Page 6-Friday, August 7, 1981-The Michigan Daily

0


Tenants accuse
N.Y. landlord
of harassment

NEW YORK (AP)-Like most lan-
dlords, the Latora family lost money on
rent-controlled apartments whose oc-
cupants stayed year after year. Unlike
most, police say, the Latoras tried to
frighten tenants out.
What authorities describe as "a cam-
paign of terror" ended Wednesday
when 10 officers with shotguns kicked in
the door of the Latoras' apartment, as
the Latoras allegedly held a knife to the
throat of a young lawyer who represen-
ted one of their tenants.
POLICE SAID the -landlords were
threatening to cut out her heart,
enraged because they found she was
carrying a transmitter and tape recor-
der provided by the district attorney.
The Latoras-father Salvatore, 54,
and his sons John, 24, Vincent, 23, and
Robert, 20-were charged with attem-
pted murder, assault, reckless en-
dangerment and illegal possession of a
dangerous weapon. '
A spokeswoman for the district attor-
ney said the deaths of three elderly
tenants-one of a heart attack after an
argument with Vincent Latora-were

under investigation by a grand jury.
THE FAMILY bought a four-story,
48-unit brick building in Brooklyn in
January. Police say they tried to drive
old tenants out in order to circumvent
laws limiting rent increases for incum-
bent tenants; landlords can charge
greater increases to new tenants.
"You're 70 years old and you come
home and find glue in your locks. You
get it fixed, come home, and there's
glue again," said Kenneth Cox, a
tenant. "That kind of harassment has to
eat at you."
The Latoras allegedly kicked in an
elderly tenant's door four times in one
week, prevented a nurse with insulin
from entering to see a diabetic tenant
and cut off power in several apartmen-
ts.
TENANTS IN two first-floor apar-
tments returned home to find that signs
offering their quarters as "professional
suites" had been posted in their win-
dows.
"We tried to organize, but they had
the old people frightened," said Cox,
who is 38. "Each time fewer of them
came to the meetings."
The tenants say that when they called
their first meeting, the Latoras stood
outside the apartment where tenants
gathered and stared as they entered.
During the second meeting, the Latoras
cut off the lights.

I
I

AP Photo
Fountain of youth
With summer temperatures reaching 900 in Germany, these Frankfurt tots
feel no embarrassment cooling off under this sprinkling water fountain, in

i

the buff.


ff


Opens Wednesday
AN ENTERTAINMEI
SPECTACULAR!
The Amaze N' Blue I
inside and like magic
suddenly perched atc
height in a rollercoas
through dangerous we
Or even racing at top
Grand Prix.* Its a fan
So extraordinary, so 1
500 E Liberty, Ann Arbor rivals the real thing!

NT
Machine. Step
you're
a death-defying
ter. Or churning
aters on a raft.
speed at the
tastic voyager
believable, it
Ride the
hine.


Amaze N' Blue maci

Haig slips
'into days
gone b
WASHINGTON (UPI)-Secretary of
State Alexander Haig slipped yesterday
and installed his old boss, Richard
Nixon, back in the White House.
Haig was briefing reporters on the
meetings between Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat and President Reagan
when he unexpectedly used Nixon's
name instead of Reagan's.
"DURING THE discussions in-
volving Egypt's future, President Sadat
described very poignantly to President
Nixon the difficulty he had... the dif-
ficulty he had ...," Haig said, pausing
and then stopping at the rising
laughter.
He was told he had substituted Nison
for Reagan in the Oval Office
discussions with Sadat.
"Did I?" Haig said. "Oh my
heavens."
"Now I just wonder how you'll treat
that," he said to laughter.
Join
News.Staff -

a

a

AMAZE N1 BLUE MACHONE.
The Simulation Station is Ann
Arbor's newest entertainment
center, where 60 of the most
advanced video and mechanical
games-are ready for your play in our
spacious, futuristic atmosphere.

I


The Simulation Station
Downtown next to Second Chance
Open: 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. Mon.-Sat.
Noon to Midnight Sunday.

4

to
61 0 :.y. 4Rg'+