STOP GRUBB PROPERTIES!

Our rents keep getting higher. Now they demand we pay PARKING FEES? If we organize, they threated us with lawyers, ban us from even entering the leasing office, and try everything to intimidate us. Well, we're here to stop that.

The 5550 Tenants Association re-affirms our solidarity with all frontline staff at our complex.

In reading our Association website, you may come to the conclusion that we are displeased with the rank-and-file staff of our building. This could not be further from the truth. 

The hard-working maintenance staff, leasing agents, and security staff continuously do their best with extremely limited resources. Their kindness and courtesy are often the only reprieve residents receive from the harsh realities of dealing with UTTERLY NEGLIENT and CALLOUS senior management and ownership. 

Take, for instance, the security situation in our complex. This situation more than anything else demonstrates the HONEST EFFORTS of the rank-and-file staff and the simultaneous ABJECT FAILURES of senior management and ownership.

Some time ago, our complex had 24-hour security, and an additional concierge during the daytime hours. 

First, management cut the concierge.

Then, management cut the daytime security. 

Then, management took nighttime security down to one single guard. 

This makes life harder and MORE DANGEROUS for everyone involved, including residents AND STAFF.

Senior management and ownership had repeatedly claimed that the daytime security was cut because during the day, when the leasing office is open, the leasing office staff can provide security. But this is absurd. 

Leasing agents are pre-occupied with doing their core job: leasing apartments and attempting to address resident concerns. There is simply NO WAY that leasing office staff, confined to their office for most of the day, can offer any meaningful security to our massive complex, with two three entrances, eight stairwells, and seven stories! 

Furthermore, the 5550 Tenants Association REJECTS the idea that leasing office staff should have to IMPERIL THEMSELVES by doing any security function for which they are not trained or equipped. It is deeply unfair to thrust the rank-and-file leasing office staff into a security role just because senior management and ownership do not want to pay for proper 24-hour security.

Perhaps if senior management and ownership don't want to pay, they should COME HERE AND DO IT THEMSELVES! 

We'd like to see Mr. Gallo, Mr. Dow, and Mr. Grubb on the frontlines, dealing with vagrants. 

Maybe these three musketeers can help keep criminals our of the TOTALLY INSCURE building, which continues to suffer from a broken garage gate that is stuck in the wide-open position?  C'mon, you three, come here and secure the building against burglars, vagrants, and other criminals! That'll help the bottom line, right?

As our rents are raised, senior management and ownership continue to GIVE US LESS. A broken garage gate. A rusty hot tub. A rusty pool. No daytime security whatsoever. A single guard at night to patrol three entrances, a CHRONICALLY BROKEN GARAGE GATE, and seven stories!!!

But all this does not take away from the meaningful efforts of the rank-and-file staff, who, near as we can tell, are all decent people, doing the best they can.

During the night, when we do have a single guard on duty, he really tries to do his best, and always greets residents with a smile -- even though his job is FUNDAMENTALLY IMPOSSIBLE. 

There is simply no way a single person could secure a building with three entrances, a gym, a pool, seven stories above ground, and a two-floor parking garage. And that would be true even if our main garage gate was NOT broken, which it IS, and has been for months!

The 5550 Tenants Association has repeatedly noted, in formal letters to management, that directing our lone night time security guard to pay extra attention to the BROKEN AND WIDE OPEN garage gate would NECESSARILY TAKE HIS ATTENTION AWAY FROM OTHER CRITICAL AREAS of the building. 

The Association had repeatedly demanded that senior management and ownership hire additional security, AT LEAST WHILE THE GARAGE GATE REMAINS BROKEN AND WIDE OPEN. But -- surprise surprise -- senior management refused. It seems they just don't care about our safety. 

If you happen to work at the building for Avenue5, and are reading this message right now -- and if your name is not Vasquez, Dow, or Gallo -- then please know that our conflict has nothing to do with you. 

And your acts of kindness, generosity, and professionalism are not lost on us. 

Unfortunately, your common decency cannot remedy the IMMESNE AND ENDURING systemic and structural issues with our landlord. But we know you're doing your best, we appreciate you.

Ultimately, the rank-and-file staff at our building may be renters too. They too many one day need to confront a greedy and callous landlord. And when they do, the 5550 Tenants Association would be pleased to help.

(Something tells us Mr. Clay Grubb, CEO of Grubb properties, which owns our building, probably isn't dealing with a greedy landlord who hasn't fixed his hot tub for over a year -- but hey, if against all odds you're a renter, I guess we'll help you too, Clay.)