Two years ago, we lost 17 Bronxites in a devastating high-rise apartment fire in Twin Parks North complex, one of the deadliest fires in modern New York history. This anniversary comes just weeks after the partial collapse of a Billingsley Terrace building, just a mile away, that put 150 people out of their homes and destroyed several small businesses.
Sadly, neither of these horrific events happened in a vacuum. Bronxites are no stranger to loss and displacement from tragedies like these. Fortunately, the Bronx no longer experiences the serial building fires, many of them deliberately set, that defined the borough’s existence in the 1970s. But the Bronx continues to see more than its share of calamities that stem directly from a long-standing history of disinvestment in and neglect of our borough.
Make no mistake: neither of these events were mere accidents and both were entirely preventable had we heeded the warnings in time.
A broken heating system, dysfunctional fire alarms and faulty fire escape doors were just a few examples of the dozens of safety complaints that the Twin Parks complex received prior to the incident — all of which contributed directly to the disaster. Similarly, the Billingsley Terrace building had been flagged as “unsafe” by the Department of Buildings in 2020. Billingsley Terrace also had more than 100 fire and sanitary violations against it since 2019. The pandemic delayed repairs to the building’s facade; the DOB has not issued a report about the cause of the collapse.
These problems are more prevalent in the Bronx than in other boroughs. The Bronx consistently has the most homes in the city’s “250 most distressed buildings” list. In fact, on a per capita basis, Bronx homes end up on the list at double the rate of other boroughs.
To end the litany of building disasters in the Bronx, we need a concerted effort from City Hall to make sure proper oversight and enforcement action is taken to restore the existing buildings in our borough. We can’t afford to risk the lives and livelihood of our people through neglect.
The impact of this neglect extends well beyond the tragic events that come into public view. Each building violation translates into additional burdens — and risks — that Bronxites face all of the time. The stresses of these conditions push people to make choices they might not otherwise make in order to provide for their families. Imagine being the parent who has to navigate keeping their children warm, ensuring a hot bath and clean clothes. If the heat is out in the building, they have to plug in a space heater to keep children warm. With no hot water, they have to boil water on the stove to wash with. When there’s no working laundry room, the oven has to suffice as a stop-gap dryer. These are the decisions Bronxites must make to take care of themselves and their family — and each amounts to a cry for help that too often goes unheard.
In my work, I have the privilege of talking with and listening to Bronxites. The need for fair housing, where every resident can feel safe with their family and the rent is set at an affordable level, is a consistent top concern.
The City of New York needs to start putting the Bronx first in how we make investments and set priorities. For too long, Bronxites have had to fight these battles on their own. I’m proud of our strength, but we’re tired of waiting for our turn. It’s time to realize that until this borough sees greater investment, more tragedy will ensue.
We need to build high-quality, properly-regulated affordable housing complete with the resources families need to thrive. With fellow Bronxite Adolfo Carrion in charge of the city’s Housing Preservation and Development, we can hope that the city makes up for the decades of lost investment.
Dr. Porter is president and CEO of the Bronx Community Foundation and the former chancellor of New York City public schools.
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