SSW MSW Blog
Fight Evictions & Protest the Landlord Lobby! Wed, July 18, 6PM, Frye Museum
Fight Evictions! Protest Landlord Lobby and their Attorneys!
Outside the Frye Museum (704 Terry Ave)
Dear friends and fellow activists,
We all know the rent is too damn high in Seattle! On top of that, Washington state’s eviction laws are heavily tilted towards landlords. Renters can be evicted in as little as three days in this state! And landlord attorneys make that happen. Like skyrocketing rents, evictions are a leading cause of homelessness nationwide. It’s time to fight back against big landlords and their attorneys!
Next Wednesday, July 18 at 6:00PM at the Frye Museum, the landlord lobby will be meeting their attorneys at a “legal forum” to hone their skills in using the law against renters. Join the Washington Community Action Network (WA CAN), housing activists, and me in a protest for renters’ rights outside the museum!
I’m proud to have worked with members of WA CAN, the Tenants Union of Washington State, and many others to fight for rent control, including holding a rent control debate with over 1,000 people attending and passing a historic City Council resolution calling on the state legislature – now controlled by Democrats – to overturn the state ban on rent control.
Organizing together, we’ve won laws that require landlords to rent to the first qualified applicant, regardless of source of income, and that give everyone a Fair Chance to rent. We’ve won laws requiring landlords to allow tenants to pay move-in fees and first and last month’s rent on a payment plan, and we’ve passed a law preventing landlords from raising rents on units where code violations exist.
But the landlords, backed by their lobby group, the Rental Housing Association of Washington, have fought us every step of the way and have gone to court to block these new rights.
Next Wednesday is an opportunity to build our fighting movement for renters’ rights and housing justice. Let’s show them that while they plot their legal strategies, we will be organizing to demand housing as a human right.
Fight Evictions! Protest Landlord Lobby and their Attorneys!
Outside the Frye Museum (704 Terry Ave)
Solidarity,
Kshama Sawant