I know a lot of my friends and colleagues are hard hit financially, and I want to help in any way I can. I started a letter writing campaign to ask nicely for what we need, but we might have to just take it. So I sat down and had a good (virtual) conversation with Anthony Bencivengo who has tenant organizing experience as a volunteer for Portland Tenants United.

First of all, this all applies best to an apartment building. If you know your neighbors and are friendly with them you’re off to a good start, but if not there’s still work you can do to build the trust necessary for a rent strike or for asking for what you need. We are all going through the same collective trauma, so it might be the best time to build this solidarity and sense of community with your fellow tenants.

Getting in Contact

In these times of social distancing, the best approach is probably to print out some flyers to leave on your neighbors’ doors. Knock and back up 6 feet, talk if you can, let them read the flyer later if they don’t answer the door (and I don’t blame them if they don’t – we don’t answer the door at my place now anymore).

What should your flyer say? Lets stick with something more neutral for now like tenants rights. I can help you design a flyer, and I can help you assemble a fact sheet to help educate yourself and your community members on your legal rights. Include your phone number or email and a call to action so you can move on to the next step.

The Meeting

It will have to be virtual obviously, but try to organize a conference call or similar with everybody who’s interested.

That meeting is where you start discussing what you all want to do together – hopefully start a tenant union in the building, and start discussing what changes the union wants to fight for. As well as planning for how to get more of the other tenants involved.

That could lead to a rent strike, or a more modest organizing campaign around specific demands. Wherever it goes should originate organically from the tenants.

It is heartless and cruel to charge rent or mortgage during a pandemic when so many of us cannot work for the sake of public safety.

I wrote this with my own situation in mind, but please make changes to the following letter based on your personal circumstances, and get involved in your local tenant unions. We’re asking nicely first, but if we don’t get what we need, we will have to take it.

Dear [your senator, representative, mayor, governor, etc.]

I am now out of a job due to COVID-19, as are many servers, cooks, bartenders, hosts, runners, bussers, and many others who work in other service oriented jobs. Unemployment isn’t enough, especially for those of us who earn a large percentage of our income via tips. I’m asking for you to support a Universal Basic Income for all adults in this country.

Some small local measures have been taken to protect us from eviction right now, but we need more. Nobody should be evicted either during or immediately after this crisis, so I’m asking for a freeze on all rent and mortgage payments during the month of April, and for as long as this crisis is preventing so many of us from working.

Most of all, we need universal healthcare free at point of service. People have been doing the right and responsible thing and trying to get tested for this virus, then denied tests and billed thousands of dollars for their trouble. As long as a doctor’s office is synonymous with financial ruin for so many of us, this virus can and will run rampant.

I know there will be objections to these policies, but if we can afford to pump trillions into the stock market just for it to vanish in a puff of smoke, can’t we afford to take care of our people? I care about my community. I hope that you do too, because if not why did we vote for you?

Please help.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]