“[Board president] Josephine Fiorentino said that a new Charlesview building would be in a good location,” resident Lynn Cohen said at the meeting. “Well, maybe its good to her, but it may not be good for us.”

Tenants have developed a discernable mood of distrust toward the board, which they believe has intentionally kept them in the dark on a number of issues.

“For a while, we thought people were being taking advantage of by the board,” said Giovanditto. “We want to keep this [tenants’ association] loud so [residents] are aware of what’s going on here and don’t get shafted.”

Lawrence Fiorentino, Josephine’s son, defended the board in a January interview, saying that they have always communicated clearly with their residents.

“We have meetings once a month with the tenants, where they can ask questions and we will give them straight forward answers,” said Fiorentino. “We are very upfront, very forthright.”

But with only preliminary information, and in a neighborhood fearful of the gentrification that can come with university expansion, some residents say they still consider the board and Harvard guilty until proven innocent.

“I have nothing against Harvard. Harvard could be a saint for Charlesview,” Anzalone said. “But until we sit in on these meetings, we have to think of them as the bad guy.”

Harry Cohen, Lynn’s husband, who stressed the need to better organize tenants’ demands and desires, took a more peaceful approach to the University.

“We don’t want any confrontation. We just want to be part of the process.”

—Staff writer Alex L. Pasternack can be reached at apastern@fas.harvard.edu.