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A first-person account of an eviction

By Max J. Dickstein, amNewYork Sports Editor | mdickstein@am-ny.com

January 22, 2008

When the Giants kicked their way into Super Bowl XLII on Sunday, I had known I was homeless for about two hours.

A floormate had called me with the news. "We've been evicted." he said. "You need to get over here now and pack." I complied, but hours later, after amNewYork completed a late-edition sports page with a Giants-Packers game story.

When I got home to 475 Kent Avenue, blinking squad cars and a hulking Office of Emergency Management trailer surrounded the entrance. Before I walked in, a group of residents brushed past, laden with blankets and clothes and headed into the dark, chilly Brooklyn stillness I was glad to escape momentarily.

Three Red Cross workers greeted me as I waited for the elevator, offering directions to a temporary shelter for the night. "Gee," one Red Cross worker said to the other. "A lot of people live here." "Of course they do," I said with authority. "We love this place."

Stepping finally into my loft, I felt relieved to return to my eight-floor prospect. That relief tightened into panic, however, as I realized I had less than two hours to pack up before being banished from my home.

Being suddenly and essentially homeless spurs one to quick action. I fed my fish. Then, while I hastily drew together piles of clothes and papers, I called friends and booked a short-term couch-surfing itinerary. At 1:45 a.m., I loaded the last of a half-dozen suitcases into my car.

Barring a reversal in the gloomy forecast for 475 Kent tenants like me, I'll move from my 1,000-square-foot space to somewhere else, somehow and soon -- maybe by Feb. 1.

Since I moved into 475 Kent Avenue in August 2006, I've grown to enjoy the endless amusements and tender connections which existence in that intimate place has afforded. It pains me each moment to know that one of Williamsburg's coolest communities is now out in the cold.

If you know of any cool, cheap apartments in Brooklyn, let Max know at mdickstein@am-ny.com.