Home Painted By Developer Without Consent Still Black Years Later

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — A Bed-Stuy homeowner whose historic red-brick building was partly painted pitch black by her real estate developer neighbor said she's been waiting two years for him to pay $5,000 in damages owed so she can repaint her home.

Evette Simmons, 61, is still waiting for Ozone Development owner Joe Mashiesh to pay for a paint job after her 100-year-old brownstone on Hancock Street near Malcolm X Boulevard was painted black without her consent in December 2016.

"We're not going to let you get by," said Simmons. "You must fight."

Simmons was outraged to discover her home had been painted without her consent, she said, because of the building's history.

She was able to own her Bed-Stuy building because her great-grandfather Moses J. Cobb walked 500 miles on the underground railroad to escape slavery, became the NYPD's first African American police officer, and gave his son the chance to buy it.

Simmons successfully sued Ozone Development in 2017 for the damages they caused, but because she's yet to see a dime, the wall remains black.

"They complete these projects and then they run," Simmons said.

Simmons tried unsuccessfully to garner support from her local elected officials, but was told again and again, "our hands our tied," she said.

So Simmons and organizers from Equality For Flatbush organized a mass protest outside the developer's home in Great Neck, New York, one early Sunday morning on May 19.

Video shows Simmons and volunteers driving up in a U-Haul decked out in a banner that reads "Pay Me My $5K Now."

The activists did not step onto the property, and no one came outside to speak with them, but Simmons believes her message was received.

"This is really a powerful tool," Simmons said of her protest. "Peacefully, within the legal guidelines, you can really make a powerful impact."

Simmons says she'll continue to fight against the developers who have yet to repaint the wall they defaced in 2016, and believes that she'll win.

"I can see sunlight now," said Simmons. "It was like I was in a dungeon, now there's hope."

Patch was unable to reach Ozone Development for comment.