agreed to allow my kid back into the building, which was the most important topic of conversation. Since I wrote my last story on this building, there have been drug raids, which for now seems to have tamed the drug dealing out in front of our building. The pervert continues to have his homeless kids in and out and hanging in front of the building. Hurricane weekend, another one of his kids was banned for something, building management is not telling me why, but the pervert told the kid that it was because of me, which is totally untrue. Just another example of this pervert starting so much trouble with the tenants in this building. It seems that there is so much that this pervert can be evicted for, but management does not see it my way. He clearly is a nuisance tenant and can be evicted under the rent laws.
The meeting was very friendly, I just wish everything did not have to go as far as it did. I want to live in the safe building I moved into. The Times Square Hotel is a beautiful and historic building and I just want it to stay that way and I do not want me and my kid to be bothered by anyone. Claire Sheedy as always was a breath of fresh air. We agreed on some things and disagreed on others. I also got to see a better side of Seth Lamar and I think we have made a peace treaty. This is the way I want it, until I find a new apartment with more space. I have outgrown my studio and it's time to move on, but it may take a while. I'm hoping I can become friends with Seth as I am friends with most of the employees here. The first thing I do when I wake up in the afternoon, is go downstairs and joke with everyone. This is one thing I will miss so much when I finally find a new place.
I have also spoken to a top cop in the Police Department. I can't really say what we talked about, but hopefully they can see that this area of Times Square needs more policing. The drug problem is not just on my street here, but up and down 8th avenue. They prey on the visitors to New York City and this needs to be stopped. I am so tired of being asked on the street if I want drugs and this is also not good for my kid to see.
I would also like to thank so many of my readers who wrote me e-mails of support and my media friends who contacted me right away and wanted to know what was going on in Times Square. So many of my celebrity friends also contacted me and were ready to go to bat for me and my kid. One huge star was on the phone with me for 3 hours in the middle of the night. I have such good friends.
So for now, things are moving along in Times Square. We are looking for a new place, it is time for a new adventure. With our reality show in the works, our millions of readers and more every day, it is time to move on. Thanks for everyones support!
Photo By: James Edstrom
Comments