Landlords in Rep. Don Beyer’s district (VA-08) have prioritized their own profit over the wellbeing of their tenants. In response, those tenants are standing together to ensure that their neighbors make it through the COVID-19 pandemic safely, without living in fear of eviction or back-due rent after losing their incomes.
The tenants of Southern Towers in Alexandria have said to Bell Partners and Snell Construction: “No job? No rent.” Instead of meeting with tenants to discuss their demands, their landlords encourage them to open a line of credit with a firm tied to the debt collection industry. Without action, these tenants will now face crippling debt and mass evictions when the pandemic ends.
The same situation unfolding at Southern Towers is happening across the country. Over the last six weeks, over 30,000,000 workers have become unemployed. Yet relief spending has focused on businesses, not workers. That is why we must call on Rep. Don Beyer to support the tenants at Southern Towers and to support Rep. Ilhan Omar's Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act.This bill would cancel rent for the duration of the crisis, thereby making all other measures to protect middle and working class families more effective.
Can you take a moment to call, email, and tweet to Rep. Don Beyer and demand that he support tenants during this crisis? Here are some ways you can help:
Corporate landlords own more than half of all rental units in the country. Most have access to capital right now, while laid off workers do not. Tell Rep. Don Beyer that investor-backed firms should take losses before families are evicted or sent to collections.
In Solidarity,
Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America
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