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Almost two years ago some of us in @LATenantsUnion wrote this article about @MitchOFarrell after seeing how he dealt with the Burlington Tenants (largest rent strike in LA in 30+ years).
I think it's worth revisiting! Mitch is scum. https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/2016-01-01-13-17-00/los-angeles/16050-o-farrell-sides-with-rich-property-owner-against-burlington-tenants
I think it's worth revisiting! Mitch is scum. https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/2016-01-01-13-17-00/los-angeles/16050-o-farrell-sides-with-rich-property-owner-against-burlington-tenants
Fuck it I'll tweet about it for those too lazy to click / read :)
We (LATU members + Burlington Unidos tenants) had to work SO HARD just to get a damn meeting with this dude. Had to hold multiple occupations of his office.
We (LATU members + Burlington Unidos tenants) had to work SO HARD just to get a damn meeting with this dude. Had to hold multiple occupations of his office.
FINALLY he gave a 15-minute meeting for a situation where 200+ people are facing eviction for refusing to live with slum conditions.
He also refused to have the meeting if LATU organizers were present.... saw us as some "outside agitators" lol
He also refused to have the meeting if LATU organizers were present.... saw us as some "outside agitators" lol
In the meeting he basically chastised the tenants for going on rent strike, said basically they should've just sucked it up and paid 40% rent increases to a slumlord who lives in the Pacific Palisades.
He said there's nothing he could do.
He said there's nothing he could do.
We weren't asking him to solve all the problems -- we just wanted some public support.
Come to one of our protests and speak in support of us and call out Lisa Ehrlich publicly. Have a press conference in which you denounce slumlords and evictions.
Come to one of our protests and speak in support of us and call out Lisa Ehrlich publicly. Have a press conference in which you denounce slumlords and evictions.
He absolutely wouldn't do it!
A few weeks later he wrote a letter to the tenants essentially saying "I've done all I can" AND repeating all these outright LIES that Lisa Ehrlich had been putting out -- that she didn't want to evict, that she had never raised rent before, etc.
A few weeks later he wrote a letter to the tenants essentially saying "I've done all I can" AND repeating all these outright LIES that Lisa Ehrlich had been putting out -- that she didn't want to evict, that she had never raised rent before, etc.
This was also happening at the same time Mitch was making it as hard as possible for street vendors to make a living.
We did research and found that a full 31% of his campaign donations came from people connected to the real estate industry.... hmm.
We did research and found that a full 31% of his campaign donations came from people connected to the real estate industry.... hmm.
Does Mitch hate Latinx people / immigrants? We'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say no.
But he hates poor people. He hates anyone who will get in the way of gentrification and rising property values. And that's exactly what the Burlington tenants were doing.
But he hates poor people. He hates anyone who will get in the way of gentrification and rising property values. And that's exactly what the Burlington tenants were doing.
