60 Turner Place Tenant Association Victory! Infamous Racist Herchin Ablai Removed as Building Superintendent
After more than a decade of struggle the 60 Turner Place Tenant Association has achieved a major victory by getting their notorious racist body camera toting building super Herchin Ablai fired. According to a letter from ADI Management, Ablai who was known for harassing Black tenants, will no longer be the building super as of January 1st, 2018 and is being replaced by a new super.
In a letter to the tenants, management states that Ablai has decided “to retire based on his health concerns and the psychological pressure he has been under for the past few years.”
“We know that the so-called “psychological pressure” is due to the hundreds of people who have called ADI management, signed the petition calling for the super to be fired,” according to Reina Seedarnee and other 60 Turner Place tenant leaders. “In fact, we know it was our November 11th direct action against tenant harassment that finally got Herchin Ablai out the door.”
“It is interesting that management never introduced him when he came to 60 Turner Place, but now find it fitting to pen a letter regretting to inform the same tenants who Ablai has taunted, harassed, called names, recorded, lied upon, stole from, and bullied” said Hazel Duke, 60 Turner Place tenant leader. “The tenants of 60 Turner Place are the ones that have actually suffered psychological damage. Whenever Ablai went on vacation, the tenants report that the feeling in the building was one of “freedom” and that they could breathe a sigh of relief. Tenants report that they feel like they have been under a regime, and have been oppressed.”
Widely known and documented are several incidents tenant harassment at 60 Turner Place over the years including:
Ablai and ADI Management driving out long-term tenants, especially targeting tenants of color
Ablai telling several tenants of color that “I will get all you Black people out of here”
Ablai was overheard gloating to another resident, "One by One, One by One", as a long-term African American tenant was getting the last of her things from the building
One family of color had to obtain a restraining order against Herchin Ablai, after he purposely locked their children in the laundry room
Ablai was overheard telling others to give the Black people the cheap stuff when they needed work done in their apartments
Several tenants of color have obtained police reports stemming from incidents with Ablai
When repairs needed to be done, he was overheard telling the workers in the building, “I don’t care, it’s not important”
Gas leaks were not taken seriously. In one particular case, several members of his family showed up on the floor. One said it was not gas, but rather the garbage in the incinerator room. The other, so convinced it was carbon monoxide, even told the fire chief he did not smell gas, he smelled carbon monoxide. Ablai had placed tenants lives at risk on more than one occasion
Ablai had a physical altercation with a worker
“There are so many more incidents and stories. The tenants of 60 Turner Place will not put up with any more of these shenanigans,” said Hazel Duke, “ADI management/Double A Property Associates was responsible for this reign of terror.”
The 60 Turner Place tenants want to thank the community for supporting them, for all the phone calls, emails and letters made and sent to management, and for coming out to join them in their direct actions.