Although evictions are illegal until 90 days after the state-wide emergency is lifted; landlords continue to see economic opportunity in what tenants experience as muiltiple crises.
Illegal lockouts are rampant, and we're building a city-wide support network to fight back.
1/11

Yesterday, before the mayor announced that it was time to reopen; Claudia, a member of our South Central Local and a tenant recently diagnosed with COVID19, was locked out of her home by her building manager. She had been paying rent to her roommate, who was the leaseholder.
2/11

Her roommate moved out recently, but Claudia intends to stay in the apartment. Claudia had been self-quarantining and having food delivered. When she left to get some essentials, she returned to find all the locks had been changed.

3/11

Her building manager had moved her toilet into the living room and removed one of her doors. They had also shut off her power and moved her belongings out onto the curb.

4/11

Since Claudia is fighting COVID-19, her neighbors had been bringing her food and supplies. The manager threatened them with eviction if they didn't stop helping her.

This is an old and familiar landlord tactic — pitting neighbors against one another.

5/11

With the support of LATU organizers, Claudia mobilized a support network, who arrived within the hour.
We helped her get back into her home, and got the power back on. A comrade from our rapid response crew changed the locks back and installed a new deadbolt on her door.

6/11

A solidarity contractor reinstalled her toilet.

Since her roommate took the stove and fridge when they moved out, she isn't able to cook or keep much food with her in her home. In response, a constant flood of supporters arrived with food and water.

7/11

Our South Central Local is filing a report with HCIDLA for illegal eviction and illegal construction, and writing a letter to the landlord asserting Claudia's rights as a tenant. Organizers will be staying in touch with Claudia to make sure things are okay going forward.

8/11

Neighbors came out to the street to chat with LATU organizers while we were on the scene. Turns out many of them are also facing harassment from their landlords. They'll be following up with our South Central Local to get to know their rights and to organize.

9/11

As the state and the city reopen, we're only going to see more of this. Electeds and landlords want to get the clocking ticking on rent again, regardless of how many like Claudia are in the throes of an economic crisis in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

10/11

What are now illegal lockouts will quickly become legal, but deeply immoral evictions. Tenants everywhere need to be building the kind of community power that came together in South Central yesterday.
We're going to need it in the year ahead.

11/11