By Black Star News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
A coalition of New York elected officials are demanding action after small business owner and homeowner (of 32 years) Filmore Brown lost his home over a questionable $5,000 dollar water bill from 2019.
A press conference will be held in front of Mr. Brown’s home at — 227 East 89th Street, Brooklyn, NY — on August 15, 2025, at 12 PM to bring public awareness to the case and demand systemic change. Mr. Brown’s East Flatbush home was fully paid off.
In a press release, the officials state that “At the center of this crisis is the New York City’s tax lien sale, a three-decade-old practice through which the City transfers outstanding property taxes, water and sewer bills, and building code violations into a special trust created annually, which then sells securities to Wall Street investors that are collateralized by the tax liens. A tax lien foreclosure was then commenced against Mr. Brown’s home in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently sold at foreclosure auction four years later in December 2024.”
The officials also note that “Mr. Brown’s attorney, Alice Nicholson, Esq., confirms that a foreclosure case was initiated in 2020, during pandemic shutdowns, when courts were operating under severe restrictions. The court granted a default judgment in 2021 and a final judgment in 2023 without Mr. Brown’s knowledge, paving the way for the property to be sold without a formal eviction proceeding.”
“We are witnessing a deliberate and systemic divestment of Black homeowners, enabled by City practices that prioritize private investor profit over the constitutional property rights of New Yorkers,” said Council Member Chris Banks. “Mr. Brown’s rights to due process, quiet enjoyment of his home, and freedom from unwarranted harassment have been disregarded. This is not an accident — it is part of a broader pattern we must confront.”
Assemblymember Monique Chandler-Waterman released a statement saying, “We are at the center of a profound failure and a systemic injustice when a person’s home, the very foundation of safety and stability, can be stripped away without warning over a water bill. A $5,000 debt should never outweigh a lifetime of investments, family memories, or the basic human right to shelter. As servant leaders, we are not in the business of prioritizing revenue over residents. For us, this is not just about a bill; it is about the erosion of trust, the abuse of power, and the silent theft of homes.
“My in-district AD 58 Taskforce, along with community organizations like Brooklyn Level Up and NHS, will continue to bring awareness through outreach efforts like door-to-door canvassing and advocacy around lien sales and housing resources. Additionally, we remain committed to working collaboratively with key agencies and trusted housing organizations to support and strengthen these efforts. As an executive member of the New York State Assembly Black Legislative Taskforce, and member of the Black Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, this injustice to our Black and brown communities is not work as usual — this is personal.
“According to the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Black homeowners like Mr. Filmore face higher risk of foreclosures. Black families are losing homes not because they failed, but because the system was built to fail them. We demand reform, accountability, and above all, understanding, because no one should lose everything over a utility.”
Mr. Brown is now “living in a nightmare” fearful, in his own home, after the deed thieves who obtained his home installed surveillance cameras on the property.
“This is my dream house,” said Mr. Brown. “I worked my whole life for it. I paid every bill I knew of. And now I live in fear, in a house they say isn’t mine anymore.”
The coalition of New York elected officials is calling for:
● An immediate public hearing and investigation into Mr. Brown’s case and broader tax lien sale practices;
● A moratorium on foreclosure and evictions stemming from NYC tax and water lien sales;
● Legislation to remove water bills from the tax lien sale process, as successfully implemented in Maryland.
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