And That’s How The Annual Celebration Of “Stabilization Day” Came To Pass

The Rent Guidelines Board’s annual hearing to decide whether and/or how much to raise rent on rent-stabilized apartments functions as a benign ritual for tenants to take out their frustrations about rising housing costs:

Amid total pandemonium, the Rent Guidelines Board last night voted to hike rent-stabilized rents by 4.25 percent for one-year leases and 7.25 percent for two-year renewals — infuriating tenants who said they no longer want to participate in the annual process.

The 5-4 vote came after more than four hours of mayhem, with more than 300 angry tenants, armed with noisemakers, drowning out virtually every word uttered by RGB Chairman Marvin Markus.

. . .

While protesting tenants were unhappy with last night’s outcome, they were pleased with their disruption. “We did a fantastic job,” exulted Jumaane Williams, executive director of the Tenants & Neighbors coalition. “We shut it down longer than it’s ever been shut down before.”

Tenant leaders said they decided months ago to disrupt the annual rent-setting meeting because they considered the deliberations “a sham” that always produced a pre-ordained result.

. . .

The meeting at Cooper Union was chaotic even by RGB standards, where screams and chants from the audience are routine.

Markus, branded a sellout by tenant leaders, was interrupted so loudly and so often that he called an unprecedented 2 1/2-hour recess at 6:30 p.m.

But that had no impact.

Tenant activists ordered pizza and bottled water and were waiting in full force when Markus returned just before 9 p.m.

As a phalanx of cops stood guard, Markus tried four times to restart the meeting — only to give up as one uproar after another drowned out his words.

The fifth time, Markus simply read a resolution into the microphone. Virtually no one off the stage could hear him.

We’ll keep you posted about next June’s Stabilization Day, which will be marked by a boisterous pot-clanged march down Fifth Avenue, a peaceful protest in front of Bed, Bath & Beyond and an after-party at an establishment to be determined.