About twenty to thirty Peekskill Plaza tenants met with State Sen. Peter Harckham on Thursday, Dec. 5 to discuss alleged drug dealing and quality of life issues at their apartments.

The private meeting took place at 901 Main St. and was restricted to tenants and the senator. Several residents claimed there is a lack of security resulting in drug dealing and prostitution, an infestation of bed bugs and mice not properly exterminated, the unhoused sleeping in the halls, a lack of heating in some rooms, and mold on walls.

Tenants spoke about their living conditions from about 3 p.m to 5 p.m. However, the meeting was almost blocked from taking place because the community room designated for the meeting was locked by management and instead had to be held in the lobby.

The Herald spoke to three tenants who attended the meeting who asked to use pseudonyms for fear of their lives and retaliation from others. 

One such resident, Danielle of 901 Main St, is fed up with the building management.

“It’s absurd,” she said. “We were locked out of the room. Because we’re having people coming here to help us? Because we want a safe living environment?”

Another tenant alleged that a superintendent and custodian said that the building’s manager told them not to open the door under any circumstances, despite it being a designated heating location during the winter. This tenant also claimed a member of Harckham’s staff went over to the police department to complain about the locked door.

A spokesperson for the Peekskill Police Department told the Herald that while an officer conducted a check of the area around 3 p.m., there was no police report on file regarding the alleged complaint.

Building manager Desmarie Griffin was reached on Monday but declined to comment. A superintendent at the building was reached but declined to comment. According to Danielle, the building’s former superintendent was fired in May and replaced with three assistant supers.

Courtyard resident Paige said she found the meeting to be helpful overall and that there will be a follow up meeting soon. 

“There’s a lot of things going on that were unveiled today,” Paige said. “It was very successful. The senator was very good, very compassionate. He listened and he showed a lot of concern. It was very good.”

A spokesperson for the senator told the Herald on Thursday Harckham does not comment on private meetings and declined to comment on the matter.

Tenants air grievances about living conditions and security at Peekskill Plaza

Grievances about living conditions at 901 Main St and Peekskill Plaza are not new. That was proven when several residents expressed their fears and concerns at City Hall in May and again in August at the Neighborhood Center.

While tenants have said some things have improved since then, including the hiring of some security guards and installation of several security cameras, they say there still needs to be a better security system to prevent crime.

Danielle, a tenant of 901 Main St., said management did not install cameras on every floor and that because security is not there 24/7, there is a constant flow of people coming in and out to purchase crack, fentanyl, and heroin from those who live inside. 

Courtyard resident Paige described living at the plaza as a nightmare every night and an embarrassment to have guests as there are inebriated people bumping into or talking to the walls. She added that last month’s drug raid by federal law enforcement has not put much of a dent in drug activity at the property.

“They let their guards down once they walk in here because they know there’s no surveillance,” Paige said. “I was fighting for the surveillance in the garage, which we got, but they did not hear me when I said we need surveillance here outside in the courtyard. Each corridor should have a camera. They will catch so much going on.”

Nova, a tenant of 905 Main St., shared that her intercom bell often rings between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. by those looking to enter the building.

“You got people in the apartment legally — they’re letting other drug users use the apartment as a place for them to get high,” Nova said. “You got crack heads that get buzzed in and they go to somebody’s house where they get high.”

Nova said that the building manager needs to create a list of banned interlopers and give that to the police department. However, Nova claimed the manager wants residents to get those names. Given that many of these interlopers may be under the influence or drug dealers, building management is essentially asking residents to put their lives on the line, Nova said.

Courtyard resident Paige said she was assaulted just last month while trying to prevent a “crackhead” from getting inside.

“We were like, ‘I’m sorry, you need to be buzzed in, or you need to have a key fob,’” Paige said. “And so he got very indignant, so we ignored him. But then someone was exiting, so he rushed inside and he pushed me out of the way… and went straight into the building.”

A spokesperson for the Peekskill Police Department said he believed the incident in question was a harassment complaint that officers responded to but yielded no arrests.

“I’ve had [police] in my house at three o’clock in the freaking morning… I’m not a snitch,” Danielle said. “I just can’t live like this…. We don’t want to live like this anymore. We’re screaming and yelling in front of the gate, me and a bunch of old ladies trying to keep them out.”

The building’s management company, Marathon Development Group, told the Herald in a statement on Friday there have been significant improvements to security at the full apartment complex over the past several months.

Some of these improvements include increased security at the front gate, garage entrance and mailroom entrance by replacing the key locks with an electronic key fob system, as well as installing a security camera system with heavy emphasis on all entry points to the buildings, plus stairwells and common areas.

“We engaged a security company to provide security guards to patrol the building,” they stated. “The firm currently provides uniformed security. The security staff utilizes state of the art ‘geo-fencing’ tag system to monitor their patrols around the building and grounds and they provide daily reports including photos.”

According to the Marathon Development Group, since the fob system and cameras were installed, the daily security reports have documented very minimal undesirable activity by either outsiders or residents.

“The Peekskill Police Department is located directly across the property and we enjoy a close working relationship with the Police Department,” they stated. “Residents are reminded that if they see something out of the ordinary they should contact the Police Department immediately.”