Eviction Hearing

The City Council will held an open hearing tonight to investigate reports of main evictions from a local housing project.

Councilor David Sullivan proposed the special hearing after learning of a large number of evictions at the Fresh Pond Apartments located at the end of Rindge Ave.

The project, commonly known as the Rindge Towers, is privately owned and federally subsidized. It contains the largest concentration of Haitians in the city, as well as many Spanish-speaking Americans, officials said.

Representatives from tenant organizations, legal aid services, and the firm that manages the apartments--Federal Management Company, Inc.--are expected to participate in the hearing, which begins at 6 p.m.

Councilor Saundra Graham said last week that "tenants are reluctant to seek legal help because they don't understand the process, and many do not speak English."

"The more I learn the more the situation mystifies me, and I'm looking forward to the hearing," Sullivan said. There have been 60 successful evictions so far, he added.