New York Tenants Unite To Fight Politicians, Banks, Courts and their own Tenant Associations

New York, United States.  The group, headed by E. Jackson, met due to the high number of New York tenants and home owners, that are losing their places to live.   At the meeting, held in Brooklyn New York, they discussed various challenges and came up with innovative solutions. Firstly they identified that the housing market in New York, and across most developed capitalistic nations, is traditionally built on several discriminatory practices.  The main one being that poor and/or Black renters and home owners are not afforded the same legal protections as their white counterparts.   Compounding the problem, Black politicians have been identified to lie to their community then turn around and negotiate, in private, with landlords and banks. Making the matter worse, courts and banks, work with the landlords, at the detriment of the tenants. Several tenants even brought proof that the New York housing authority works with landlords and banks to help evict tenants and home owners by not writing violations and in other very obvious ways meant to bolster the high number of poor and Black renters and home owners that lose their place to stay. E. Jackson asked the crowd if tenant associations were at all helpful in assisting them.  Several tenants from the Riverton Residential Complex in Harlem stated that, to the contrary, the Riverton Tenants’ Association purposefully worked very slowly on matters that are critical to tenants, in an effort to help the landlord push through various MCI related charges.   All tenants agreed that while tenant association on the surface seem like a good idea, since most are run by persons who are in secret alliances with landlords, banks and immoral politicians, the bulk of tenants remain unprotected from any direction or organization.   Even worse, a female grandmother came forward and stated that she lost her apartment when a Black church stole it from her and tricked her into signing a new lease that didn’t protect her.   She also stated how at the housing court, the deck is stacked against tenants, and that even the court officers give the landlord and his/her lawyers access to areas of the court that tenants are bared from entering.  A tenant from Riverton told how he is now being vilified because he stood up to the tenants association. Rather than meeting regarding his concerns, the Riverton Association has now turned into a propaganda arm for the landlord, bank and local Black politicians and is claiming that he, the tenant, is working with the landlord at the detriment of the tenants. Thus, using ad hominem lies, the Riverton Tenants Association, and other associations dissuade tenants from speaking out against any issues that need to be honestly addressed.   Most attendees further agreed that the present MCI structure that allows a landlord to waste money on repairs, give contracts to his/her friends, and then increase the rents forever, with no tenant involvement in the vendor choices, repairs done is totally unconstitutional and immoral.  Further, even when repairs are necessary, everyone agreed that rents should be lowered once the MCI, if agreed to, are made. But they feel that the courts and politicians, who often are landlords themselves (like the New York Mayor) don’t care about the poor or about Blacks but put money before being legal, moral, ethical or even spiritual. The day long even concluded with several substantial and innovative suggestions.  Firstly, the group agreed that the majority of Black and Hispanic politicians have sold out their communities from the local level to the national level. Secondly, the group agreed that most tenant associations are controlled by landlords and bank spies.  Thirdly, the fact that taxpayers are not protected by the housing authorities and the courts clearly show that in a capitalistic society, without public oversight, the poor and Black residents of Western nations will continue to be abused without any governmental protections.    Finally, the group agreed that Black churches, must be held accountable for participating in the demise of Black tenants and home owners.   The group also agreed that gentrification was not the fault of the white and Asian new tenants, but a system that is structured on race, abuse and a “top down philosophy”.

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