Above Photo:Â San Francisco housing, photograph by Justin Sullivan for Getty Images.
On Oct. 3, 2015 The Right to Remain Coalition, anchored by Right to the City Boston and Boston Tenant Coalition, brought together renters, homeowners, low wage workers, immigrants, and many others affected by the displacement crisis resulting from Boston’s status as the most rapidly gentrifying city in the country.
The Right to Remain Assembly weaved together a variety of housing, zoning, jobs, land, and transit policies that our communities are actively fighting for and will particularly focus on the struggle for a Just Cause Eviction law to protect Boston residents.
Hundreds gathered and gave direct testimony about the citywide displacement crisis. Grassroots activists also planned strategies and tactics for passing Just Cause Eviction, breaking down by city council district, and they shared a variety of organizing approaches to the displacement crisis through interactive and cultural presentations. Topics included inclusionary development policy, community land trusts and community control of public land, creation of neighborhood stabilization zones, and struggles for local hiring and community benefit standards.
The Right to Remain Assembly culminated in a massive citywide action cosponsored by Boston Tenant Coalition, Right to the City Boston, Alternatives for Community & Environment, Boston Workers Alliance, Chinatown Resident Association, Chinese Progressive Association, City Life/Vida Urbana, Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, Dominican Development Center, Dorchester People for Peace, Fairmount Indigo Community Development Collaborative, Jamaica Plain Progressives, Neighbors United for a Better East Boston, New England United for Justice, SEIU 32BJ.
WHAT IS A RENTERS’ ASSEMBLY? HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
THE MOMENT
The time is ripe to build a mass tenants’ movement in this country. The Renter Nation includes 23 million families and households and is growing everyday. The movement is beginning in our communities and cities through fighting against displacement and high rents. Rooted in our hardest hit areas, predominantly working class and communities of color, we are organizing for just cause eviction, anti-speculation taxes and other basic renters’ rights. We are growing in power to win Renters’ Bill of Rights, rent control and a mass expansion of affordable, community controlled housing.
THE GOAL
In 2015, Right to the City’s Homes For All campaign is supporting 15 cities/regions to hold Renter Nation Assemblies to galvanize impacted residents and allies locally to win anti-displacement and affordability campaigns.
Renter Nation Assemblies strategically link our local fights across the country to replicate wins, gather momentum and build a genuine tenants’ movement for affordable, community controlled homes.
The assemblies will bring together renters, low-wage workers, seniors, immigrants, youth, LGBTQ, union members, formerly incarcerated, and others who do not have affordable homes.
BENEFITS OF AN ASSEMBLY TO YOUR ORGANIZATION AND COMMUNITY/CITY
Right to the City’s Homes For All campaign will: (see toolkit for more details here)
- Provide popular education materials on tenant organizing, history of land and housing struggles in US, best practices for renters’ rights and Community Land Trusts campaigns
- Support delegates from your city/region to represent at the 2016 national renter nation convening
- Collaborate on joint fundraising for your assembly and ongoing campaign work
- Support grassroots organizations in producing city reports on a local analysis and solutions to the housing crisis
- Provide support in planning your assembly and advancing your local campaign
- Gather and promote stories from impacted residents in your city — http://homesforall.org/cantwaitlist/
BRING A RENTER ASSEMBLY TO YOUR TOWN »