Portside

Canada is alive with resistance

In New York, the real estate industry and the politicians in its pocket both reign supreme. These tenants have a plan to change that forever.

We really do believe that organizing happens at the speed of trust. Trust takes a while to form. Our newest tenant Union, the McGee Schiffman Tenant Union, has been in development for like six months before they just became public this past weekend

Rent control means more money and control for renters and less for landlords. It’s why they hate it — and why we should fight for it.

Wang fears that millions of “invisible evictions” will occur over the coming months as landlords ratchet up the pressure on tenants, pushing tenants to “self-evict.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development can provide $10 million to tenant organizers each year, but the funding has largely gone unspent since the early 2000s. Will that change with a new administration and newly approved HUD secretary?

“Rent strikers and people at risk of losing their shelter are doing all they can to stop the violence of evictions and promote a vision of collective and community ownership of housing for everyone.”

As fewer people remain able to afford rent in big cities, more leave those cities for cheaper regions, or simply fall out of the housing market and into homelessness. Think tanks and activist groups are thinking outside the box with solutions.

“I just don’t feel that police evicting people is a way to ‘protect and serve.’”

Frances Goldin was relentless, her enthusiasm infectious. And her life shows the value of being a long-distance runner. She fought like hell to defend her community. Frances had been a regular presence at Zuccotti Park a couple of years earlier...