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Resident tells Fall River Housing Authority of alleged elder abuse, maintenance failures at Bishop E
Summary
At a Fall River Housing Authority meeting, resident Donald Hamilton described repeated conflicts between management and tenants at Bishop E apartments, alleged interference with EMT care, forged documents under investigation and multiple unresolved maintenance complaints; the board said it will investigate and follow up with the resident.
Donald Hamilton, a resident of Bishop E apartments, told the Fall River Housing Authority during public comment that tenants at the building have faced escalating problems with the property manager, including shouting, alleged interference with emergency medical technicians and what Hamilton described as forged payroll paperwork shown to the state attorney general.
"The trust between manager and tenants has been totally and irreparably damaged," Hamilton said, listing incidents he said ranged from the manager yelling at tenants to the manager banging on an ambulance door while EMTs were trying to administer care. He said tenants have submitted notarized affidavits and asked outside groups including Senior Whole Health and Citizens for Citizens for help.
Hamilton also raised maintenance concerns, saying one tenant lives "with a hole in the floor" and another paid for a cabinet out of pocket because repairs were not treated as emergencies. He said tenants had paid for notarizations for affidavits and that one eviction case involving alleged forged signatures remains open with the state attorney general and "she still has 2 more years to press charges." Hamilton asked the board to consider bringing in an outside, unbiased reviewer "not affiliated with housing" to assess how management handles complaints.
Chairman Long acknowledged the remarks and said the board would not simply let the complaint be forgotten. "So, it's not this is not just gonna go into a pile and just forgotten. So we will take a look at it," he said, and told Hamilton the board would follow up and be in touch.
No formal board action was taken during the meeting; Chairman Long said staff would review Hamilton's materials and follow up with him. Hamilton provided contact details and said residents planned a tenant meeting and cookout for about 20 to 25 people at Bishop E; he asked the authority to consider his complaint alongside the building's broader issues rather than judging a single incident.
The concerns Hamilton described included alleged improper handling of emergency medical calls, allegations of forged documents that are the subject of an open state inquiry, a group of notarized affidavits from residents, and persistent maintenance requests that residents say have not been treated as emergencies. The board recorded Hamilton's comments in the meeting minutes and indicated it will investigate; no timeframe for the investigation was given.
