On Wednesday, January 29, 2020, Attorney General William Tong announced that his office had opened an investigation into Emmanuel Ku, former owner of the Clay Arsenal Renaissance Apartments (CARA).
In 2018, resident leaders organized by the Christian Activities Council (now the Center for Leadership and Justice) forced the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to pull its federal subsidy from Ku after he failed numerous opportunities to remedy thousands of safety and housing code violations.
Ku purchased CARA at auction in 2009 for $2.4 million. Once HUD pulled the subsidy, he sold the 150-unit development in 2018 for $6.5 million after receiving more than $10 million in subsidies over the duration of ownership. However, this was not Ku’s first rodeo. Prior to coming to Hartford, Ku owned government subsidized housing in New York and Birmingham plagued by thousands of well-documented safety code violations, fines, and lawsuits.
Attorney General Tong’s office is utilizing the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act in a groundbreaking way to go after Ku. Tong stated:
“[Ku] let those properties rot, and subjected his tenants – who had little to no ability to leave – to dangerous, uninhabitable conditions. Tenants reported roaches, mice, bed bugs, mildew, black mold and apartments lacking the most basic of functions, including heat and hot water, working windows, and working toilets. The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act gives our office broad enforcement powers to protect the public from unfair and deceptive acts and we are prepared to use the full scope of our authority to defend the rights of tenants. Clay Arsenal tenants have emerged as aggressive, effective, and organized advocates for fair housing, and our state action today builds on their important leadership.”
Our organizing efforts are aimed at long term systemic change and we think this is an important step in the right direction and we appreciate the AG’s commitment.
