Kris Gounden gets an odd visit from NYC Building Inspector
April 3, 2008
Today at 1:30pm a building inspector was walking around in my yard again. He claimed that the property was “leaning”, my steps were unsafe, and my deck was 36 on center. I asked him “why” he was here. He said the property has a stop work order. I asked him again why he was here. He said “I can be here as long as I want, do anything anywhere on this property (I’m the NYC building dept!). I stated that he was trespassing and I did not give him permission to enter my property (please leave!). He had a radio and called for immediate assistance. Two New York state sheriffs came onto our property and surrounded me. I stated to the sheriffs “there is no work going on here!” Note (I was warned last year by building dept that if I violated a stop work order “I will be arrested”. the sheriff came to arrest me! the inspector mentioned the stop work order. I stated the “inspector” along with the “stop work” order is being investigated by the dept of investigations. he said “you did illegal interior renovations with permits”. I asked the sheriffs and inspector “sir (s) you are all welcome to inspect the interior of this house!” the sheriffs walked away, leaving the inspector alone. they said something to him ,got into the “sheriff” cruiser and drove off. the building inspector remained (on the phone) got into his car. He stayed in my driveway for another 30-45 min.
NYC building inspectors “do not” drive around with NYS sheriff escorts. i find that the more tax payers learn how our hard earned money is spent, the clearer it becomes of the harassment that is being pressed onto minorities. i pointed out to the inspector and sheriffs, the leaning and steps was addressed with my architect, the deck was repaired by mike hussey Senior (the building inspector and deck inspector said nothing to him while he was repairing the deck). I invite everyone to come see the wonderful work Howard Beach contractors have done for us.
Kris Gounden
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17 Responses to “Kris Gounden gets an odd visit from NYC Building Inspector”
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You need to be very careful with what you do. Ask for identification and take notes of all the Sheriff name and their badge number. You should have asked for the inspector identification also.
Mr Shiva B is right. You never who is coming to your door. Take their names and identification number down.
From NYC Department of Buildings
Background info re: 1 Bayview Ave.
Viol Issue Date: 01/11/2001 (well before Kris Gounden owned proprty) “Viol Severity: A - HIGH
Infraction Codes:
B7A 27-127 FAILURE TO MAINTAIN BUILDING - HAZARDOUS
Description of Violation:
FAILURE TO MAINTAIN. DEFECT IS BLDG SHINGLES AND CLAPBOARD IS LEANING TO ONE SIDE.ALSO DECK AT REAR IS ROTTED AND PARTIALLY COLLAPSED INTO WATER.
REMEDY: SUBMIT TO BLDG DEPT LETTER OF STRUCTURAL STABILITY FROM R/A
Has the architect submitted a letter of structural stability to the Department of Buildings?
Were permits applied for to do the structural work necessary to remedy the violation?
Unless structural work was done to remedy the issue of the building leaning, it is reasonable to assume the building is still “leaning.”
As there is an existing “Stop Work” order for 1 Bayview Avenue, it would appear that property was visited by the Stop Work Order Patrol in accordance with the parameters set forth for the functioning of that body.
The Stop Work Order Patrol pro-actively sweeps construction sites to demand builders comply until violating conditions are addressed. It has been functioning in Queens since November 2006. The Stop Work Order Patrol partners Department of Finance deputy sheriffs (NYC not NYS as Kris says) with Buildings inspectors to conduct unannounced inspections of construction sites with Stop Work Orders and issue follow-up violations with escalated civil penalties if work has taken place since the Stop Work Order was issued.
The Stop Work Order Patrol is an integral component of the enforcement model outlined in phase one of the Buildings Department’s Special Enforcement Plan, which promised to utilize Stop Work Orders to crack down on those who disobey building and zoning regulations.
Sheriff Deputies are the City’s chief civil enforcement officers therefore they may be used to enforce the Building Department’s Stop Work Orders. To catch offenders in the act, the Stop Work Order Patrol tracks sites with active Stop Work Orders and conducts unannounced inspections of these sites.
New Yorkers are encouraged to call 3-1-1 to report non-compliant conditions or 9-1-1 to report emergencies at construction sites. If his neighbors have called recently to report work, they are acting as good citizens.
Many homeowners do not realize that the installation of a deck is considered a structural addition to their homes. Whether the deck is attached or unattached, a permit is required before construction. If a deck is erected without first obtaining approved plans and a permit from the Department of Buildings, a property owner could be subject to violations and penalties.
For homeowners considering this type of home improvement, there are some tips from the Dept. Buildings to ensure a safe and legal installation:
Prior to beginning any construction, hire a New York State licensed engineer or registered architect who will submit plans for approval by the Buildings Department. The architect or engineer will determine what type/size of deck that will comply with the City’s zoning and construction regulations. Once the plans are approved, a permit can be issued. Once the plans by a licensed professional are approved, a permit may be
obtained. A person, as the homeowner, may obtain the construction permit from Buildings and perform the work. If other workers are employed by the homeowner in the course of this work, the homeowner will have to obtain proper insurance as per New York State requirements. If a contractor is hired, the homeowner should make sure that he or she has a Home Improvement Contractor’s license, issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
EveryBlock NYC - 34590585Z: Administrative violation issued | Building violations issued - 1 Bayview Avenue
Thanks for the info Sal. It seems you were selective on your posting. I can only assume your’re one of Addabbo’s guys. I actually did (and more) of what a homeowner is supposed to do. You obviously have limited resources or no idea of my story. Do you really want to see a house leaning? There is a house nearby that does not have any violations (and is leaning worse than a car with a flat tire. By the way Sal, READ the violation “shingles and clapboard”. Sal, if I prove my case to you, will you tell your buddies to leave us alone???????????????????????????
“EVERYONE WITH BUILDING VIOLATIONS SHOULD BE HARASSED”
thanks Sal
Shingles and claboard do not lean so common sense tells me maybe a comma or semi colon was left out. If the house was leaning there is probably a picture. If it was not leaning an architect or an engineer could tell whether any structural work was done on your house. If no structural work was done they could certify that. Anyway, if you have all the permits and other stuff you need for your house you will be able to prove it and get the vilation dismissed. Good luck. Call 311 and report the other house that is leaning. That is unsafe.
Thank you Lenny. Now you know why there is a dept of investigation into the DOB on this matter. The one particular inspector that was “assigned” to stake out my home and the ridiculous violations that were written. By the way Lenny and Sal- All the houses built in my area are on pilings, which means they “LEAN”. I will post previous newspaper interviews about this topic to get you guys up to speed. Yes the property was purchased with three violations. The previous owner was never threatened (he’s a NYPD officer-realtor-investor) for having violations. The licensed contractor I hired from howard beach, (a former NYPD officer) recommended by Joe Addabbo on one of his unwelcomed visits to my home, was also never ticketed by building dept. My violation is for “illegal renovations”. Not construction. The deck was repaired to its original condition (by howard beach contractors). Oh yes- the plot does thicken. Maybe I should talk about the visits by the NYFD deck contractors that could do illegal additions without permits. I said “NO”, the inspectors were here on a daily basis. Yes they looked at all my paperwork(they looked, scratched,talked,yawned,sniffed, and every body gesture to try to intimidate me), and decided to write the bogus “failure to maintain” violations.
I’ve (WE) put up with alot alot alot of BS here. The reason why people go to Al Sharpton-NAACP-Charles Barron-etc., is because they are not tied to anyone (politically). For anyone to help us, they would have to go up against the howard beach politicians! Go to youtube to get an intro click on democrat15 for all the postings. The Charles Barron rally is there also.
I’m (We) are still waiting for JUSTICE!
Will we get it??
Why didn’t you insure that the violations from before you owned your house were fixed before you went to closing on the house?
What makes you think I did’nt?
Do you really think this is about violations?
Do I have a right to live where I choose?
This is not a debate. The cover-up has taken place. Who has the guts to stand up? Internal affairs already reprimanded a howard beach cop.
It seems justice has a strange way of coming about for us. The DA just wanted this case settled, when I insisted on the safety and security of my family, they just went thru the motions at the grand jury.
How does it feel when you know you’ve been wronged?
The guy was willing to plea guilty-his lawyer restated in court.
All the politicians I met with have done nothing but give lip service. They just want to go thru their term with no problems. Minorities have to understand that civil rights has always been an uphill battle, so please “Do not insult me or my family by saying this is about building violations”.
You DO NOT have the right to trespass,urinate,dump garbage,sell drugs and the many other acts on our home. NYPD said “this is something from the deep south in the 1950’s. I welcome the time this goes to a federal court and see if this will result in justice. Who will stand up???? Where are the freedom fighters???
Lighten up. I didn’t say it was about building violations. If I understand what you are saying it is that you say your neighbors are reporting you for things you aren’t doing. The violation Sal wrote of is from before you bought the house. Al I asked was why you closed on the house without making sure the prior owner took care of it and got the violation removed. You have every right to live whereever you want. Nobody has the right to trespass, urinate, dump garbage, or sell drugs on your property.
The violations were cleared as per the building dept criteria. They got crazy and out of control when their friends from different agencies along with councilman addabbo started writing bogus violations. When a complaint is called in by a politician, the inspector is forced to “FIND” a violation. The police never did the right “call” by us. We were attacked because the community supported it. Queens community board member showed up at my home dozens of times with threats to our home. Civic association members also showed up at our home “hundreds” of times including the president John Blumke (Addabbo’s buddy,as per Blumke).
Lenny- Sal
Councilman Barron is right, this community needs to be told- “its not ok to hate on minorities”. When you do nothing (as in my case) “that’s the message that is being sent!”.
We’ve been thru hell the past 3 years in howard beach. There have been others that were victims of this, there will be others to follow. Its blatant in your face discrimination. The only people of action are still - the NAACP, NAN al sharpton, Councilman Charles Barron. All my documents are being reviewed. Lenny, my family’s lives and our home has been threarened,”there is no lighten up, only toughen up”. Stop talking the talk, get ready to walk the walk!
If somebody showed up at my home dozens of times or hundreds of times I’d be in court requesting an order of protection and those persons would be explaining to a judge why they were there. If the judge found their purposes not to be legitimate, the order would be granted. If the judge found they were legitimate there would be at least a court record to take to a higher court if I thought the judge was wrong..
Lenny,,,do you actually believe what you just said ..in reference to being legitimate and the order would be granted…Do you live in America and are you versed in the history of modern day U.S? Please do your homework!!!!
I meant exactly what I said. If the court said their purpose was not legitimate then a restraining order would be granted. If a judge said the purpose was legitimate and I disagreed, I’d use the court record along with my evidence to go to a higher court. If a judge said the purpose was not legitimate and did not grant an order, I would also be in the next higher court.
It would be the ideal and logical path to follow but it simply does not work in the in in reality, Cases like these take years to be heard in states and federal courts. Again, like i said before you need to do your homework before you decide to add to the fire and understand the practically of the the case being discussed. It is quite clear that you a naive about the american judical system and the history that is the source of foundation in legistative branch of government. Please, if you must speak, say something that does not sound like ” I believe in unicorns and I think they are real”
Reality- what a concept!
Thanks Sarah
You might like to think I’m naive and that is your perogative. However, I as referring to one aspect of this matter, which was Kris’ statements that persons, besides the buildings department which has the right to come unannounced because of a stop work order, had come to his property numerous times. I was not referring to racism in general in the U.S. and its history nor the practicalities of fighting it. The issue of persons engaging in the harrassing behavior of coming to his property would be addressable without factoring in any of the race issue. If the unicorns are coming to my door, and I’ve asked them to leave, and I’ve told them not to enter my property again, I can go into court for a TRO and a court would have to establish their legitimacy or non-legitimacy to be on my property.
What’s going on with this case?