“The Housing Authority dropped a bomb on us. They told us our housing was to be ‘terminated’. They issued us vouchers for selected areas that were supposedly absorbing us. We found out that they were not. We were stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was either fight to stay here, or be ass out- kicked out, evicted, homeless. The only logical answer for me was to fight, so that’s what I did.” Sheila, a single mother, who works full time in an office by day and as a student by night.
In 2004, the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda in California threatened to evict 238, low waged and disabled tenants from their homes. As the paragraph above explains, the Tenants decided to fight and the Campaign For Renter's Rights (CRR) was contacted. The CRR and tenants waged a successful battle to keep people in their homes after the housing authority backed off and found almost one million dollars.
You can read a detailed account of this victory here: http://www.laborsmilitantvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=99&Itemid=71
Testimonials from the tenants can be read here: http://www.laborsmilitantvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=101&Itemid=71
This was a major victory against the city council and the federal government and showed that with the right tactics and by relying on their own strength and the support of the community as opposed to the courts, the tenants could win. This is what we have to do in the workplaces and in the struggle against foreclosures. It is also the way to drive back the increasing attacks waged on public services and living standards that are a result of the collapse of the market.
Contact us if you would like to receive a hard copy of this account or if you want to build on what the CRR/LMV and Facts For Working People is doing.
No comments:
Post a Comment