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Uniting to protest conditions at Stonybrook Apartments

Posted at 9:00 PM, Sep 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-29 22:43:59-04

Camille says her cupboards are infested with roaches. No matter how much she cleans or covers up her food, the creatures crawl everywhere. "Look, come, see as soon as I open it up they are everywhere."

When she goes to sleep, she hears rats running around.

"Every night I am getting up and I am thinking it's not like they are in my kitchen, but you can hear them in the walls," she said.

Camille told NewsChannel 5 in her four years living at the complex, conditions have gone from to deplorable to dangerous.

"This is hazardous for me and my children," she said. 

The city of Riviera Beach claims the owners of the property, GMF is to blame for these conditions. Many don't have air conditioning and the kids' playground is in bad shape.

The Mayor's Response Team will be at a protest Sunday night, being vocal to change things.

"This young lady is doing a tremendous job," said Mayor Thomas Masters. 

Meanwhile, community organizations, like Urban Youth Impact, are there aiming to improve life.

"We were doing a program out in the playground for almost our first year here. Then we got the community center, we re-did that," said Chelsea Shoff with the organization.

But for Camille, it could be too late no matter who helps.

"They need to break it down. They need to give these people what they need, a better living environment."

The Mayor's Response Team Stonybrook Protest will take place Sunday at 6 p.m. at 1555 MLK Boulevard in Riviera Beach.
 

Statement from representative at GMF-Preservation for Affordability Corp.:

“We applaud constructive community partnerships that put aid to those most in need of affordable housing ahead of rhetoric.  Stonybrook residents live in a community that has been ravaged by violence, drugs and crime for decades. The 80% reduction in calls for police service to Stonybrook, reported by WPTV in a December interview with Community Partners, is a reflection of GMF’s investments in Stonybrook over the three years it has owned the property, as well as a reflection of the efforts of others in the community including Urban Youth Impact and the Riviera Beach PD.”