By Declan Murphy
Content Warning: Pests, hygiene, violence, some gore.
In the night between December 25 and 26 in Oklahoma City, the water and heat were shut off in the city ran housing complex Andrew Square that primarily houses the city’s elderly, disabled and poor. A burst pipe flooded the 1st floor of the complex, filling the homes of the many residents with ankle-high murky water around 1 am. On the December 26, two residents had fallen due to the flooding, one breaking a hip and the other sustaining multiple injuries, having to be taken to the hospital. The building admin acted by shutting off the water, shutting off the heat and purchasing 500 gallons of water for the residents to use in the form of water bottles for drinking and hygiene. They brought in non-ADA compliant toilets for those affected to use, while promising that the ADA compliant toilets inside would stay filled with the water they had brought. Despite these promises, residents were reported to have needed to defecate into trash bags and use the trash chutes to throw them away.
Only one resident was taken to a hotel, although this was done only after the resident spoke with local ruling-class news on the Friday after the flooding. The rest of the residents were left without heat, AC, and only the water from bottles they were given until the evening of that Sunday. On December 30, one tenant spoke to city council, stating that the mold situation had only gotten worse, since this was not the first time their home had flooded. First-floor tenants lost their furniture and belongings to the flood, and the mold spread further across the complex. They spoke about requesting a mold inspection, with the response given being, “Oh, we don’t do that”. The building admin’s response was too little and too late when dealing with the many issues of the complex that existed far before the pipe burst.
Andrew Square has a long history of administrative abuse towards its residents, including not dealing with bugs or non-residents being allowed to enter freely. Residents report not feeling safe in their homes and that the on-ground security is abusive. Reports that the security screams in the faces of residents and abuse their power by leveraging their position against residents who ask to speak to management. The pests are a long-lasting issue that has been ignored by the building’s management for some time. Mice, cockroaches, maggots and other pests have been spotted in the building, subjecting these elderly and disabled residents—a vulnerable population—to unsanitary and unsafe conditions.
One of the most disturbing reports was the dismissal of many reports of a resident passing away and decomposing in their room for 5 months. The smell had grown unbearable for the other residents around the complex, and the body could be seen to have “exploded” onto a window for all to see. Even with the multiple reports and physical proof, the complex ignored their reports for 5 months and then blamed the late resident for the state of the room instead of their own inaction.
When asked for a comment, an activist with People’s Defense OKC working to support the Andrew Square tenants said, “Rampant abuse and neglect is all too common for elderly, disabled, and poor people. In a complex controlled by the housing authority, residents have no way to move out despite the horrible conditions. The tenants of Andrews Square are fed up with management. They are fed up with the state. They are fed up with empty words and have taken action into their own hands. Canvassing efforts in the complex begin this weekend, please reach out to People’s Defense OKC if you would like to support the tenants.”
