top
East Bay
East Bay
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Trick or Treat for Rent Relief

sm_o31.jpeg
Date:
Saturday, October 31, 2020
Time:
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Event Type:
Party/Street Party
Organizer/Author:
Tenant councils
Location Details:
Piedmont Park
Highland Ave and Mountain Ave
Piedmont, CA

Join us for a fun Halloween action targeting several landlords who live in Piedmont! Our landlords have been unwilling to negotiate rent relief for tenants in need during the pandemic, and some tenants have also experienced harassment and retaliatory actions.

We've organized a community postcard campaign so our landlords will be hearing directly from their neighbors, urging them to work with their tenants!

We will be meeting at 5 p.m. at Piedmont Park (at the corner of Highland and Mountain - look for our banners). We will organize into small teams and plan to head out by 5:15 p.m. for "reverse trick-or-treating," distributing postcards and candy to our landlords' neighbors. COSTUMES ENCOURAGED :)

Please wear your masks and maintain social distancing!

Neighborhood maps, postcards, pens, candy and hand sanitizer will be provided.
Added to the calendar on Wed, Oct 28, 2020 7:27PM
Release: October 29, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has financially devastated many tenants in the Bay Area and across the US. Members of four tenant councils in Oakland, California are joining forces to trick-or-treat for rent relief.

The JDW Tenants Union (representing tenants of Justin Douglas Wallway and Caleb Inman of JDW Enterprises), the MDP Tenants Council (representing tenants of Marta DePierris), and the Lonay Tenants Council (representing tenants of Linda Lonay) will trick-or-treat in their landlords’ neighborhoods this Halloween. This action launches a community postcard campaign so that landlords will hear directly from their neighbors, urging them to negotiate rent relief and to end illegal harassment of tenants. The SMC Tenants Council stands in solidarity with JDW, MDP, and Lonay Tenants Council/Union members.

When: Saturday, October 31, 2020
Time: 4:45 - 5:15 pm rally, (action to follow)
Where: Piedmont Park, at the corner of Highland Ave and Mountain Ave (look for our banners)

Landlords, Justin Douglas Wallway and Caleb Inman of JDW Enterprises, have refused to negotiate rent relief with their tenants who have experienced Covid-19-related job and income loss. JDW Enterprises and property manager, Lin Mayr, have a long history of negligent maintenance and poor building upkeep, harassment of low income tenants and tenants of color, and predatory campaigns to illegally pressure tenants to move out of rent-controlled units.

“When my hours were cut and my partner lost their job this spring and we couldn’t pay rent, my landlord told me I had to go to charity and food banks for help because we couldn’t expect any from him. My money goes to putting gas in my car to get groceries for my elderly parents who are vulnerable to COVID. I am terrified of losing my housing. A food bank won’t help me but rent relief will,” says a long-time Oakland resident and tenant of JDW Enterprises.

Landlord, Marta DePierris, also refuses to negotiate rent relief with her tenants in financial distress due to impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather than work with her tenants, DePierris has harassed and retaliated against her tenants, including low income and queer/trans folks, who have sought rent relief.

“Instead of negotiating with her tenants, our landlord DePierris illegally issues rent increases and harasses her tenants, sending her husband to accost tenants at their homes without notice. Why won’t she negotiate with us directly?” says a tenant of Marta DePierris.

Landlord, Linda Lonay, has demonstrated zero sympathy towards forcibly unemployed tenants. In a city that is majority residents of color, Lonay has exceptionally few tenants of color. Lonay’s practices as a landlord are directly tied to displacement and homelessness in the city of Oakland.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$55.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network