Articles for I'Jaz Ja'ciel

Jan 17

2025

Judge tosses lead lawsuit against Buffalo

Community groups last February rally in front of City Hall for more funding for lead inspections. Photo by I’Jaz Ja’ciel A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that contended the City of Buffalo is failing to enforce a law that mandates inspection of rental units for the presence of lead paint. Partnership for the Public Good and three other community organizations filed the lawsuit last July against the city and the Department of Permits and Inspections. It claimed a failure to fully implement the rental inspections law contributed to substandard living conditions for city residents and increased risks for lead poisoning[...]

Posted 3 months ago

Jan 15

2025

Buffalo demolishes the ‘House from Hell’

An excavator sits at the former site of 149 Arkansas St. following its demolition. Photo by I’Jaz Ja’ciel The troubled house at 149 Arkansas St. that plagued an West Side neighborhood for years has finally been torn down. The property, a symbol of failures on the parts of police, city court and government officials, was razed by excavators Tuesday morning, following a demolition order that then Housing Court Judge Patrick Carney issued last August. This was the third demolition order that Carney issued for the vacant house, which has been a nuisance and safety concern to neighbors since November 2022,[...]

Posted 3 months ago

Jan 13

2025

NAACP legal arm sues Realtor alleging racial steering

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a complaint this morning against a Western New York realty company alleging racial discrimination among prospective homebuyers in Buffalo. The complaint accuses Charles Glander, real estate broker and founder of Avant Realty, of violating the Fair Housing Act by “steering” — an illegal practice in real estate that involves directing prospective homebuyers toward or away from certain neighborhoods based on factors like race. “We are very alarmed by that, and we hope that our action — filing this complaint and bringing these allegations to light — will help Black residents of Buffalo access housing[...]

Posted 3 months ago

Jan 1

2025

Staying with the story

When last we spoke in December 2023, I touted my reporting on Black homeownership rates as some of my best work of the year and promised some follow-ups to dive deeper into the issue. I’d like to think I delivered on that promise this year through some in-depth pieces I wrote on the region’s mortgage lenders. In March, I produced a two-part package exploring how banks and non-bank lenders in both Erie County and the City of Buffalo were approving mortgage loans. I scoured tens of thousands of records from Census and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data to determine where[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Dec 31

2024

Dabney appointed to Buffalo Housing Court

Buffalo Housing Court, Part 17 of Buffalo City Court. Photo by I’Jaz Ja’ciel After months of speculation, Buffalo City Court Judge Phillip Dabney Jr. has been named the city’s new Housing Court judge. Dabney, 55, was a fill-in judge for Housing Court several times this year and that experience prepared him for being appointed to the position for the coming year, said Eighth Judicial Administrative Judge Kevin Carter. “I’ve heard that he’s been doing a really nice job. He seems to be serious about it. He also wants to do it, so that’s an important factor,” Carter told Investigative Post.[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Dec 16

2024

Judge Carney exits soon-to-be-changed Housing Court

Buffalo City Court. Photo by I’Jaz Ja’ciel After 30 years on the bench, the last 14 presiding over Buffalo’s Housing Court, Judge Patrick Carney has hung up his robes, making way for what could be significant changes in the way Housing Court operates. While Carney’s current term runs through the end of December, the retiring judge said last Friday was his final day in the courtroom. Although Carney’s successor has not been officially named, City Court Judge Phillip Dabney will fill in for Carney through the end of the year, according to Eighth District Administrative Judge Kevin Carter. Carter declined[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Dec 11

2024

Council: Not so fast on forgiving Braymiller loan

Braymiller Market. Photo by Garrett Looker The City of Buffalo could call in the $561,000 it loaned to Braymiller Market and reallocate the money for a different use, according to city officials and an Investigative Post review of records. Some lawmakers want to know why the acting mayor, facing a financial crisis that threatens to starve city departments and initiatives of funding, seems reluctant to do that. “I want to know why we wouldn’t require somebody who didn’t honor their commitment, who took money from the city, to at least pay it back,” Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope[...]

Posted 5 months ago

Dec 10

2024

Buffalo schools replacing lead poisoning risks

Buffalo’s challenge to address lead poisoning of children includes cleaning up contaminated water sources in city schools. Lead in school water isn’t a result of lead pipes leading from streets or in the buildings, but plumbing fixtures, school officials said. Testing conducted in 2022 and 2023 revealed 237 fixtures, including water fountains, with lead levels above current state limits, Investigative Post found. Lead-contaminated water fountains and cafeteria fixtures — 34 fountains and 19 kitchen/cafeteria faucets and kettles, according to an Investigative Post count — have been replaced districtwide over the past few years, school officials said. “Fixtures that are used[...]

Posted 5 months ago