A Sunnyside condominium with Nazi and Confederate imagery plastered in its lobby is drawing the ire of residents, activists and local leaders, who gathered Wednesday to denounce the display.
The building, located at 47-55 39th Place, features an odd mix of faux-residents in its directory, including Nazi doctor Josef Mengele and rapper Biggie Smalls. The lobby had been recently covered with posters of President Donald Trump, Adolf Hitler and Mussolini, as well as Martin Luther King Jr.
“What is happening in this building is an affront to all of us,” said City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “It is an absolute disgrace that there are Sunnysiders who are living in fear, literally being held hostage in their own homes because of the property manager.”
If residents complain, they get Trump stickers slapped on their door by Neal Milano, the man who allegedly put the posters up. Some have expressed fear that they will be forced out as retaliation, Van Bramer said.
Milano is also the sole member on the condo board, according to Van Bramer’s office.
The building’s original bylaws, filed with the state in 1984, required the board to have five members. It was not immediately clear if those bylaws had been changed in the years since.
“We’re troubled by these reports and will review any complaints of harassment made by residents of the building,” a spokeswoman with the state attorney general’s office said in an email.
An attorney for Milano did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lynn Calvacca, who owns two units in the building but doesn’t live there, said she often hears complaints from other tenants and owners. The posters have gone up recently with a real uptick in the past few months.
“I do see fear in their eyes. He’s a bully. He’s a terrorist,” she said about Milano. “Everybody is so afraid.”
Calvacca said she has been trying to challenge Milano for a seat on the condo board, but has been unsuccessful so far. She also said she plans on taking legal action against Milano, but declined to discuss the details.
Those who attended the rally, including tenants and owners in the building, called for an investigation of the property manager for alleged harassment.
“This is not who we are,” the councilman said. “This is not what Sunnyside or Queens or the city of New York is about.”
