Story Archive

Have Some More “Negative Attention”

John Flickner, 78, was being evicted for using medical marijuana, which is legal in New York, and Deb Fuszara was trying to help him — as the “service coordinator” for the government-subsidized apartment building where Flickner lived, that was her job. At his suggestion, Fuszara called the Buffalo News to publicize his plight. The local paper’s coverage of Flickner’s eviction embarrassed LHP Capital, which owns the building, into revisiting its strict drug policy, and letting the man move back into his apartment. But LHP complained about the “negative attention” and asked Fuszara’s employer, a subcontractor it had hired, to get rid of her. They fired her. (AC/Buffalo News) ...They don’t want to employ someone to help people who’s actually going to, you know, help people.