Here's what I like about my job. This morning I spoke with a naturalized Korean immigrant who for 25 years ran a grocery in Hell's Kitchen. He and his wife lived in an apartment obove the grocery. Two months after September 11th, there was a Con Ed fire under the street that spread to the bsement of the building underneath the store. The store and apartments in the building were damaged by the fire. The guy's landlord approached him and said, "Here's what we do. You terminate your lease, and I'll sue Con Ed, not only for the fire but also for the loss of the value of your lease." Mr. Grocer said that sounds complicated, and he wasn't sure he could be involved in something like that. From reading the material he sent, his landlord then decided that he wanted Mr. Grocer out of there. Landlord told him to clear out his stuff so they could make repairs. While he was doing that, the floor collapsed and he was injured in the fall, and needs back surgery. His apartment in the building was burglarized His landlord has moved to evict him five times. No repairs have ever been done. Fearing for the safety of his wife and four children, he has sent them to live with family. Because his landlord has told him several times to "Go back to Korea," he filed a complaint with the NYC Human Rights Commission. Now, he's broke, he needs back surgery, his family is dispersed to the four winds, and all he wants is to re-open his grocery and continue his pursuit of the American dream. When Mr. Grocer was explaining all this on the phone to me, he started to cry and he had to hang up.

We're going to help Mr. Grocer. There's not much we can do. And, probably, the chances are slim to none that he's ever going to be able to re-open his store in that location. But what happened to him was terrible and wrong. I want to do what I can to make it right.

Hopefully, Boss Sunshine won't get in my way.

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