New landlord of Independence Towers faces tenant demands, days after fire displaces dozens

Tenants of the troubled Independence Towers apartment building started their week coping with the chaos of a fire, and finished it in negotiations with their new landlord, just prior to learning a fellow resident was charged with arson.

On Thursday, The Independence Towers Tenant Union, along with the KC Tenants Union, brought TriGild Inc. Vice President Nancy Daniels to the negotiating table, seeking to resolve complaints over living conditions in the building.

“I was really proud of myself and everyone else who was able to speak on the conditions of Independence Towers and our own personal experiences, and I am glad that we were able to come to the negotiation table with TriGild and get some of our demands met,” resident Anna Heetmann said to The Star.

The negotiation came after a fire, now alleged to be arson, displaced 27 residents from three floors of the building Monday.

On Friday, Destiny R. Kley, 22, a building resident, was charged in Jackson County court with first-degree arson. She was being held on a $50,000 bond, and has been ordered to stay at least 1,000 feet away from Independence Towers, according to charging documents.

Kley told police investigators she poured cleaning fluid around the kitchen stove and turned on the stove, starting the blaze, according to court documents.

She said she set the fire with the intention of killing herself, as well as destroying the property that she and her husband shared, according to court records. Her husband, with whom Kley shared the apartment at 728 N Jennings Rd, was arrested three hours before the fire after Kley called Independence police to report domestic violence.

Independence fire investigators confirmed the fire was caused by someone pouring and then igniting flammable liquid, according to court documents. The Independence city manager’s office declared the first and second floors, along with the basement, condemned due to smoke and fire damage.

‘Fight for our health and safety’

Meantime, other residents still in the building continue to live without air conditioning as the Missouri summer heat lurches into dangerous territory.

Earlier this year, tenants struggled with mice and roach infestations and a lack of hot water.

“I think the most frustrating thing for folks was that she did not make a commitment to what specific date the air conditioning would be fixed, or every tenant would be guaranteed air conditioning in the building,” said Justin Stein, a leader with KC Tenants.

Daniels initially failed to meet a June 11 deadline set by the union to commit to turning on the air conditioning. But she did commit to fixing the air conditioning, either by replacing the cooler or getting each resident a window unit, Stein said.

On top of fixing the air conditioning, residents demanded that Daniels compensate tenants for the fire, reverse and freeze all rent hikes, freeze evictions and displacements and to recognize the union, Stein said.

Daniels did not agree to bargain a collective lease agreement with the building, or to waive rent and fees for tenants due to the fire or to refrain from evicting residents, Stein said. However, Daniels did agree to work with residents on a case-by-case basis regarding rent and payment plans.

A Jackson County judge appointed property management company TriGild Inc. as the receiver of the property on May 16 after former owner FTW Investments and executive Parker Webb failed to pay back a loan and complete maintenance on the building, according to previous reporting by The Star.

“Parker Webb never showed up for us,” Heetmann said. “Parker Webb never even responded when we sent him our list of demands. He just acted like we didn’t exist. So I am grateful to Nancy for actually meeting with us and taking the time to hear what we had to say.”

Earlier this year, a Jackson County judge ousted former building management Tango Management, owned by FTW Investments and Parker Webb, after the union reported poor living conditions in the building.

“I just wanted to say I’m really proud of my neighbors and everybody that’s gotten together to work on this and fight for our health and safety in our building,” Stephens said. “Because I know that if we hadn’t organized and formed our union we wouldn’t even be having these conversations right now, we’d all still be a bunch of individuals mad and dying in the heat.”

Heetmann said prior to joining KC Tenants, she didn’t really know anyone in the building and struggled with feeling isolated due to the problems in her apartment.

“But now that [I’ve discussed these issues with my neighbors], and now that I see that these problems aren’t just affecting me but they’re affecting pretty much everybody who lives at Independence Towers, it really showed me that it’s important, the work that we’re doing,” she said.

The union is prepared to “escalate publicly” if Daniels doesn’t follow through on the promises she made in Thursday’s meeting, Heetmann said.

Nancy Daniels did not immediately reply to The Star’s request for comment.

Previous reporting by The Star’s Noelle Alviz-Gransee and Ilana Arougheti was used in this story.