Newsletter | May 2018
Movie Night Fundraiser
Our movie night fundraiser was a huge success! On April 20, members of ATU and Albany Park Defense Network (APDN), along with many new faces, gathered to watch Hey Arnold!: The Movie and have a community discussion about gentrification and strategies of resistance. Read about some of our takeaways here.
Idalia’s Delegation and Flyering
In early April, landlords Johnnie & Bertha Duque stole their tenant Idalia’s $1,100 security deposit. ATU supported Idalia and her family as they stood up to their landlord and demanded they return their money. Security deposits are not rent and do not belong to landlords!
The landlord got aggressive and began shouting at Idalia when we tried to serve him with her complaint, so we taped her complaint to his door. A week later, the Duques had not responded. So on April 22, we returned to flyer their block so that their neighbors are aware of their greedy and illegal actions. ATU stands with all tenants who resist looting and abuse at the hands of landlords!
ATU Members Struggle to Find Housing
The first few months of 2018 were busy for ATU. We struggled alongside several tenant unions, with folks winning money and time to move and while preserving their dignity through direct action against their landlords. Even though many tenants got several months in order to find a new apartment, for many, the last few weeks of March and April were quite stressful as many members were still struggling to find housing,
In the communities that they have made their home,
At a rent that is affordable, and
In a building that is well maintained.
This was not an easy task, that forced several tenants to settle for less than ideal conditions or in neighborhoods far from Albany Park.
Furthermore, because many tenants had settlements that were to be finalized after they left their previous units, they still had evictions on their records when applying for new housing. This resulted in folks wasting money on application fees that led nowhere. Some might take this as a lesson in not speaking up--for even in fighting back, we are often punished by a legal system that favors property owners. We at ATU see it a different way. We interpret this obstacle as an opportunity to dig our heels in and start demanding more.
While we have previously asked for more time, and in some cases won 8 or 9 months rent free, we now see that this is not enough. Because every time one of our compas is evicted and forced to move out of the neighborhood, it is a blow to the movement. We are building a movement of tenants that demands more than any lawyer would deem possible. We must be constantly challenging what is perceived as possible, because no one is going to give us what we ask for: We must take it, by any means necessary.
California Building Victory
It’s important to celebrate our victories in the fight for renter power. Three weeks after a small electrical fire damaged several units and the roof of the the Horner Park Tenants Union’s building, their landlord served seven of the tenants with eviction notices. The landlord wanted them to vacate within 30 days, and--inexplicably--some tenants in only ten.
Fortunately, an ATU member happened to live in the building, and we immediately began working with tenants to fight this unjust treatment. Tenants included an elderly woman with limited mobility who had lived there for 20 years, and another senior who had lived there for 30.
Directly affected tenants and other tenants acting in solidarity formed the Horner Park Tenants Union and sent a letter to the landlord demanding that he allow them more time, provide detailed information on the repairs that needed to be made, and negotiate to provide cash moving assistance & damage compensation for any tenants that did need to vacate for repairs, along with the option to move back in after the repairs were finished.
After receiving this request, rather than respond, the landlord began unannounced and unpermitted demolition work, blocking residents from accessing their units and scattering hazardous material. In response, ATU led a call-in campaign urging him to cease demolition and negotiate in good faith.
Within an hour of the campaign’s start, the landlord caved and agreed to negotiate. With legal representation by CALA, Horner Park Tenants Union secured an agreeable deal. In addition to returning March & April rent and security deposits to affected tenants, the landlord paid tenants up to $4,000 in relocation assistance and damage compensation.
The tenants were also granted right-of-first refusal, meaning they will have the option to move back into their old units at their former rents after repairs are done. By working together to form a tenants union and taking bold steps to show that unity to their landlord, Horner Park Tenants Union refused to be treated unfairly and took their future into their own hands.
