Wakefield mom: Building management threatened to kick me out over rodent complaints

A Wakefield mother says she was threatened with being kicked out of her building after making numerous 311 calls about a rodent infestation.

News 12 Staff

Nov 14, 2019, 1:04 AM

Updated 1,631 days ago

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A Wakefield mother says she was threatened with being kicked out of her building after making numerous 311 calls about a rodent infestation.
Iesha Poindexter says she and her young kids have dealt with rodents over the past several years. She says the building's management company, Five Star Management, has failed to do anything about it.
After the lack or response, she resorted to making 311 complaints, but instead got a letter in the form of a contract from Acacia Network, a social services provider in the building, demanding her to stop making calls or get kicked out.
"Literally the first line telling me, 'If you do not refrain from calling 311, we will not renew your lease' ... unacceptable," says Poindexter.
Poindexter says she stopped making calls for her children's safety. But then, her 3-year-old son was hospitalized with an upper respiratory infection. She believes it is connected to the incessant mice droppings in the building. The incident pushed her to speak publicly.
News of her situation prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo to call for a state investigation into Five Star and Acacia Network.
Poindexter now tells News 12 the organization that provides funding to Acacia is finding her a new apartment.
News 12 reached out to Five Star and Acacia but has not heard back.
 


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