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Tenants ask New London council for help after Alpha Capital acquisitions; councilors pledge support
Summary
Residents from buildings recently acquired by Alpha Capital urged the council to back collective bargaining and tenant protections after eviction notices; councilors and the mayor pointed to the Fair Rent Commission and promised referrals and legislative outreach.
Leticia Taylor, a resident of 461 William Street, told the council that her building and neighboring blocks had organized into a tenants union after property purchases by Alpha Capital and its agent, Tyler Smith, and that many tenants had received notices to quit by Dec. 1. “We are not disposable,” Taylor said, asking the council to “stand by us” and press Alpha Capital to negotiate with tenants through collective bargaining.
Daniel Park, a tenant at 36 Nathan Hale, described receiving a notice to quit that he said affected half his building and left vulnerable residents — including a disabled veteran and a person with a traumatic brain injury — scrambling. Park said those residents did not know they were already protected under the state’s just-cause eviction rules until the union informed them. “We want fairness, security and dignity,” he said.
Councilors responded with public offers of help. Councilor Jeff Hart addressed the tenants directly, calling their organizing “brave” and saying he planned to introduce municipal legislation to extend tenant protections; Hart urged collective bargaining in good faith and offered to assist tenants with next steps. The mayor and other council members pointed tenants to the city’s Fair Rent Commission as an immediate avenue to contest unreasonable rent increases, and several councilors advised residents to document requests and provide written details so staff and elected officials could act.
The council did not adopt emergency local ordinances at the meeting, but multiple members encouraged tenants to file complaints with the Fair Rent Commission and said they would press state lawmakers on broader measures — including just-cause eviction legislation — to strengthen local authority. Councilors also urged residents to provide written requests so the council and committees can consider formal referrals or convene task forces to coordinate legal and administrative assistance.
