Chelsea Gardens apartment residents continue to plead for help as they face eviction from their homes.
Residents spoke out for the second time at Monday’s College Park City Council meeting.
During public comment, resident Dontavious Moore said workers are tearing apart unoccupied units while residents are still living in nearby apartments. Water service interruptions have also caused senior citizens, children, and people with disabilities to wait for hours to use the bathroom, he added.
Chelsea Gardens, condemned by the city in late April, has been described by residents as plagued by excessive mold, water shutoffs, rodent infestations, and collapsing infrastructure.
Residents have said eviction notices began to appear in March due to the sale of the apartment complex. SaportaReport has not yet confirmed the new owner.
Some residents say they have lived at Chelsea Gardens for more than a decade, and now they are being told they must leave within weeks.
Residents first raised alarm at the April 21 council meeting, and say that little has changed beyond expressions of regret from officials.
On Monday, the issue came up again during the regular council meeting. Mayor Bianca Motley Broom read a statement apologizing for “the pain and uncertainty” residents have endured, saying she learned about the condemnation order on the same day as residents and was not consulted on the decision or the plan for supporting tenants.
She noted that after requesting a report from the city attorney and manager, she received no response — and the next day, the condemnation notice was issued “without discussion, without transparency, and without a plan that centered on the people most affected.”
While the mayor said she understood utilities would remain on during the transition, residents have reported water service interruptions.
“I do not condone what is taking place here,” Motley Broom said. “…We must do better. I will continue to push for processes and decisions that reflect the dignity and humanity of the people we represent.”
Members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation have publicly supported residents and are also asking officials to intervene in some way with the eviction process.
“When the council fails to hear or even acknowledge its constituents, these public forums unfortunately become the only avenue residents have,” member Elias DuPree said.
DuPree said tenants have been living with mold, sewage leaks, and rodent infestations for months. The group presented Councilman Roderick Gay with a formal document requesting help but received no response, Dupree added.
Gay did not comment on the issue during the meeting.
Councilmembers Joe Carn, Jamelle McKenzie and Tracie Arnold, who represent Ward 3 where Chelsea Gardens is located, criticized the conditions of the apartment units.
“The apartment complex should’ve never gotten to the point where it is unsanitary, unhealthy, and in deplorable condition,” Arnold said.
Arnold said a community service provider is going door-to-door in the complex, offering assistance to residents in finding another place to live.
The councilwoman said the city has a “moral obligation” to help the residents but did not say what the action would look like.
McKenzie described the experience of Chelsea Gardens residents as a “failure of compassion.”
Meanwhile as the city faces increasing pressure to respond to the public outcry in tangible ways, Chelsea Gardens residents say they are fighting for dignity and a safe and affordable path to a new living space.
At the April council meeting, Carolyn Huitt, 71, told officials that she is a caregiver to her son while raising two grandchildren, and she has lived there for 10 years.
“The apartment is horrible,” Huitt said, adding that she has no options. “I have nowhere to go… Can somebody help us, please?”
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