Sen. Myrie, Elected Officials Call on Mayor to Relocate Brooklyn Housing Court

BROOKYN - New York State Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie and 22 elected officials have called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to permanently relocate Brooklyn's housing court.

The housing court, which until the COVID-19 outbreak operated at 141 Livingston Street, has long been decrepit, overcrowded and unsanitary, making it sure to exacerbate the current public health crisis were it to reopen, the officials say in a letter to the mayor.

"As legislators who represent the borough of Brooklyn, we have serious concerns that the reopening of the housing courts before the full resolution of the COVID-19 crisis would be premature and dangerous," the lawmakers, which include three members of Congress, say in the letter. "Until the public has access to effective treatments and vaccines for the virus — both of which could be years away — there are numerous and considerable barriers to the safe use of the housing court’s building."

The letter, which is attached to this release, urges the mayor to direct the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to commence an immediate search for a more suitable building.