7 NEWS. >> EILEEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO OVER THE YEARS WE'VE COVERED A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH BUFFALO HOUSING COURT. BUT DID YOU KNOW, TECHNICALLY SINCE THE 1970'S THERE'S BEEN A STATE LAW ON THE BOOKS THAT REQUIRED OVERSIGHT OF THIS COURT PROBLEM IS THAT STOPPED IN THE 90'S EVER SINCE THEN. THE MANDATED MONITORING JUST HASN'T HAPPENED. INVESTIGATIVE POST IS NOW REPORTING THAT THAT COULD CHANGE IN. THE BIG QUESTION IS WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT HE JUST JUST STILL REPORTED. THAT STORY FOR INVESTIGATIVE POST AND SHE JOINS ME LIVE HERE TONIGHT. YOU JUST GOOD TO SEE. YOU CAN SEE TO THANK FOR NEW MICHAEL. LET ME START HERE WITH WHAT HIS HOUSE AND COURT BECAUSE I'M SURE SOME PEOPLE ARE WATCHING AND THEY'RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHY SHOULD I CARE WHAT HOUSING COURT? SUPER IMPORTANT IN DEALING WITH A LOT OF ISSUES IN THE CITY OF BUFFALO. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S ARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COURT IN THE CITY, EVEN IF YOU'VE NEVER HAD A PROPERTY LAND AND HOUSING COURT. >> IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BECAUSE IT CONCERNS THE HOMES OF THE CITY AND ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING QUOTES IN MY STORY CAME FROM DOCTOR HENRY TAYLOR VIEW BE HE SAID THAT A LOT OF THE CITY'S HOMES ARE QUITE LITERALLY KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A CITY WHERE OVER 60% OF OUR HOMES ARE BUILT IN THE 1930'S OR EARLIER. WE HAVE ISSUES LIKE MOLD, ASBESTOS, LEAD PAINT. SO HOUSING COURT IS WHERE THOSE ISSUES COME TO BE SOLVED IS WHERE INSPECTORS BRING THESE ISSUES AND THE HOMES TO THE ATTENTION OF THE JUDGE THAT THEY CAN BE REMEDIATED. SO HOUSE IN COURT AS A PLACE THAT DEALS WITH NOT ONLY THE CONDITIONS OF THE HOMES, BUT ALSO LANDLORD, TENANT ISSUES AS WELL. DO WE KNOW WHY DESPITE THIS LAW WILL BE HELD ON THE BOOKS NOW FOR LONGER THAN EITHER OF US HAS BEEN ALIVE, THAT THIS MANDATE AND MONITORING OF THE HOUSING COURT HASN'T BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE 90'S. WELL, THERE IS NO DEFINITE ANSWER, BUT QUITE A FEW PEOPLE THAT SPOKE TO WITHIN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM SAY IT'S BECAUSE AT A CERTAIN POINT FOR WHATEVER REASON, SOME HOUSING COURT JUDGES JUST FELT IT WASN'T NEEDED. SOME SAY THAT THE COUNCIL MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE TOO CRITICAL OF JUDGES AT SOME POINT. AND SO THE JUDGE BEING THE HEAD AUTHORITY SORT OF THOUGHT, WELL, MAYBE WE COULD PUSH THIS TO THE SIDE. OTHERS SPECULATE THAT THERE WAS SORT OF A LOST INTEREST IN THE ADVOCACY FOR, YOU KNOW, FIGHTING FOR HEALTHY HOMES AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. SO WHATEVER THE CASE, THIS DID DIE DOWN. BUT THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM TODAY REALIZES THAT IT'S A LIE. AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH IT, IT MUST BE OBEYED. THAT'S WHY IT'S GETTING REINSTATED. YEAH, THAT'S I KNOW. THERE ARE PEOPLE WATCHING RIGHT NOW ARE LIKE SINCE WHEN DID THE JUDGE GET TO DECIDE? I'M NOT GOING TO FOLLOW STATE LAW. THAT PART ASIDE BECAUSE AGAIN, THE STATES BACK TO THE 70'S RIGHT HERE, WE ARE NOW IN 2024. >> THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE RIGHT? THIS MONITORING IS GOING TO COME WHAT WE THROUGH, WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED ABOUT THAT, WHY THEY'RE DOING IT AND HOW SIGNIFICANT THAT MIGHT >> YES, SO REALLY THE REASON WHY THIS IS COMING BACK IS BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN CALLS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT CHANNEL 7 ACTUALLY COVERED IN 2019. 0ST, THE ALLENTOWN ASSOCIATION BROUGHT AWARENESS TO THE FACT THAT THERE WASN'T AN ACT OF ADVISORY COUNCIL BECAUSE THEY LIKE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE KIND OF TIRED OF THE WAY THAT THE CITY SOMETIMES DRAGS ITS FEET AND DEALING WITH HOUSING RELATED ISSUES. SO I SPOKE WITH QUITE A FEW PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE 8TH JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE, KEVIN CARTER, WHO HAS BYLAWS RESPONSIBLE FOR APPOINTING THE COUNCIL. AND HE CONFIRMED THAT THE COUNCIL IS, IN FACT, IN THE STATE OF BEING RE REINSTATED. AND HE SAID THAT HE DOESN'T QUITE KNOW REALLY WHAT TO EXPECT. SO HE'S TALKING TO PASS A JUDGE'S SO THAT HE CAN GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE COUNCIL SHOULD BE. AND HE'S ALSO TALKING TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES LIKE NEW YORK CITY. THEY HAVE AN ACTIVE HAS INCURRED AND PFIZER COUNCIL. SO THERE'S GOING TO BE SOMEWHAT OF A LEARNING CURVE ALONG THE WAY, BUT HE'S REALLY EXCITED TO GET A REINSTATED. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO HEAR IS COMING BACK AS WELL. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A >> BE THAT YOU COVER A LOT. AND AGAIN, AS WE MENTIONED OFF THE TOP HERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH BUFFALO HOUSING I GUESS RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW SIGNIFICANT THIS MIGHT BE. WE HAVE A LOT OF ADVISORY COUNCILS OR DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT OVERSEE THINGS. I MEAN, JUST AS SOMEONE WHO COVERS THIS A LOT, DO YOU THINK THIS COULD END UP BEING SIGNIFICANT IN DEALING WITH A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS? I REALLY DO. I THINK WILL BE A BIG DEAL BECAUSE FROM WHAT I'VE OBSERVED IS A LOT OF CITIZENS AND ACTIVISTS FEEL THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A VOICE IN COURT. AND SO THE ADVISORY COUNCIL IS GOING TO BE A WAY TO DO THAT BECAUSE THE LAW REQUIRES THERE TO BE MEMBERS FROM THE PUBLIC AT LARGE MEMBERS FROM THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY FROM THE BAR ASSOCIATION. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY DIVERSE GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS ARE GOING TO OBSERVE HOUSING COURT, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE JUDGES PRODUCE ANNUAL REPORTS. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HOPEFUL THAT BY HAVING MORE COMPREHENSIVE DATA INFORMATION ON THE BOOKS, THERE WILL ALSO BE MORE TRANSPARENCY AND QUICKER HANDLING AND MORE EFFECTIVE HANDLING OF CASES AS WELL. YEAH, WE'RE GONNA GET A LOT MORE INFORMATION. AND SOMETIMES SUNLIGHT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS OUT THERE. I KNOW YOU'LL BE COVERING IT CLOSELY. GO TO INVESTIGATE A POST DOT ORG. YOU CAN READ JAZZ'S REPORTING ON THIS REALLY THOROUGH AND INTERESTING STUFF. IT'S CRAZY HOW LONG