Protest Herth Realty: Stop Gentrification of the Castro!

In recent years, we have seen the Castro emptied of gays, the Mission of Latinos, and the Bayview of African Americans. The neighborhoods are being emptied by real estate speculation and greed. The newcomers are primarily affluent, white and straight. The minorities who have shaped these communities cannot compete with the new-comers for apartments and homes.

Stop Herth! is a tenants’ rights organization devoted to ending the gentrification of the Castro neighborhood. The focus of Stop Herth’s current movement is Chris’ story - an epic story of tenant harassment, which serves as “canary in the coal mine” for tenants’ rights abuses.

Chris’ landlord is the Bansemer-Zimmer Living Trust, with Larry Stebbins as one of the trustees. Stebbins is the owner of Herth Realty, which
was named by Indy Bay as “Bay Area's 45 Worst Slumlords, Real Estate Speculators, Gentrification Profiteers and Other Contributors to the Housing Crisis” (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/12/18498773.php)

Chris’ Story

Openly gay Richard Bansemer was the long-time owner of Herth Realty. He was a kind and generous man. He is in a nursing facility and the trustees of the Bansemer Trust - Larry Stebbins (owner of Herth) and Bernard Katzmann (agent of Herth) - are dishonoring Bansemer's agreements.

Chris, a former gay rights activist who worked with inner city youth, is disabled and living on Social Security in the one of the Bansemer properties on Castro Street. Bansemer promised not to raise Chris' rent. Now, the trustees are trying to raise Chris' rent by $2,500 (from $1,500 to $4,000)!

In Spring of 2006, Chris and his partner Ben were considering moving to another Chris discussed his concern with rising rents in the Castro with Bansemer. He told Bansemer he was disabled and could not afford a rent increase. Bansemer promised, "I will never raise your rent." Chris decided to stay in the apartment.

Bansemer's health began to decline and he was placed in a nursing home. Bansemer's properties were held by the Bansemer-Zimmer Trust. Bansemer chose Larry Stebbins and Richard Katzmann to be trustees. Stebbins currently owns Herth and Katzmann is an agent thereof.
In Summer of 2007, Stebbins and Katzmann, through their attorney, told Chris they wanted to raise his rent. Chris told Stebbins and Katzmann about his agreement with Bansemer.

Stebbins and Katzmann tried to evict Chris - they filed a fraudulent complaint for eviction in which they claimed that rent for August 2007 was not paid. In fact, the rent was fully paid. Chris had to hire an attorney to defend the fraudulent eviction suit. Chris' credit has forever been damaged by the fact that he was sued for eviction. Chris won the eviction suit. The court awarded Chris his court costs. Chris was still out of pocket for the attorney fees. Chris intends to sue Stebbins and Katzmann for malicious prosecution and to clear his name.

Stebbins and Katzmann, in spite of the agreement with Bansemer, next served a rent increase notice to Chris which purportedly raised his rent from $1,500.00 to $4,000.00 (single residential units are not covered by rent control and there is an issue with respect to the number of residential units at the subject property).

Bansemer, Stebbins, and Katzmann owe their vast fortunes to the gay men and women of the Castro who made Herth so successful. They owe the community respect and fairness. Their greed is abominable. The Castro is more than a cash machine for the real estate industry.
Chris decided to fight back! The community rallied behind him and formed Stop Herth! to bring his story to the neighborhood’s attention. Stop Herth! has been held three very successful protests over the past three weeks and will continue protesting out in front of Herth Realty (555 Castro Street) every Saturday until Stebbins agrees to treat Chris fairly. In addition, Chris was successful at having an article published in the Bay Area Reporter (http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=2980).

For more information on Stop Herth! and to join us in taking the Castro back from speculators, go to http://www.StopHerth.com .