Fighting Class War While 'Walking on Two Legs'
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- Published on Tuesday, 20 October 2015 22:45
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1176 .... October 21, 2015
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Fighting Class War While 'Walking on Two Legs'
Cynthia Peters
There's an apartment building in Dorchester that used to be a safe and affordable place to live for working-class families in Boston. But after a corporate landlord bought it in 2013, it has become a case study in how displacement happens. First, he allowed it to fall into extreme disrepair. As the building deteriorated, leaks developed, mold started growing, and people started moving out. After they left, the landlord cleaned up their units and rented them at significantly higher rates.
When City Life/Vida Urbana volunteers (of which I am one) started organizing in the building, people were scared and alienated from each other. As we started holding meetings, tenants began to connect with each... other and learn their rights. After they pressured the landlord to make some minimal changes (which barely got the building up to code), the landlord raised their rent. For five months, the tenants have remained united in their refusal to pay the rent increase. They are paying the old rent and pressuring the landlord to meet with them as a tenants’ association and negotiate a fair rent increase.
The point of our organizing, however, is never solely to prevent displacement or improve conditions or negotiate fair rent increases. Although those wins are important and obviously do real good in real people's lives, they are just one of the "legs" we should be walking on as we organize. What is the second "leg"? It is how all those involved in the organizing evolve and change over time through their engagement in the struggle.