Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

<p>A May 20, 2014, front-page article in the Rochester&nbsp;<em>Democrat and Chronicle&nbsp;</em>discussed the recent ‘La Casa scandal’ that has shocked the South Wedge community. The controversy involves a business venture entered into by Maria Bocanegra and her husband, Omar Ramos, with Rochester businessman Lyjha Wilton in 2013 to open and operate La Casa restaurant, located at 93 Alexander Street. The couple, undocumented Mexican immigrants, alleges that Wilton knowingly lured them into the restaurant business with promises of “The American Dream” and then failed to deliver this elusive and undefined dream. Rather, Bocanegra and Ramos claim that Wilton, who invested upwards of $80,000 in the eatery, perpetrated “common law fraud” by taking advantage of them and inducing them to work countless unpaid hours at the restaurant. Wilton counters that while he did make good on his end of their agreements, the couple failed to fulfill their promises to him. Bocanegra and Ramos, represented by Worker Justice Center of New York Inc., have filed suit against Wilton.</p><p>The factual details of the case have yet to surface in a court of law, but in the meantime, after declining Wilton’s offers to utilize a mediator to help negotiate and settle the matter, the couple has decided to air their grievances in the court of public opinion. Various workers’ rights groups, anarchists and other activist groups have taken up the Bocanegra/ Ramos ‘cause.’ Wilton, the subject of the&nbsp;<em>D&amp;C</em>&nbsp;‘expose’, several online blogs, social media sites and the focus of private ‘chatter’, rumor and gossip on the streets of the South Wedge, has been characterized as the South Wedge’s own demon.</p><p>After reviewing countless blogs and publications purporting to ‘expose’ Wilton for his horrendous labor law violations and theft of&nbsp;&nbsp;the couple’s ‘American Dream,’ I found that quotes from the same sources have been used and reused and used again, ad nauseam with the effect of demonizing Wilton while, beyond a scant few rebuttal quotes by Wilton or his attorneys, fail to speak to anyone other than those making the accusations<strong>.&nbsp;</strong>Indeed, rather than hard hitting investigative journalism (or journalism at all) the&nbsp;<em>D&amp;C</em>&nbsp;piece contained no new information but drew most of its material and its actual wording from an April 22&nbsp;<em>FingerLakes.com</em>&nbsp;article and a May 2&nbsp;<em>Rochester Business Journal</em>&nbsp;article.&nbsp;&nbsp;Commentators note that the pictures accompanying the article also seem slanted in premature favor of the couple. Those of Ramos and Bacanegra depict the couple with their children in a quaint family setting while the one picture of Lone Wilton, himself the father of 5 children under the age of 10, looks like, as one observer described it, “a mug shot.”</p><p>When it comes to Lyjha Wilton, who also owns the popular Boulder Coffee shops and residential rental properties, it seems everybody has something to say. In various print and online publications as well as ‘word on the street’, Wilton has been heralded as “the savior of the South Wedge” and rebuked as a ‘Slum Lord.’ The publicity garnered by the La Casa scandal has led to a cascading snowball of personal attacks on Wilton as well as unsubstantiated accusations about his other businesses including his popular real estate rental agency, Boulder Realty. Leaving aside the La Casa situation for now, the truth of which remain to be seen, Wilton is no stranger to controversy or the types of slanderous and derogatory sentiments increasingly voiced against him.</p><p>In the wake of the La Casa scandal, there now appears to be a seemingly coordinated smear campaign against Wilton and his associated businesses using one sided and often sensationalized, politicized and, when one looks a bit deeper under the surface, unfounded and patently false information. It seems that, for some, the temptation of jumping on the ‘I Hate Wilton’ bandwagon is too much to resist.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;The title of a May 22, 2014&nbsp;<em>Cragslist.com</em>&nbsp;posting asked, “Have you rented from Lyjha Wilton/ Boulder Realty? ((We wanna hear your story))”. In subsequent emails with the poster, it was revealed that an individual calling himself ‘Alex’ intended to write an article about Wilton to be posted on<em>Rochester Indymedia</em>&nbsp;and “other activist websites.” Alex informed one respondee&nbsp;to his posting that the article he planned to write would be negatively slanted against Wilton as, Alex explained, “In the wake of the recent La Casa nastiness and some other developments, we definitely want to gather information from people who have had bad experiences renting from him.” He then promised complete anonymity to all individuals who provided responses due to what Alex described as “various reports from tenants that i've received of really, really nasty treatment and harassment. So this wont be a positive article” [sic.]. Alex has yet to contact Wilton or anybody associated with Boulder Realty.</p><p>When one thinks about the types of allegations disseminated about Wilton and Boulder, images of a raging, irate landlord arriving at one’s doorstep with a baseball bat demanding rent payments at&nbsp;<span data-term="goog_704657866" tabindex="0">6 am</span>&nbsp;on the second of every month are conjured. Perhaps worse, images are also evoked of Mastermind Wilton sitting behind a curtain devising ways to enslave Rochester residents and even the citizens of other countries. I began to wonder,<em>what types of harassment and nastiness have Boulder tenants faced and who is Wilton, the evil force reportedly terrorizing and traumatizing the South Wedge and its residents?</em></p><p>To attempt to answer this, I spoke to a number of former and current residents who have rented from Boulder Realty, the company’s property manager Jessica and several Boulder employees, many of whom told me that they have personally been targeted and harassed in the aftermath of the ‘La Casa’ scandal, so much so that a number of people I spoke with asked to remain anonymous fearing that they would be further targeted by Wilton detractors and local activists for providing positive statements. In such a contentiously charged climate, you are not bound to win any popularity contests by defending Wilton or his businesses or by pointing out any positive aspects about them. Still, the results of these conversations were enlightening and surprising to say the least.</p><p>Thirty-seven year old legal assistant, Jennifer Lubert has rented her apartment in the South Wedge from Boulder Realty for four years, says she has no complaints, describes her rent as “by far the most reasonable for the area” and does not see herself moving for a very long time. She says all her maintenance issues have been addressed “promptly, but granted, those are few and far between. [Property manager] Jessica has been awesome to deal with and even when there was an issue with a neighbor… something beyond her control, she quickly tried to help out and take care of things. She is always so nice to deal with and just an all-around positive upbeat person.”</p><p>Thirty something year old Meagan has&nbsp;rented her Benton Street apartment from Boulder Realty for three years and just renewed her lease for another year. She says that in their experience, maintenance calls are answered promptly and their dealings with the company have always been “a very positive experience…. Jessica is just wonderful and very professional!”&nbsp;</p><p>Twenty-seven year old jeweler and waitress, Nicole DiBiase, and her twenty eight year old boyfriend, a chemical engineer, rent an apartment on Alexander Street. They recently renewed their lease with Boulder Realty for the fourth year. DiBiase says, “We are located in a great area and we love it here. Boulder was our last hope in finding a place before our previous lease was up. I could not believe how easy going Jessica was and how quickly she was able to meet with us and get us into the perfect place. She as well as the entire maintenance crew have been there for us whenever we have needed them. My boyfriend does contract work and when he was out of town, I knew I could always call on them for help, whether it was because I didn’t know how to light my own pilot lights or backed up plumbing from previous renters’ misuse.” She recalled how, her and her boyfriend had to miss a lot of work during the period when boyfriend’s mother was very ill. After she passed away, DiBiase says, “Jessica was very understanding and compassionate during one of the most difficult times in our lives. She apologized for our loss and allowed us to pay rent whenever we could.” DiBiase is very happy with the apartment she rents from Boulder Realty and says that, “Aside from the staff at Boulder Realty, the area is a great place for us to live at this point in our lives. We can bike or walk anywhere and I feel as though the area is only going to improve and become more wonderful.”</p><p>Twenty- seven year old Zach Finein, a senior publisher at an internet marketing company, has been renting his Alexander Street apartment from Boulder Realty since June 2011. Finein, like the other renters I spoke to also says he is “very satisfied” with the company. Says Finein, “Everyone I've had contact with, be it Jessica or any maintenance workers, has always been very pleasant. They're incredibly understanding and are much easier to communicate with than previous landlords I've rented from. Jessica has acted very promptly whenever I've contacted her regarding any matters and any maintenance performed on the property during my time there has met or exceeded expectations.”</p><p>Twenty-eight year-old retail manager, Chrissy Dwyer and her husband have rented an apartment in the South Wedge from Boulder Realty for two years. She says her dealings with the company have been very satisfactory and explained that Boulder Realty uses the “reality realty” model, “unlike any other landlord we’ve had. They are easy to contact, quick to respond, and actually seem to care.” When Dwyer’s husband was laid off last October, Jessica worked with the couple and put them “at ease [during] such a tough time. Without her understanding and willingness to work with us – we may have been homeless for that period of time. That’s huge. We will always remember that.” Dwyer says that any problems she has encountered at her apartment were “not necessarily reflective of them as landlords.” Such problems, she said, include loud neighbors and lack of parking but added that those issues are all “things that anyone renting would probably say about anyplace they live.”</p><p>Dwyer described Jessica as very approachable and friendly and recalled one incident when she [Dwyer] was “freaking out” because of a mouse in her apartment. She called Jessica who responded immediately. Dwyer admitted that while she may have “overreacted a TINY bit” when she saw the mouse, she was nonetheless thankful that Jessica and Boulder Realty took her concerns seriously and “always seem to have our best interests in mind.” Currently, Dwyer and her husband are planning to have a baby and say that they have already let Boulder Realty know that they want to continue renting from them and imagine it would be difficult to find landlords who are so responsive and easy to work with.</p><p>Dwyer may be correct. Certainly, her story was echoed by numerous others I spoke with. Math PhD candidate at the University of Rochester Marcia Weathers rented a three-bedroom house from Boulder Realty on Alexander Street but has since moved to the Swillburg neighborhood. Weathers said that the apartment she rented was very nice and had been recently renovated. More importantly, for a struggling college student, the apartment was affordable, especially in comparison to the recently skyrocketing prices in the South Wedge. Weathers&nbsp;reflected fondly upon of her memories of renting from Boulder Realty…. especially now that she rents from another company.</p><p>Weathers, like a number of other Boulder tenants I spoke to, stressed the flexibility of their lease agreement with Boulder, a luxury not afforded by the majority of property management companies or even independent landlords. When Weathers&nbsp;signed the lease on her three-bedroom apartment, Boulder Realty knew that she would need to find roommates and sublet the other bedrooms and trusted her judgment in doing so. In contrast, every time she needs to find a new roommate to fill an empty bedroom in her current apartment, she is forced to pay her landlord fees for background checks, fill out reams of paperwork and, ultimately, her choice of whom to live with is subject to the scrutiny and approval of her current landlord; a seemingly unnecessary, grueling and time consuming process for a busy mathematician like Weathers.</p><p>&nbsp;While she lived in her Boulder apartment, the company even offered her offsite storage space to keep her motorcycle. Weathers said that one thing she greatly appreciated was that, unlike most landlords she’s dealt with, Boulder let her paint her apartment as long as, Weathers added, the colors were “reasonable.” Perhaps most important for animal lover Weathers&nbsp;was that Boulder did not require her to pay additional ‘pet rent’ or security for her three cats. When Weathers decided she would be moving to another location outside of the Wedge, she let Boulder know that she would not be able to move the month that her lease with the company ended and they readily agreed to let her rent on a&nbsp;&nbsp;month to month basis until she was ready to move. When&nbsp;Weathers did move out of her apartment on Alexander Street, she was given her entire security deposit back, despite wear and tear to the property originating from her and her roommates. Weathers&nbsp;says she always enjoyed a good relationship with Boulder Realty and, like Dwyer, stressed Jessica’s professionalism and friendly, caring approach to the company’s business dealings with her. Weathers, an avid coffee drinker, enthusiastically added that perhaps best of all, Boulder tenants get a great discount on coffee, a tender touch that no serious student or young professional should shun.</p><p>These might seem like small and irrelevant details to some, but many other former and current tenants have, like Dwyer and Weathers, stressed their great appreciation for Jessica and Wilton’s accessibility and familiarity. “At least,” said one, “you know who the owner of the property is and where they are. It’s not like they live out of state, like many other property owners…”</p><p>Julie Bright and her husband, now 28 years old, began renting their South Wedge apartment from Boulder Realty during the winter of 2008, after emergency circumstances left them on the streets. At the time, Bright and her husband had two small children, ages four and six and Bright was pregnant with their third. She said she contacted Boulder Realty after the President of the local PTA suggested that she do so, telling Bright that Boulder was a great company to work with. Bright says that the 2 ½ bedroom apartment she rented from Boulder was a good deal and more affordable than many surrounding properties. After explaining their situation, Jessica agreed not only to rent the apartment to Bright and her husband but to forego the customary security deposit, an almost unheard of practice in the money hungry real estate game. Without that, Bright said her family would have had little options and may have been on the streets once again.</p><p>Bright explained that Boulder had just purchased the house she lived in and, when that August, Wilton realized how much repair the property required and decided to sell it, Jessica helped them find another, nicer place to live for comparable rent. Over the ensuing years, Bright’s growing family faced a number of unexpected hardships and often had to pay their rent late but that Boulder Realty never charged them a late fee or served them eviction papers. Rather, Jessica and Wilton consistently expressed their willingness to work with the couple until they got back on their feet. I asked Bright about any property maintenance issues she may have experienced during the time she rented from Boulder Realty and she responded that, despite the rumors, in her experience, every time she called Boulder about maintenance issues, they responded quickly, often the same day. Over the years, Bright contacted Boulder about various issues that arose, such as needing a new stove or a leak in the sink, and never once had a problem getting rapid results from the company.</p><p>Although Bright, like Weathers, currently rents from another South Wedge property owner, she maintains that her dealings with her former landlords were always satisfactory, that she definitely felt “taken care of” and had nothing negative to say about the company. In fact, Bright added, she regularly felt harassed by the landlord she had prior to renting from Boulder. “Even if I was only a couple of days late on rent,” she explained, “That guy would show up at my door unexpectedly and call nonstop,” a practice I have never heard Boulder being accused of.</p><p>Twenty-seven year old human services worker, Delia Moore, has rented her South Wedge apartment from Boulder Realty since 2011. For Moore, the most satisfying aspect of her relationship with the company is their flexibility, open communication and the fact that, with Boulder Realty, there are no surprises. Most importantly though, Moore adds, Jessica and Wilton “love the South Wedge [and] really understands the tenants and works with them to get things done. It’s a respectful business relationship. There aren’t too many aspects of renting from Boulder that could be improved upon. Although some of the apartments aren’t in the best shape, they always make sure that if something breaks down, it gets fixed….You want to paint a room? That’s not a problem as long as you get the color approved, which is not a tedious process and more often than not, is a request they approve…It makes your apartment feel like home.”</p><p>About Boulder’s property manager Jessica, Moore said, “Jessica has always been a great open dialogue landlord with me. She clearly values mutual respect and honesty and brings this into her dealings with me. When I was late on rent one month, I asked for an extension. Even though I still didn’t make the extension date, I was given another extension without fuss or judgment.” Speaking of Wilton specifically, Moore said that he “doesn’t have an active role in the renting but whenever I saw him around town and mentioned I rent from him he would smile and talk about it with me.” Moore concluded by saying that, “when I do think about moving apartments, I will consult Boulder Realty first.” Moore has been following the recent media storm surrounding Wilton and Boulder as best she can and, to her, “it seems that the media has everyone in an uproar without really getting the full picture. The media is a powerful snake that way.”</p><p>42-year-old John Hermosa says he has been renting from Boulder Realty for about six years. During that time, the company has never raised his rent and was pleasantly willing to work with him after he was laid off two months ago and informed the company that he would be late with rent. Hermosa, who has known both Wilton and Jessica for years, values the direct, to the point and open style communication he has with the company. In fact, Hermosa admitted, his roommate once accidently started a fire in their apartment, which caused a lot of internal damage. After he called Boulder Realty to inform them of the accident, Wilton personally came over, surveyed the damage, fixed it immediately, never financially penalized Hermosa or his roommate and did not seek to evict them, as many other rental companies might have done. Hermosa says that, in addition to this type of positive relationship, Boulder Coffee on Alexander Street acts as a type of “community center” where locals can regularly gather. Hermosa, familiar with the rumors and allegations currently surrounding Wilton, stresses that when he hears negative talk about Wilton or his businesses in social situations, it is more often than not based on assumptions and not firsthand knowledge or experiences. This has been my observation as well.</p><p>Nearly all tenants I’ve spoken to in my research, mentioned Boulder’s willingness to ‘work with’ them at times when they were late paying their rent yet none claim to have suffered the types of ‘harassment’ Boulder’s alleged tenant/ victims have been subjected to. Despite my own efforts, I am hard pressed to hear actual and specific examples of Boulder Realty tenants receiving “really, really nasty treatment” or being subjected to any form of “harassment” as Craigslist poster ‘Alex’ contends and, in fact, have never heard so many people speak so kindly of their landlords. In fact, in my conversations and emails with numerous former and current Boulder tenants, even the&nbsp;<em>suggestion&nbsp;</em>that they have ever been “harassed” by Wilton, Jessica or anyone else related to Boulder Realty, provokes eye rolls. Still, Alex’s piece of ‘investigative journalism’ will undoubtedly ride the wave of trendy Wilton hating and attempt to paint Wilton as a ‘slum lord’ or worse.</p><p>More than one Boulder Coffee employee told me that, after the La Casa lawsuit against Wilson became known, their Facebook profiles were flooded with derogatory comments about not only Wilton personally but also Boulder Coffee itself. “It was amazing,” said one barista, “friends of mine who know better and have no personal, firsthand experience with Wilton, Boulder or the happenings at LaCasa all the sudden felt like they could pepper my Facebook page and newsfeed with ridiculous and emotionally charged comments about them. I finally had to make a status update asking that they not do so.” Said another, since the ‘La Casa’ scandal has broken, “I’ve felt personally harassed. It’s ridiculous. People come up to me in public while I’m not at work and start bad mouthing Boulder and Lyjha, but they’ve never been a customer at the coffee shop and can’t even say his name right.” Boulder employees and tenants have expressed fear, not of harassment by Wilton or Jessica, but by ill-informed gossipmongers hell bent on badmouthing a villain they themselves have constructed… out of thin air. Indeed, even the&nbsp;<em>Democrat and Chronicle</em>&nbsp;disabled online readers’ ability to leave comments because of the unrelated personal attacks and unsubstantiated rumors it generated.</p><p>I spoke at length with Jessica (something all other writers have failed to do) who first met Lyjha Wilton and began working as a barista at Boulder Coffee Company in 2006. Jessica explained how Wilton began his rental venture in 2004, when he purchased and rented a four-apartment unit house on Bond Street. When she met him in 2006, he was managing roughly 20 properties by himself. He personally took care of everything, said Jessica, including general maintenance, making repairs and collecting rent. Eventually though, by late 2007, Wilton needed assistance and recognizing her talent with both dealing with people and numbers, asked Jessica to handle day-to-day rental management duties. Thus, Wilton created Jessica’s current position as property manager. In doing so, Wilton offered her a career opportunity that she may otherwise never have gotten, and she has performed this job gracefully, ever since.</p><p>Jessica further recalled how, when Wilton began buying up run down, dilapidated active “drug houses” in the South Wedge neighborhood, remodeling and then renting them, some of the properties and their tenants were so dangerous that Wilton would not let her show the rental units by herself. Since then, Wilton has nearly doubled the amount of properties he owns. Currently, Boulder Realty offers affordable housing to working class and professional young people. Their property portfolio ranges from studio apartments to entire houses, from low budget rental units that need some fixing up, but are affordable, to nearly luxury lofts. Over the years, she says, Wilton has improved the look and feel of the neighborhood and helped to make the South Wedge a livable neighborhood, a fact recognized by various local publications, local business owners and community members.</p><p>A June 2013&nbsp;<em>Rochester Business Journal</em>&nbsp;article praised the then thirty-six year old Wilton for helping to transform the South Wedge into an attractive and profitable Rochester neighborhood. Quoted in the article was Robert Boyd, lecturer and director of SUNY College at Geneseo business school internship program and former executive director of the South Wedge Planning Committee, group with whom Wilton has collaborated closely with over the years. Boyd expressed his support of Wilton who he said took a risk with the South Wedge when others wouldn’t and by doing so helped the community “to thrive.” Attorney Joe Taddeo credited Wilton’s “imagination and foresight” with transforming the area between Clinton and South and Alexander. While the article acknowledged the complaints of two former Boulder Realty tenants about slow responses to maintenance issues, Wilton himself admitted that finding a competent maintenance staff that can handle the sheer number of properties the company manages has been difficult at times, especially in the beginning when he was just starting out. Still, even the recent&nbsp;<em>D&amp; C</em>&nbsp;article about La Casa controversy acknowledges that the Wilton owned Boulder Coffee shops have been “a key ingredient of the revitalization of the South Wedge.”</p><p>Not mentioned in previous articles are specific examples of the good things Wilton has put his resources and energies towards beyond improving property values. To begin with, Boulder Coffee and its annual Boulder Fest attract artists and local artisans as well as people who may otherwise not visit the Wedge.&nbsp;&nbsp;Even just the daily coffee shop operations provide a venue and attract local artists, musicians and academics. Boulder Coffee allows upcoming artists and comedians to perform upon request while many other venues consent to performances only if they can guarantee they will draw a crowd. In addition to this, when the artwork displayed on the coffee shop walls is sold, all proceeds are given to the artist while Boulder takes no cut of the proceeds whatsoever. Every year, Wilton provides (free of charge) all the coffee and fixings to the South Wedge Clean Sweep, a community wide gardening and trash cleanup effort. Wilton hosts the Hochstein School of Music &amp; Dance event “Hochstein’s School of Rock.” In addition, Wilton donates private space, food and drinks for a party of 15 to the winner of a local elementary school auction.</p><p>Perhaps most telling of the lack of consideration in recent Wilton slandering is the fact that Wilton rents space to the South Wedge Farmers Market in the parking lot of his Alexander Street Boulder Coffee shop. Although, according to the lease, the Farmers Market pays Wilton $25,000 a season for the space, Wilton donates all of this money back to them at the end of the season. While it might be tempting to dismiss this by claiming that he does so only because it brings added business to Boulder, employees there disagree and point out that they actually make less sales on days when the market is operating because “our regular customers avoid us because there is no parking and its difficult to get over here with all the hubbub.” Wilton’s next venture, a development deal with a local non-for profit company (details upcoming), is sure to further complement and enhance the South Wedge.</p><p>I asked Jessica how Boulder Reality was different than other local property management companies or individual landlords. For one, she responded, Boulder Realty has always complied with the law and points out “Rule #1 in property management is that you never enter a property without giving tenants 24 hours’ notice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had tenants tell me that their previous landlords violated this rule on a regular basis.” She laughs at suggestions that she has ever ‘harassed’ tenants, as Alex contends, and points out that, as a manager, she sometimes has to tell people things they don’t want to hear but believes that Boulder Realty is the most understanding rental company to deal with. The goal of the company is to “keep people in their homes” – an objective that requires a fine balancing act between running a successful business and keeping an open, understanding attitude towards renters.</p><p>Jessica readily admitted that, if she had to rate the quality of the company’s maintenance services she would give it a “B to a B-“ and explained that this is because of the ratio of properties to employees as well as prioritization. For instance, if the refrigerator of an eighty-seven year old woman breaks, that is more important than a slow leak in the faucet of four twenty-one year old college students sharing a house. “We get to emergencies first and prioritize from there. The most somebody might wait on a maintenance issue is a week and a half. It’s really not the end of the world…but this is where the ‘slum lord’ label comes from.” Nonetheless, she has been the target of personal harassment by renters who feel free to send text messages to her personal cell phone about common problems experienced by everyone, regardless or whether they rent or own their homes, such as the presence of ants in summer. “People come up to me in public, while I’m at the grocery store or out to eat, and start complaining about minor maintenance issues. I’ve gotten text messages calling me an ‘asshole’ just because the maintenance person did not arrive exactly when they said they would on a given day, not because they weren’t planning on showing up but because a higher priority maintenance issue arose. It’s ridiculous.”&nbsp;</p><p>While Jessica did not mention it, Boulder Coffee employees are quick to note that what is amazing about Jessica’s flexible approach to renters and her policy on late rent is that, as property manager, Jessica makes a commission on the rent she collects and unless rent is collected, does not get collect that portion of her pay. Jessica provided me with various financial records. Currently, Boulder Realty owns 44 properties and rents 142 units, 99 of them residential and the rest a mix of commercial and vendor space. While rent is due on the 1^st&nbsp;of every month, as of May 27, unpaid rent for May totaled $16,921. Frankly, having researched other property management companies in western New York, I can tell you that much of their time is taken up in eviction proceedings. Indeed, Boulder Realty might evict 4&nbsp;&nbsp;or 5 people a year versus the average of 20 evictions a month other comparable property management companies initiate. If there are a small handful of disgruntled former renters, these pale in comparison to those who have only positive things to say about the company.</p><p>Still, it hurts her when people she knows from the neighborhood whom she has always had a good relationship with start posting on social media about how horrible Boulder or Wilton is. Ironically, though, many of these same people show no hesitation in showing up and ordering coffee at the coffee shop on the very same day. Such dumbfoundingly astounding and insincere behavior is common in an age where forming and expressing your opinion is as easy as ‘liking’ a comment or status update, no matter how ill informed.</p><p>Jessica says that no matter what happens in the La Casa lawsuit, there are no winners. Even if Wilton wins the lawsuit against him, which some see as likely given the lack of evidence brought to the table by his former partners, Wilton will have spent upwards of $50,000 in legal fees and court related costs. Worse, he has suffered irreparable damage to his reputation, an important asset in the business world and in such a small community. Perhaps the most outrageous rumor she has heard involves the claim that Wilton married into his money and has had everything handed to him, accusations she says are completely false. “Lyjha came from nothing and has worked for everything he has,” she says. Jessica maintains that Boulder Realty and by extension Lyjha Wilton has been an under-acknowledged&nbsp;&nbsp;benefit to the community and challenges critics to “show me how you would do it different.” Further, she asks, “if Boulder Coffee or Boulder Realty is so horrible, why do we have so many long term tenants and employees? Think about it.”</p><p>It’s not all about money though. Jessica has not only witnessed but personally experienced Wilton’s kindness and generosity. In 2011, her elderly father became ill, could no longer maintain his home in Geneseo, required regular medical attention and wanted to be closer to his family. Wilton reduced the rent on a single family home on one of the nicest residential streets in the South Wedge to mere holding costs and allowed her father to move in, thereby forgoing any potential profit from the property. Wilton, Jessica stresses, is no demonic monster and has simply become an easily recognizable figure of success in the small community and therefore an easy target for the types of rumormongering and slander he has recently attracted.&nbsp;</p><p>Wilton described his experiences in relation to both the La Casa scandal and the attendant rumormongering that seems to have surrounded him of late. He said that, for him, his family and friends, perhaps the most outlandish thing he has heard about himself is “that&nbsp;I came from any money at all...I started with nothing. Anyone that knows me knows that.” Perhaps what annoys him most, he continued is that, people “so quickly forget about all of the work I did to improve a neighborhood and now want to crucify me because of lies.&nbsp;When I was a small up and coming young go getting entrepreneur everyone loved and supported me...but once I started to enjoy the fruits of my labors and people started looking at me as ‘successful’, people seemed to want me to fail....These recent allegations have given a platform for anyone, right or wrong, to kick me while I'm down. So much for innocent until proven guilty.” Social media, he says, has certainly exacerbated the situation and has “really changed the game...there's no accountability for people words anymore...people form opinions with no facts and little knowledge and just spread rumors and gossip like wildfire and everyone adds onto it and it grows and grows and spreads.” In the end, Wilton concluded, he has been humbled by recent events but believes that there are enough intelligent people in the community who know enough to form their opinions based on actual experience and documented fact rather than the recent trendy tide of hate that has swept over him.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Print/ Online Sources Referred to In This Writing:</strong></p><p><em>Craigslist.com&nbsp;</em><a href="http://rochester.craigslist.org/rnr/4483543528.html" target="_blank">http://rochester.craigslist.<wbr>org/rnr/4483543528.html</a></p><p><em>Democrat and Chronicle</em>&nbsp;“Popular restaurant in a legal tug of war in federal court” May 20, 2014</p><p><em>FingerLakes.com</em>&nbsp;“La Casa restaurant owner target of lawsuit” April 22, 2014</p><p><em>Rochester Business Journal&nbsp;</em>“Appetite for risk” June 21, 2013</p><p><em>Rochester Business Journal&nbsp;</em>“Trio Files Federal Lawsuit Over La Casa Eatery” May 2, 2014&nbsp;</p>

<p>A May 20, 2014, front-page article in the Rochester <em>Democrat and Chronicle </em>discussed the recent ‘La Casa scandal’ that has shocked the South Wedge community. The controversy involves a business venture entered into by Maria Bocanegra and her husband, Omar Ramos, with Rochester businessman Lyjha Wilton in 2013 to open and operate La Casa restaurant, located at 93 Alexander Street. The couple, undocumented Mexican immigrants, alleges that Wilton knowingly lured them into the restaurant business with promises of “The American Dream” and then failed to deliver this elusive and undefined dream. Rather, Bocanegra and Ramos claim that Wilton, who invested upwards of $80,000 in the eatery, perpetrated “common law fraud” by taking advantage of them and inducing them to work countless unpaid hours at the restaurant. Wilton counters that while he did make good on his end of their agreements, the couple failed to fulfill their promises to him. Bocanegra and Ramos, represented by Worker Justice Center of New York Inc., have filed suit against Wilton.</p> <p>The factual details of the case have yet to surface in a court of law, but in the meantime, after declining Wilton’s offers to utilize a mediator to help negotiate and settle the matter, the couple has decided to air their grievances in the court of public opinion. Various workers’ rights groups, anarchists and other activist groups have taken up the Bocanegra/ Ramos ‘cause.’ Wilton, the subject of the <em>D&amp;C</em> ‘expose’, several online blogs, social media sites and the focus of private ‘chatter’, rumor and gossip on the streets of the South Wedge, has been characterized as the South Wedge’s own demon.</p> <p>After reviewing countless blogs and publications purporting to ‘expose’ Wilton for his horrendous labor law violations and theft of  the couple’s ‘American Dream,’ I found that quotes from the same sources have been used and reused and used again, ad nauseam with the effect of demonizing Wilton while, beyond a scant few rebuttal quotes by Wilton or his attorneys, fail to speak to anyone other than those making the accusations<strong>. </strong>Indeed, rather than hard hitting investigative journalism (or journalism at all) the <em>D&amp;C</em> piece contained no new information but drew most of its material and its actual wording from an April 22 <em>FingerLakes.com</em> article and a May 2 <em>Rochester Business Journal</em> article.  Commentators note that the pictures accompanying the article also seem slanted in premature favor of the couple. Those of Ramos and Bacanegra depict the couple with their children in a quaint family setting while the one picture of Lone Wilton, himself the father of 5 children under the age of 10, looks like, as one observer described it, “a mug shot.”</p> <p>When it comes to Lyjha Wilton, who also owns the popular Boulder Coffee shops and residential rental properties, it seems everybody has something to say. In various print and online publications as well as ‘word on the street’, Wilton has been heralded as “the savior of the South Wedge” and rebuked as a ‘Slum Lord.’ The publicity garnered by the La Casa scandal has led to a cascading snowball of personal attacks on Wilton as well as unsubstantiated accusations about his other businesses including his popular real estate rental agency, Boulder Realty. Leaving aside the La Casa situation for now, the truth of which remain to be seen, Wilton is no stranger to controversy or the types of slanderous and derogatory sentiments increasingly voiced against him.</p> <p>In the wake of the La Casa scandal, there now appears to be a seemingly coordinated smear campaign against Wilton and his associated businesses using one sided and often sensationalized, politicized and, when one looks a bit deeper under the surface, unfounded and patently false information. It seems that, for some, the temptation of jumping on the ‘I Hate Wilton’ bandwagon is too much to resist. </p> <p> The title of a May 22, 2014 <em>Cragslist.com</em> posting asked, “Have you rented from Lyjha Wilton/ Boulder Realty? ((We wanna hear your story))”. In subsequent emails with the poster, it was revealed that an individual calling himself ‘Alex’ intended to write an article about Wilton to be posted on<em>Rochester Indymedia</em> and “other activist websites.” Alex informed one respondee to his posting that the article he planned to write would be negatively slanted against Wilton as, Alex explained, “In the wake of the recent La Casa nastiness and some other developments, we definitely want to gather information from people who have had bad experiences renting from him.” He then promised complete anonymity to all individuals who provided responses due to what Alex described as “various reports from tenants that i've received of really, really nasty treatment and harassment. So this wont be a positive article” [sic.]. Alex has yet to contact Wilton or anybody associated with Boulder Realty.</p> <p>When one thinks about the types of allegations disseminated about Wilton and Boulder, images of a raging, irate landlord arriving at one’s doorstep with a baseball bat demanding rent payments at 6 am on the second of every month are conjured. Perhaps worse, images are also evoked of Mastermind Wilton sitting behind a curtain devising ways to enslave Rochester residents and even the citizens of other countries. I began to wonder,<em>what types of harassment and nastiness have Boulder tenants faced and who is Wilton, the evil force reportedly terrorizing and traumatizing the South Wedge and its residents?</em></p> <p>To attempt to answer this, I spoke to a number of former and current residents who have rented from Boulder Realty, the company’s property manager Jessica and several Boulder employees, many of whom told me that they have personally been targeted and harassed in the aftermath of the ‘La Casa’ scandal, so much so that a number of people I spoke with asked to remain anonymous fearing that they would be further targeted by Wilton detractors and local activists for providing positive statements. In such a contentiously charged climate, you are not bound to win any popularity contests by defending Wilton or his businesses or by pointing out any positive aspects about them. Still, the results of these conversations were enlightening and surprising to say the least.</p> <p>Thirty-seven year old legal assistant, Jennifer Lubert has rented her apartment in the South Wedge from Boulder Realty for four years, says she has no complaints, describes her rent as “by far the most reasonable for the area” and does not see herself moving for a very long time. She says all her maintenance issues have been addressed “promptly, but granted, those are few and far between. [Property manager] Jessica has been awesome to deal with and even when there was an issue with a neighbor… something beyond her control, she quickly tried to help out and take care of things. She is always so nice to deal with and just an all-around positive upbeat person.”</p> <p>Thirty something year old Meagan has rented her Benton Street apartment from Boulder Realty for three years and just renewed her lease for another year. She says that in their experience, maintenance calls are answered promptly and their dealings with the company have always been “a very positive experience…. Jessica is just wonderful and very professional!” </p> <p>Twenty-seven year old jeweler and waitress, Nicole DiBiase, and her twenty eight year old boyfriend, a chemical engineer, rent an apartment on Alexander Street. They recently renewed their lease with Boulder Realty for the fourth year. DiBiase says, “We are located in a great area and we love it here. Boulder was our last hope in finding a place before our previous lease was up. I could not believe how easy going Jessica was and how quickly she was able to meet with us and get us into the perfect place. She as well as the entire maintenance crew have been there for us whenever we have needed them. My boyfriend does contract work and when he was out of town, I knew I could always call on them for help, whether it was because I didn’t know how to light my own pilot lights or backed up plumbing from previous renters’ misuse.” She recalled how, her and her boyfriend had to miss a lot of work during the period when boyfriend’s mother was very ill. After she passed away, DiBiase says, “Jessica was very understanding and compassionate during one of the most difficult times in our lives. She apologized for our loss and allowed us to pay rent whenever we could.” DiBiase is very happy with the apartment she rents from Boulder Realty and says that, “Aside from the staff at Boulder Realty, the area is a great place for us to live at this point in our lives. We can bike or walk anywhere and I feel as though the area is only going to improve and become more wonderful.”</p> <p>Twenty- seven year old Zach Finein, a senior publisher at an internet marketing company, has been renting his Alexander Street apartment from Boulder Realty since June 2011. Finein, like the other renters I spoke to also says he is “very satisfied” with the company. Says Finein, “Everyone I've had contact with, be it Jessica or any maintenance workers, has always been very pleasant. They're incredibly understanding and are much easier to communicate with than previous landlords I've rented from. Jessica has acted very promptly whenever I've contacted her regarding any matters and any maintenance performed on the property during my time there has met or exceeded expectations.”</p> <p>Twenty-eight year-old retail manager, Chrissy Dwyer and her husband have rented an apartment in the South Wedge from Boulder Realty for two years. She says her dealings with the company have been very satisfactory and explained that Boulder Realty uses the “reality realty” model, “unlike any other landlord we’ve had. They are easy to contact, quick to respond, and actually seem to care.” When Dwyer’s husband was laid off last October, Jessica worked with the couple and put them “at ease [during] such a tough time. Without her understanding and willingness to work with us – we may have been homeless for that period of time. That’s huge. We will always remember that.” Dwyer says that any problems she has encountered at her apartment were “not necessarily reflective of them as landlords.” Such problems, she said, include loud neighbors and lack of parking but added that those issues are all “things that anyone renting would probably say about anyplace they live.”</p> <p>Dwyer described Jessica as very approachable and friendly and recalled one incident when she [Dwyer] was “freaking out” because of a mouse in her apartment. She called Jessica who responded immediately. Dwyer admitted that while she may have “overreacted a TINY bit” when she saw the mouse, she was nonetheless thankful that Jessica and Boulder Realty took her concerns seriously and “always seem to have our best interests in mind.” Currently, Dwyer and her husband are planning to have a baby and say that they have already let Boulder Realty know that they want to continue renting from them and imagine it would be difficult to find landlords who are so responsive and easy to work with.</p> <p>Dwyer may be correct. Certainly, her story was echoed by numerous others I spoke with. Math PhD candidate at the University of Rochester Marcia Weathers rented a three-bedroom house from Boulder Realty on Alexander Street but has since moved to the Swillburg neighborhood. Weathers said that the apartment she rented was very nice and had been recently renovated. More importantly, for a struggling college student, the apartment was affordable, especially in comparison to the recently skyrocketing prices in the South Wedge. Weathers reflected fondly upon of her memories of renting from Boulder Realty…. especially now that she rents from another company.</p> <p>Weathers, like a number of other Boulder tenants I spoke to, stressed the flexibility of their lease agreement with Boulder, a luxury not afforded by the majority of property management companies or even independent landlords. When Weathers signed the lease on her three-bedroom apartment, Boulder Realty knew that she would need to find roommates and sublet the other bedrooms and trusted her judgment in doing so. In contrast, every time she needs to find a new roommate to fill an empty bedroom in her current apartment, she is forced to pay her landlord fees for background checks, fill out reams of paperwork and, ultimately, her choice of whom to live with is subject to the scrutiny and approval of her current landlord; a seemingly unnecessary, grueling and time consuming process for a busy mathematician like Weathers.</p> <p> While she lived in her Boulder apartment, the company even offered her offsite storage space to keep her motorcycle. Weathers said that one thing she greatly appreciated was that, unlike most landlords she’s dealt with, Boulder let her paint her apartment as long as, Weathers added, the colors were “reasonable.” Perhaps most important for animal lover Weathers was that Boulder did not require her to pay additional ‘pet rent’ or security for her three cats. When Weathers decided she would be moving to another location outside of the Wedge, she let Boulder know that she would not be able to move the month that her lease with the company ended and they readily agreed to let her rent on a  month to month basis until she was ready to move. When Weathers did move out of her apartment on Alexander Street, she was given her entire security deposit back, despite wear and tear to the property originating from her and her roommates. Weathers says she always enjoyed a good relationship with Boulder Realty and, like Dwyer, stressed Jessica’s professionalism and friendly, caring approach to the company’s business dealings with her. Weathers, an avid coffee drinker, enthusiastically added that perhaps best of all, Boulder tenants get a great discount on coffee, a tender touch that no serious student or young professional should shun.</p> <p>These might seem like small and irrelevant details to some, but many other former and current tenants have, like Dwyer and Weathers, stressed their great appreciation for Jessica and Wilton’s accessibility and familiarity. “At least,” said one, “you know who the owner of the property is and where they are. It’s not like they live out of state, like many other property owners…”</p> <p>Julie Bright and her husband, now 28 years old, began renting their South Wedge apartment from Boulder Realty during the winter of 2008, after emergency circumstances left them on the streets. At the time, Bright and her husband had two small children, ages four and six and Bright was pregnant with their third. She said she contacted Boulder Realty after the President of the local PTA suggested that she do so, telling Bright that Boulder was a great company to work with. Bright says that the 2 ½ bedroom apartment she rented from Boulder was a good deal and more affordable than many surrounding properties. After explaining their situation, Jessica agreed not only to rent the apartment to Bright and her husband but to forego the customary security deposit, an almost unheard of practice in the money hungry real estate game. Without that, Bright said her family would have had little options and may have been on the streets once again.</p> <p>Bright explained that Boulder had just purchased the house she lived in and, when that August, Wilton realized how much repair the property required and decided to sell it, Jessica helped them find another, nicer place to live for comparable rent. Over the ensuing years, Bright’s growing family faced a number of unexpected hardships and often had to pay their rent late but that Boulder Realty never charged them a late fee or served them eviction papers. Rather, Jessica and Wilton consistently expressed their willingness to work with the couple until they got back on their feet. I asked Bright about any property maintenance issues she may have experienced during the time she rented from Boulder Realty and she responded that, despite the rumors, in her experience, every time she called Boulder about maintenance issues, they responded quickly, often the same day. Over the years, Bright contacted Boulder about various issues that arose, such as needing a new stove or a leak in the sink, and never once had a problem getting rapid results from the company.</p> <p>Although Bright, like Weathers, currently rents from another South Wedge property owner, she maintains that her dealings with her former landlords were always satisfactory, that she definitely felt “taken care of” and had nothing negative to say about the company. In fact, Bright added, she regularly felt harassed by the landlord she had prior to renting from Boulder. “Even if I was only a couple of days late on rent,” she explained, “That guy would show up at my door unexpectedly and call nonstop,” a practice I have never heard Boulder being accused of.</p> <p>Twenty-seven year old human services worker, Delia Moore, has rented her South Wedge apartment from Boulder Realty since 2011. For Moore, the most satisfying aspect of her relationship with the company is their flexibility, open communication and the fact that, with Boulder Realty, there are no surprises. Most importantly though, Moore adds, Jessica and Wilton “love the South Wedge [and] really understands the tenants and works with them to get things done. It’s a respectful business relationship. There aren’t too many aspects of renting from Boulder that could be improved upon. Although some of the apartments aren’t in the best shape, they always make sure that if something breaks down, it gets fixed….You want to paint a room? That’s not a problem as long as you get the color approved, which is not a tedious process and more often than not, is a request they approve…It makes your apartment feel like home.”</p> <p>About Boulder’s property manager Jessica, Moore said, “Jessica has always been a great open dialogue landlord with me. She clearly values mutual respect and honesty and brings this into her dealings with me. When I was late on rent one month, I asked for an extension. Even though I still didn’t make the extension date, I was given another extension without fuss or judgment.” Speaking of Wilton specifically, Moore said that he “doesn’t have an active role in the renting but whenever I saw him around town and mentioned I rent from him he would smile and talk about it with me.” Moore concluded by saying that, “when I do think about moving apartments, I will consult Boulder Realty first.” Moore has been following the recent media storm surrounding Wilton and Boulder as best she can and, to her, “it seems that the media has everyone in an uproar without really getting the full picture. The media is a powerful snake that way.”</p> <p>42-year-old John Hermosa says he has been renting from Boulder Realty for about six years. During that time, the company has never raised his rent and was pleasantly willing to work with him after he was laid off two months ago and informed the company that he would be late with rent. Hermosa, who has known both Wilton and Jessica for years, values the direct, to the point and open style communication he has with the company. In fact, Hermosa admitted, his roommate once accidently started a fire in their apartment, which caused a lot of internal damage. After he called Boulder Realty to inform them of the accident, Wilton personally came over, surveyed the damage, fixed it immediately, never financially penalized Hermosa or his roommate and did not seek to evict them, as many other rental companies might have done. Hermosa says that, in addition to this type of positive relationship, Boulder Coffee on Alexander Street acts as a type of “community center” where locals can regularly gather. Hermosa, familiar with the rumors and allegations currently surrounding Wilton, stresses that when he hears negative talk about Wilton or his businesses in social situations, it is more often than not based on assumptions and not firsthand knowledge or experiences. This has been my observation as well.</p> <p>Nearly all tenants I’ve spoken to in my research, mentioned Boulder’s willingness to ‘work with’ them at times when they were late paying their rent yet none claim to have suffered the types of ‘harassment’ Boulder’s alleged tenant/ victims have been subjected to. Despite my own efforts, I am hard pressed to hear actual and specific examples of Boulder Realty tenants receiving “really, really nasty treatment” or being subjected to any form of “harassment” as Craigslist poster ‘Alex’ contends and, in fact, have never heard so many people speak so kindly of their landlords. In fact, in my conversations and emails with numerous former and current Boulder tenants, even the <em>suggestion </em>that they have ever been “harassed” by Wilton, Jessica or anyone else related to Boulder Realty, provokes eye rolls. Still, Alex’s piece of ‘investigative journalism’ will undoubtedly ride the wave of trendy Wilton hating and attempt to paint Wilton as a ‘slum lord’ or worse.</p> <p>More than one Boulder Coffee employee told me that, after the La Casa lawsuit against Wilson became known, their Facebook profiles were flooded with derogatory comments about not only Wilton personally but also Boulder Coffee itself. “It was amazing,” said one barista, “friends of mine who know better and have no personal, firsthand experience with Wilton, Boulder or the happenings at LaCasa all the sudden felt like they could pepper my Facebook page and newsfeed with ridiculous and emotionally charged comments about them. I finally had to make a status update asking that they not do so.” Said another, since the ‘La Casa’ scandal has broken, “I’ve felt personally harassed. It’s ridiculous. People come up to me in public while I’m not at work and start bad mouthing Boulder and Lyjha, but they’ve never been a customer at the coffee shop and can’t even say his name right.” Boulder employees and tenants have expressed fear, not of harassment by Wilton or Jessica, but by ill-informed gossipmongers hell bent on badmouthing a villain they themselves have constructed… out of thin air. Indeed, even the <em>Democrat and Chronicle</em> disabled online readers’ ability to leave comments because of the unrelated personal attacks and unsubstantiated rumors it generated.</p> <p>I spoke at length with Jessica (something all other writers have failed to do) who first met Lyjha Wilton and began working as a barista at Boulder Coffee Company in 2006. Jessica explained how Wilton began his rental venture in 2004, when he purchased and rented a four-apartment unit house on Bond Street. When she met him in 2006, he was managing roughly 20 properties by himself. He personally took care of everything, said Jessica, including general maintenance, making repairs and collecting rent. Eventually though, by late 2007, Wilton needed assistance and recognizing her talent with both dealing with people and numbers, asked Jessica to handle day-to-day rental management duties. Thus, Wilton created Jessica’s current position as property manager. In doing so, Wilton offered her a career opportunity that she may otherwise never have gotten, and she has performed this job gracefully, ever since.</p> <p>Jessica further recalled how, when Wilton began buying up run down, dilapidated active “drug houses” in the South Wedge neighborhood, remodeling and then renting them, some of the properties and their tenants were so dangerous that Wilton would not let her show the rental units by herself. Since then, Wilton has nearly doubled the amount of properties he owns. Currently, Boulder Realty offers affordable housing to working class and professional young people. Their property portfolio ranges from studio apartments to entire houses, from low budget rental units that need some fixing up, but are affordable, to nearly luxury lofts. Over the years, she says, Wilton has improved the look and feel of the neighborhood and helped to make the South Wedge a livable neighborhood, a fact recognized by various local publications, local business owners and community members.</p> <p>A June 2013 <em>Rochester Business Journal</em> article praised the then thirty-six year old Wilton for helping to transform the South Wedge into an attractive and profitable Rochester neighborhood. Quoted in the article was Robert Boyd, lecturer and director of SUNY College at Geneseo business school internship program and former executive director of the South Wedge Planning Committee, group with whom Wilton has collaborated closely with over the years. Boyd expressed his support of Wilton who he said took a risk with the South Wedge when others wouldn’t and by doing so helped the community “to thrive.” Attorney Joe Taddeo credited Wilton’s “imagination and foresight” with transforming the area between Clinton and South and Alexander. While the article acknowledged the complaints of two former Boulder Realty tenants about slow responses to maintenance issues, Wilton himself admitted that finding a competent maintenance staff that can handle the sheer number of properties the company manages has been difficult at times, especially in the beginning when he was just starting out. Still, even the recent <em>D&amp; C</em> article about La Casa controversy acknowledges that the Wilton owned Boulder Coffee shops have been “a key ingredient of the revitalization of the South Wedge.”</p> <p>Not mentioned in previous articles are specific examples of the good things Wilton has put his resources and energies towards beyond improving property values. To begin with, Boulder Coffee and its annual Boulder Fest attract artists and local artisans as well as people who may otherwise not visit the Wedge.  Even just the daily coffee shop operations provide a venue and attract local artists, musicians and academics. Boulder Coffee allows upcoming artists and comedians to perform upon request while many other venues consent to performances only if they can guarantee they will draw a crowd. In addition to this, when the artwork displayed on the coffee shop walls is sold, all proceeds are given to the artist while Boulder takes no cut of the proceeds whatsoever. Every year, Wilton provides (free of charge) all the coffee and fixings to the South Wedge Clean Sweep, a community wide gardening and trash cleanup effort. Wilton hosts the Hochstein School of Music &amp; Dance event “Hochstein’s School of Rock.” In addition, Wilton donates private space, food and drinks for a party of 15 to the winner of a local elementary school auction.</p> <p>Perhaps most telling of the lack of consideration in recent Wilton slandering is the fact that Wilton rents space to the South Wedge Farmers Market in the parking lot of his Alexander Street Boulder Coffee shop. Although, according to the lease, the Farmers Market pays Wilton $25,000 a season for the space, Wilton donates all of this money back to them at the end of the season. While it might be tempting to dismiss this by claiming that he does so only because it brings added business to Boulder, employees there disagree and point out that they actually make less sales on days when the market is operating because “our regular customers avoid us because there is no parking and its difficult to get over here with all the hubbub.” Wilton’s next venture, a development deal with a local non-for profit company (details upcoming), is sure to further complement and enhance the South Wedge.</p> <p>I asked Jessica how Boulder Reality was different than other local property management companies or individual landlords. For one, she responded, Boulder Realty has always complied with the law and points out “Rule #1 in property management is that you never enter a property without giving tenants 24 hours’ notice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had tenants tell me that their previous landlords violated this rule on a regular basis.” She laughs at suggestions that she has ever ‘harassed’ tenants, as Alex contends, and points out that, as a manager, she sometimes has to tell people things they don’t want to hear but believes that Boulder Realty is the most understanding rental company to deal with. The goal of the company is to “keep people in their homes” – an objective that requires a fine balancing act between running a successful business and keeping an open, understanding attitude towards renters.</p> <p>Jessica readily admitted that, if she had to rate the quality of the company’s maintenance services she would give it a “B to a B-“ and explained that this is because of the ratio of properties to employees as well as prioritization. For instance, if the refrigerator of an eighty-seven year old woman breaks, that is more important than a slow leak in the faucet of four twenty-one year old college students sharing a house. “We get to emergencies first and prioritize from there. The most somebody might wait on a maintenance issue is a week and a half. It’s really not the end of the world…but this is where the ‘slum lord’ label comes from.” Nonetheless, she has been the target of personal harassment by renters who feel free to send text messages to her personal cell phone about common problems experienced by everyone, regardless or whether they rent or own their homes, such as the presence of ants in summer. “People come up to me in public, while I’m at the grocery store or out to eat, and start complaining about minor maintenance issues. I’ve gotten text messages calling me an ‘asshole’ just because the maintenance person did not arrive exactly when they said they would on a given day, not because they weren’t planning on showing up but because a higher priority maintenance issue arose. It’s ridiculous.” </p> <p>While Jessica did not mention it, Boulder Coffee employees are quick to note that what is amazing about Jessica’s flexible approach to renters and her policy on late rent is that, as property manager, Jessica makes a commission on the rent she collects and unless rent is collected, does not get collect that portion of her pay. Jessica provided me with various financial records. Currently, Boulder Realty owns 44 properties and rents 142 units, 99 of them residential and the rest a mix of commercial and vendor space. While rent is due on the 1st of every month, as of May 27, unpaid rent for May totaled $16,921. Frankly, having researched other property management companies in western New York, I can tell you that much of their time is taken up in eviction proceedings. Indeed, Boulder Realty might evict 4  or 5 people a year versus the average of 20 evictions a month other comparable property management companies initiate. If there are a small handful of disgruntled former renters, these pale in comparison to those who have only positive things to say about the company.</p> <p>Still, it hurts her when people she knows from the neighborhood whom she has always had a good relationship with start posting on social media about how horrible Boulder or Wilton is. Ironically, though, many of these same people show no hesitation in showing up and ordering coffee at the coffee shop on the very same day. Such dumbfoundingly astounding and insincere behavior is common in an age where forming and expressing your opinion is as easy as ‘liking’ a comment or status update, no matter how ill informed.</p> <p>Jessica says that no matter what happens in the La Casa lawsuit, there are no winners. Even if Wilton wins the lawsuit against him, which some see as likely given the lack of evidence brought to the table by his former partners, Wilton will have spent upwards of $50,000 in legal fees and court related costs. Worse, he has suffered irreparable damage to his reputation, an important asset in the business world and in such a small community. Perhaps the most outrageous rumor she has heard involves the claim that Wilton married into his money and has had everything handed to him, accusations she says are completely false. “Lyjha came from nothing and has worked for everything he has,” she says. Jessica maintains that Boulder Realty and by extension Lyjha Wilton has been an under-acknowledged  benefit to the community and challenges critics to “show me how you would do it different.” Further, she asks, “if Boulder Coffee or Boulder Realty is so horrible, why do we have so many long term tenants and employees? Think about it.”</p> <p>It’s not all about money though. Jessica has not only witnessed but personally experienced Wilton’s kindness and generosity. In 2011, her elderly father became ill, could no longer maintain his home in Geneseo, required regular medical attention and wanted to be closer to his family. Wilton reduced the rent on a single family home on one of the nicest residential streets in the South Wedge to mere holding costs and allowed her father to move in, thereby forgoing any potential profit from the property. Wilton, Jessica stresses, is no demonic monster and has simply become an easily recognizable figure of success in the small community and therefore an easy target for the types of rumormongering and slander he has recently attracted. </p> <p>Wilton described his experiences in relation to both the La Casa scandal and the attendant rumormongering that seems to have surrounded him of late. He said that, for him, his family and friends, perhaps the most outlandish thing he has heard about himself is “that I came from any money at all...I started with nothing. Anyone that knows me knows that.” Perhaps what annoys him most, he continued is that, people “so quickly forget about all of the work I did to improve a neighborhood and now want to crucify me because of lies. When I was a small up and coming young go getting entrepreneur everyone loved and supported me...but once I started to enjoy the fruits of my labors and people started looking at me as ‘successful’, people seemed to want me to fail....These recent allegations have given a platform for anyone, right or wrong, to kick me while I'm down. So much for innocent until proven guilty.” Social media, he says, has certainly exacerbated the situation and has “really changed the game...there's no accountability for people words anymore...people form opinions with no facts and little knowledge and just spread rumors and gossip like wildfire and everyone adds onto it and it grows and grows and spreads.” In the end, Wilton concluded, he has been humbled by recent events but believes that there are enough intelligent people in the community who know enough to form their opinions based on actual experience and documented fact rather than the recent trendy tide of hate that has swept over him.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Print/ Online Sources Referred to In This Writing:</strong></p> <p><em>Craigslist.com </em><a href="http://rochester.craigslist.org/rnr/4483543528.html" target="_blank">http://rochester.craigslist.org/rnr/4483543528.html</a></p> <p><em>Democrat and Chronicle</em> “Popular restaurant in a legal tug of war in federal court” May 20, 2014</p> <p><em>FingerLakes.com</em> “La Casa restaurant owner target of lawsuit” April 22, 2014</p> <p><em>Rochester Business Journal </em>“Appetite for risk” June 21, 2013</p> <p><em>Rochester Business Journal </em>“Trio Files Federal Lawsuit Over La Casa Eatery” May 2, 2014 </p>

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/102034

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/102034

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill

Boulders of Truth, Grains of Hate: An Examination of the South Wedge’s Scandalous Rumor Mill