{"id":250678,"date":"2021-05-15T19:12:53","date_gmt":"2021-05-15T16:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/photographer-claims-squatter-invaded-her-central-park-south-home\/"},"modified":"2021-05-15T19:12:53","modified_gmt":"2021-05-15T16:12:53","slug":"photographer-claims-squatter-invaded-her-central-park-south-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/photographer-claims-squatter-invaded-her-central-park-south-home\/","title":{"rendered":"#Photographer claims squatter invaded her Central Park South home"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Photographer claims squatter invaded her Central Park South home<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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An accused squatter was arrested for harassment after allegedly invading the Central Park South home of an elderly photographer and former model who once palled around with Salvador Dali.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a dreadful situation,\u201d said Bettina Cirone, 87, who has lived in her rent-stabilized one bedroom, 900-square-foot pad for 28 years.<\/p>\n

She met Song Sook Kim, 50, a Korean immigrant who had spent time in Utah, at a local church luncheon in the fall. Cirone hired her to help with daily tasks and getting to app<\/a>ointments.<\/p>\n

But Cirone \u2014 who struggles with a shoulder injury, declining vision and uses a walker \u2014 claims Kim was a nightmare, screaming at her and rarely lifting a finger to help. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe gets enraged and starts screaming at the top of her lungs, telling me, \u2018You\u2019re crazy \u2026 you really need 24-hour help!\u2019 She doesn\u2019t give me an hour\u2019s help,\u201d Cirone said of Kim, who was arrested Thursday night, following Post inquiries.<\/p>\n

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Cirone\u2019s current predicament is a departure from her formerly glamorous life as a model.<\/figcaption>
Marc Asnin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The brutal daily existence was a farcry from Cirone\u2019s glamorous former life, when she worked for a decade as a model before encountering and being sketched by Dali<\/a>, dined with Andy Warhol, and met then-Mayor John Lindsay at a friend\u2019s belly-dancing gig.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Turning to the other side of the camera, her lens captured everyone<\/a> from actresses Lillian Gish and Joan Crawford to Diana Ross, Kurt Vonnegut, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Mother Theresa. She published her photos in The Post and other outlets.<\/p>\n

She settled in the doorman building overlooking Central Park in the 1990s, enjoying views of Columbus Circle from her fourth-floor apartment, for which she pays about $1,800 a month with a senior citizen discount. The market rent for such a space is about $4,500.<\/p>\n

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\"Song
Song Sook Kim was initially paid $20 an hour to help Cirone around the house.<\/figcaption>
J.C. Rice<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Cirone paid Kim $20 an hour for a few hours of work each day as a come-and-go aide, but wanted to fire Kim in early December, within a week or two of hiring her, she said. But Kim\u2019s friend claimed Kim had nowhere to go, and asked Cirone to let her stay over a few nights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After five days, Cirone told Kim\u2019s friend that Kim had to go \u2014 but the friend was unable to get Kim to agree, Cirone said. A few nights turned into five months, with Kim constantly begging for more time to find a new place as she took over a daybed in the living room, Cirone alleged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The two began calling police on each other beginning in March. Eventually, Cirone says her landlord told her to refuse Kim entry, which prompted Kim to call the NYPD.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe police told me that if I do not let her in, that they will arrest me,\u201d Cirone claimed. \u201cShe told police that I hit her and use her as a slave \u2026 She\u2019s acting like I\u2019m the trespasser in my own apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Bettina
Cirone later went behind the camera to become a photographer after her beginnings as a model.<\/figcaption>
Marc Asnin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Once Kim stayed more than 30 days, she triggered something commonly known as \u201csquatter\u2019s rights,\u201d typically requiring a judge\u2019s approval to oust her, according to veteran housing attorney Jeffrey Saltiel.<\/p>\n

With a giant Housing Court backlog created by Gov. Cuomo\u2019s eviction moratorium, and new pandemic protections for tenants, it could have taken years for Cirone to get help via the courts, said Saltiel. <\/p>\n

Cirone said she can\u2019t afford an attorney, and neighbor Jane Goodman, who tried for months to help Cirone, claimed there was little response from the city agencies, even Adult Protective Services. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been making calls, and have been punted from one organization to the next,\u201d Goodman said. \u201cWe had police here over and over, dozens of times, and they wouldn\u2019t do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

APS and the Manhattan District Attorney\u2019s office declined comment to The Post. <\/p>\n

The NYPD acknowledged it visited the building 12 times between March 13 and April 28 in response to complaints from both women, but did not respond to questions about what prompted the arrest, which came just hours after The Post\u2019s inquiry.<\/p>\n

Kim did not enter a plea during the Manhattan Criminal Court proceeding Friday. She was ordered to stay away from Cirone, except to retrieve some belongings with a police escort Saturday, and released on her own recognizance. <\/p>\n

\"Central
Cirone has lived in this building for 28 years.<\/figcaption>
J.C.Rice<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy that she\u2019s gone, but I\u2019m not completely convinced that she\u2019s gone,\u201d said Cirone, who credited The Post for getting Kim out. <\/p>\n

Goodman agreed: \u201cThere\u2019s no question in my\u00a0mind that if [The Post] hadn\u2019t gotten involved none of this would have been resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim did not return messages seeking comment. <\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Conor Skelding<\/em>\n <\/div>\n