Rent Wars Spring Show Supplement
The following show segments were featured in the April edition
of Rent Wars News (see May below):
(please feel free to comment on our segments at the Rent Wars Online
Forum.)
The Invasion of Harlem
This Rent Wars Special Report covers the Harlem Town Hall Meeting which was
hosted by a
coalition of over twenty groups from around the City. Due to the enormous scope
of the story and
the extreme difficulty in selecting between various speakers we were only able
to show snippets on the air.
However, we have provided extensive coverage of the meeting
online. Including over an hour of
free streaming multimedia that brings you the speakers in their entirety through
the Rent Wars Online Radio,
along with additional coverage. The issue of gentrification is one of our priorities
at Rent Wars.
Interview with a Shyster Slayer part 1
Lora interviews Robert Sokolski, Esq., the lawyer who developed and won the
Romea rule extending
federal protections against collection abuse to tenants. You can listen to the
interview for free online by
clicking
here. Be sure to check out part two of the interview in May where the Shyster
Slayer discusses
how to use the Romea rule to help tenants in the housing court.
Andrea vs. The Giant
This segment tells the story of how Andrea, alone and unrepresented, took on
and beat one of the
biggest landlord lawfirms in the City. It also touches on how a pro se can get
affordable,
competent legal advice, how the judge presiding can completely change the law,
and how credit
reporting companies can misreport your housing case (a subject which will be
expanded in a
future segment).
City Hall Action
The Met Council, joined by three City Councilmen (Perkins, DiBrienza, Michels),
introduced legislation
to make the Rent Guidelines Board more representative of the City. Hear the
Met's vice-chair's speech on the
need for the new law. (Click
here to listen to Kenny Shaeffer, Esq.)
Councilwoman Quinn (not present at the event) is also a sponsor of the bill.
Charas Update
Lora gives us an update on the CHARAS/ El Bohio community center eviction trial,
where Charas
stands now, and the importance of Charas to the community of New York City as
a whole.
False Radicals?
Would you believe that a group giving advice to tenants would eject the press
from a public
meeting on public grounds? What if we told you they were telling tenants things
that would get their rents raised? What if one of the topics was "How to
evict tenants on
Welfare?" What's surprising here is that the group doing all of this is
the supposedly
"ultra-leftwing" CCLP. Click here for more online coverage.
The Lawless Library
According to the Brooklyn Public Library, the First Amendment doesn't include
the press and
they can be barred from public events.
The following show segments were aired on the May show:
Interview with a Shyster Slayer part 2
More from the Shyster Slayer with more information about the
FDCPA rights
and how they can help you in Housing Court. Attorney Sokolski also discusses
being the
inspiration for the Rent Wars Ronin animated character Skull the Shyster Slayer.
This interview is available by clicking
here
Ironstone at the Second Circuit
The best pro se litigants are at a terrible disadvantage in Court, especially appellate oral argument. Even when appearing before one of the finest court's on the planet. Here Irwin argues the restoration of an elegant colorable claim and piques the interest of Presiding Judge Calabresi whose economic expertise was up to the task, and who keeps an open mind on pro se appeals. Despite the Judge's best efforts to elicit Ironstone's explanation of his standing to bring the case (which Ironstone could explain in great detail both before and after the oral argument) Ironstone did not. Here he discusses his lesson in the primary rule of appellate oral argument-- LISTEN AND RESPOND TO THE JUDGES QUESTIONS!!
Note- Ronin observed Irwin in the courtroom and was shocked that even the formally legal-trained Ironstone didn't know how to express himself properly on a viable appeal. Even before a judge like Calabresi whose generous time limits (usually pro se appellants are limited to 5 minutes as opposed to 10 or 15 minutes usually given to attorneys) allow meaningful argument, and whose interactivity gives a fair chance to counter any misconceptions about a case, and whose mind is not closed to pro se argument, a highly skilled pro se like Ironstone is still disadvantaged. This is a cause for dispair. In a world where attorneys are priced out of the average person's budget, many rights are lost unless brought pro se. Unfortunately, not all federal trial judges are as enlightened as Judge Calabresi and his Circuit Court colleagues, and the temptation to bully and abuse pro se's is there as in the Housing Court, just to a lesser degree and without the reek of rampant corruption.
