When 311 Goes Horribly Wrong

The residents of a two-block stretch of 70th Street in Maspeth have been victimized by frivolous and malicious 311 complaints:

Earlier this fall, in the span of just two days, 21 anonymous complaints were filed via the city’s 311 system about a two-block stretch of 70th Street, all on the eastern half of the blocks between 52nd and 53rd avenues. Three days later, on November 4, two more such complaints came in. Statistically speaking, that’s well over 70 percent of the houses in less than a week, all supposedly and suddenly guilty of allowing illegal renters into their basements.

It doesn’t take much common sense to figure out that this was likely the work of a mischievous or vindictive prankster. Unfortunately for the residents of this section of northern Maspeth, the people in charge of fielding these complaints, according to many community leaders, have not always exhibited the most common sense; they were employees of the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB).

The same department vilified by residents, activists, and politicians throughout the five boroughs for failing to competently or honestly supervise the city-wide construction boom of the last several years, was somehow able to snap itself into action this past month, diligently knocking on doors opened by the wives and daughters of men away at work, demanding to be allowed into the basement.

“I’m done,” explained an angry Ann McGee, whose husband, George, works for the Post Office. “No more strangers in my house.”

“Honestly,” added her neighbor Jackie Abramaitis, “no one here has illegal basements. There are no problems, otherwise I would be calling.”

Abramaitis lives across the street, in a stretch of attached brick rowhouses left largely untouched by the merry, dialing holiday complainer. Perhaps even this anonymous tipster knew it wouldn’t make sense to call in complaints of illegal renters in houses that don’t even have basements — as most of the homes on the western side don’t.

Coincidentally — or perhaps maliciously — a complaint was filed on that side of the block about a month before the 311-call spree, on October 4, in regards to the home owned by Roe Daraio, who just happens to be the president of the local civic group Communuities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET). “Illegal basement apartment,” read the DOB’s summary of the matter, “with a kitchen and bathroom.”

“I don’t even have a basement,” explained Daraio curtly. “They’re wasting taxpayers’ money looking for complaints that can’t even exist.” COMET’s president is incredulous that the very city agency entrusted with the blueprints for every building is the same one that doesn’t bother to check them before they ring a doorbell.