SELECTED WORKS:

 
 

My community-based work engages housing justice, public participation, municipal systems, restorative practices, and archival documentation. Through advocacy, civic engagement, and personal municipal artifacts, these projects examine the relationship between bureaucracy, memory, architecture, and public life.

 

PRO SE APPELLATE PREFECTED BRIEF (2026)

Supreme Court, State of New York Appellate Division, Second Department

DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL (NYC DHCR) (2024)
My friend and neighbor, Carol Lipton, established the tenants association in my apartment building, a historically rent-stabilized property. In 2017, my apartment — along with several others — was deregulated through legislation that incentivized landlords to keep rent-stabilized units vacant amid New York City’s ongoing affordable housing crisis. Working alongside Carol, I pursued the re-stabilization of my apartment through the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). The process lasted approximately four years and culminated in a beautifully written letter from the Deputy Commissioner, which has since become part of my ongoing archive of municipal and personal documents. New York City continues to face a severe housing crisis in which stable housing remains increasingly inaccessible to the working class.

PRECINCT ARTIFACT (2024)

Unexpectedly, I received a phone call from the District Attorney while at work asking why I had chosen not to press charges following a burglary in my apartment. He explained that, rather than pursuing imprisonment, the precinct was attempting to implement a new program prioritizing mental health intervention. From this encounter with the police, which took place sometime between 2023 and 2024, I received several artifacts: a photograph of missing housewares, a cashed check for $57.75 found on the incarcerated man at the time of his arrest, and a small pendant composed of mismatched jewelry fragments and sentimental objects. Although the man possessed many items at the time of the arrest, not all of them belonged to me; however, all of them were assigned to me as evidence. Since then, the video documentation, photograph, and money from the piggy bank have gone missing. The pendant remains and has since become a sculptural object within my ongoing Municipal Document Archive.

FACADE APPARATUSES - SMALL CLAIMS (DEC 2023)

In 2021, my cat fell from a sixth-floor window and broke both of her arms. My renters insurance did not cover the resulting medical expenses or surgery. With the assistance of a tenant organizer, I filed a claim in small claims court arguing that window screens fall under the jurisdiction of facade maintenance and “facade apparatuses” as defined by New York City’s Local Law 11. The petition was ultimately dismissed.

PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING DELAGATE - DISTRICT 39, BROOKLYN (FY2022)

During the FY2022 Participatory Budgeting cycle in Brooklyn’s District 39 (Cycle 10), I served as a budget delegate responsible for translating community needs into fundable public projects across capital infrastructure, environmental systems, and social services. Working within a multi-stakeholder process involving residents, city agencies, and elected officials, I developed and advanced several proposals from initial concept through feasibility review and final ballot placement.

 

Organizations that I support: