CommentsTENANTS’ RIGHTS-The tenants of a strip of seven apartments along Exposition Boulevard are outraged at their treatment after being forced from their homes to make way for a new block of student housing near USC.
On September 29, 2017, the tenants received 60 to 90-day notices to vacate their homes. The tenants were devastated; some had been living there for just a year while others had been tenants for over 15 years. A few of them left on or before the 90-day period while others decided to stay, join the LA Tenants Union and fight for their rights as renters.
As of today, with only a small handful of tenants left, the buildings are now just shells of what they once were with remnants of the former tenants spread out all over. Clothes, furniture, broken picture frames and more litter the surrounding areas and are overflowing in the dumpsters in the parking areas or hanging from the outside stairwells. Neon poster boards with messages of anger and protest fill the front windows of two of the buildings featuring pictures of the man responsible for the evictions.
Some tenants have taken the vacate notice very hard, creating signs like, “Evicted by KIM CHUNG SUK” “LATENANTS.ORG” “DON’T LET MY KIDS GO HOMELESS” “WHERE ARE YOU MARQUEECE? DID WE MISS YOUR CALL?” – all evidence of how angry these former tenants are.
The eviction, while not illegal, is evidence of an ongoing issue across the city: landlords are using underhanded tactics to forcibly remove families to make way for higher profits. This phenomenon is better known as “business as usual.” We spoke with Robert Evans, a former tenant and one of the most outspoken voices in the fight against the Exposition evictions. He painted a picture of a situation that has been both confusing and frustrating.
Along with several other tenants, Evans made claims of harassment against the new landlords, reporting that electricity, water and or gas were shut off for extended periods of time. He initially had until the August 31, 2018 to vacate, but was forced out early, receiving a notice to leave by August 15, 2018. When he arrived home on August 18, 2018, Evans and his family were locked out. He believes this was a direct result of his outspokenness, stating, “They locked us out this past Saturday. Three families locked out….me and my cousin were the main ones in the media, we are part of the LA Tenants Union and protested outside the owner’s home.”
Evans believes this combination is directly responsible for his early removal. He also stated, “You know what they say about cutting off the head. We were the main ones who kept people out protesting and stuff, so they wanted to get us out of the way, so they could go ahead with pushing everyone else out.” Immediately after the lockout, Evans and his family’s remaining items could not be retrieved, but were thrown into a dumpster, onto the back steps and/or littered the back area (pictured above). By Monday construction had already begun on the apartments with no trace of anyone living there just 72 hours before. Evans also told us that while several tenants received settlements, he referred to the amounts as “small change” for many of the longtime residents, like his aunt who had resided in the building for fifteen years.
At one point, after negotiations between the Tenants Union and the Owners, the tenants were offered the option to stay if they paid a 20% rent increase, 6 months back rent. They refused these terms, so the offer was removed from the table. Then the owners proceeded to make settlement offers to all remaining tenants. Although unsatisfied, the tenants have no choice but to vacate the property by August 31, 2018.
While visiting the property we spoke to the new property manager. When asked about the situation, he claimed that all issues with the tenants have been settled. Another former tenant who’d been searching through discarded belongings, presumably to find things she lost, believes otherwise. When hearing the property manager (who will remain unnamed) express this, she walked over exclaiming, “What they are giving ain’t worth s##t, $2,000 ain’t s##t after living here for 10 years then just being kicked onto the street.”
The property manager again reassured us that everything had been settled and all tenants would be out by September 1, making way for the owner’s vision of student-only housing. He then proceeded to point to similar construction in the area. This gesture angered the onlooking former tenant; she stormed away screaming profanities. At this point, the property manager ended our conversation but insisted everything happening was legal and settled with everyone involved. This entire ordeal has obviously taken its toll on those affected. Unfortunately, this is becoming the sad reality of the City of LA as gentrification continues to creep into neighborhoods typically occupied by lower income families and people of color.
(Adrienne Nicole Edwards is a community advocate and a member of the NC Budget Advocates Committee and a CityWatch contributor. Charlie Williamson, a community activist, contributed to this story.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
