THE NEWS: NOT JUST STRIKING HIGH RENT BUT RENT ITSELF
PEEPING TOM LANDLORD BUSTED
RENT STRIKE
This is a rent strike proposal.
-If there was a designated date in the possible near future to organize a mass rent strike in
We all pay it. None of us want to. What other choices do we have? Dumpster dive, squat, live on the streets, these are solutions to avoid paying the land owners, but do we not all deserve a roof over our heads?
There is legislation being prepared for June 3rd 2008 to end rent control in
Rent control is a road block for land owners, but this just allows the landowners to come up with new ways to get money off of land they don’t live on. Does this sound familiar?
-2 bedroom apartment being advertised as a 4 bedroom using the living room and dining room to cram us in, charging 3,500 dollars a month.
-relaters bribing senior tenants to move out so they can jack up the rent.
-renters fixing their apartments themselves instead of calling the landlord afraid inspections will force them out.
If you want to hear the real horror stories look up www.citistop.org. Legislation is a game. The Landowners have the money to manipulate legislation to fit their wants, and what they want is more of our money. Their costs are going up and they’re pushing it on us to make sure they can continue living off our labor.
It is time we think beyond the ballot and initiate change ourselves. Even if rent control is voted to stay in
We need to think about where our rent situation puts us, and ask ourselves larger questions:
-how do we view the quality of our daily lives?
-how much work do we push thru to pay rent every month?
-do most of us have the money and time to do what we want to do?
The conservative idea of “American dream” argues that the problems you experience are individual problems that are yours alone, that no one else shares with you. We see this everyday throughout the majority of our interactions, each examining:
-who’s tougher, flashier, more wealthy, more attractive, better dressed, etc.
The only time we are encouraged by the state to step out of individual competition and claim to be a part of a community is to vote for some rich person every two to four years that cannot possibly understand our problems because they are rich!
(Example: Nancy Pelosi, wealth and assets is worth over 100 million dollars!) She can pretend to be progressive but how can she understand our need of affordable housing?
Someone with money would say
“Then why don’t you move somewhere cheaper”. Or “get a better job”. This sink or swim bullshit plays right into the Rich’s hands. Struggling to pay rent is not your individual problem, it’s all of our problem, and will not go away by moving away. That just means someone else will have to deal with it.
“Shit rolls down hill” as they say. Can you imagine what a rent strike would do? The landowners would be unable to pay their debts to the banks and so on up the hill to a world of shit on the top of the pyramid. If enough people strike what can they do? It would take all the
Show this flyer to your friends. Your neighbors and co-workers are probably reading this as well. We could organize this horizontally on a city block basis. spread the information and community building like sickness. Concentrate on your block, each block connects to the next thru 1 to 2 people? Get to know the people in your immediate area, after all, how many of us really know all our neighbors? Have meetings on the street corner? People might find it strange and become curious in seeing people gathering on a street corner not selling or buying anything.
We could discuss the following:
-our demands to the realty companies (if any)?
-how long to strike rent, and where to take it from there?
-just pay half the rent and don’t say anything?
-coordinate the strike with the rent control measure in the June 3rd elections?
This should be a completely voluntary process that can only be done in large numbers to avoid risk of eviction or arrest. The FBI with help from the police have been known in the past to spread disinformation (cointelpro era and beyond) to prevent popular movements from interfering with the status quo. Do not trust any rent strike flyer you see that is racist, authoritarian, anti immigrant, factional, or contradicts anything you read in this flyer. With the economy in the state that it’s in today a rent strike could very well scare the shit out of a lot of rich people. The last thing Pelosi wants to see is community organizing outside of the arena of showcase politics, and stepping out of our passive roles as spectators. Organizing with your neighbors this way could be beneficial in more ways than just striking rent. It’s a step in self organization that clears the way to develop a more desirable world.
Real property reform would consist of only allowing people to own property they live on. Land lords become bitter dealing with maintenance and management of their ungrateful tenants apartments, (much in the same way zoo keepers tend to ungrateful caged animals). There is no way to mend this relationship because the renter pays money to the landlord that never comes back. The renter sees no long term benefits and sees no reason to trust or have any interest in her/his own home. This situation sounds very familiar to most of our work environments as well. Addressing one problem of inequality inevitably leads to discovering more, which is why even the smallest radical reform must never be tolerated by the state.
SAN FRANCISCO
RENT STRIKE
This is a rent strike proposal.
-If there was a designated date in the possible near future to organize a mass rent strike in
We all pay it. None of us want to. What other choices do we have? Dumpster dive, squat, live on the streets, these are solutions to avoid paying the land owners, but do we not all deserve a roof over our heads?
There is legislation being prepared for June 3rd 2008 to end rent control in
Rent control is a road block for land owners, but this just allows the landowners to come up with new ways to get money off of land they don’t live on. Does this sound familiar?
-2 bedroom apartment being advertised as a 4 bedroom using the living room and dining room to cram us in, charging 3,500 dollars a month.
-relaters bribing senior tenants to move out so they can jack up the rent.
-renters fixing their apartments themselves instead of calling the landlord afraid inspections will force them out.
If you want to hear the real horror stories look up www.citistop.org. Legislation is a game. The Landowners have the money to manipulate legislation to fit their wants, and what they want is more of our money. Their costs are going up and they’re pushing it on us to make sure they can continue living off our labor.
It is time we think beyond the ballot and initiate change ourselves. Even if rent control is voted to stay in
We need to think about where our rent situation puts us, and ask ourselves larger questions:
-how do we view the quality of our daily lives?
-how much work do we push thru to pay rent every month?
-do most of us have the money and time to do what we want to do?
The conservative idea of “American dream” argues that the problems you experience are individual problems that are yours alone, that no one else shares with you. We see this everyday throughout the majority of our interactions, each examining:
-who’s tougher, flashier, more wealthy, more attractive, better dressed, etc.
The only time we are encouraged by the state to step out of individual competition and claim to be a part of a community is to vote for some rich person every two to four years that cannot possibly understand our problems because they are rich!
(Example: Nancy Pelosi, wealth and assets is worth over 100 million dollars!) She can pretend to be progressive but how can she understand our need of affordable housing?
Someone with money would say
“Then why don’t you move somewhere cheaper”. Or “get a better job”. This sink or swim bullshit plays right into the Rich’s hands. Struggling to pay rent is not your individual problem, it’s all of our problem, and will not go away by moving away. That just means someone else will have to deal with it.
“Shit rolls down hill” as they say. Can you imagine what a rent strike would do? The landowners would be unable to pay their debts to the banks and so on up the hill to a world of shit on the top of the pyramid. If enough people strike what can they do? It would take all the
Show this flyer to your friends. Your neighbors and co-workers are probably reading this as well. We could organize this horizontally on a city block basis. spread the information and community building like sickness. Concentrate on your block, each block connects to the next thru 1 to 2 people? Get to know the people in your immediate area, after all, how many of us really know all our neighbors? Have meetings on the street corner? People might find it strange and become curious in seeing people gathering on a street corner not selling or buying anything.
We could discuss the following:
-our demands to the realty companies (if any)?
-how long to strike rent, and where to take it from there?
-just pay half the rent and don’t say anything?
-coordinate the strike with the rent control measure in the June 3rd elections?
This should be a completely voluntary process that can only be done in large numbers to avoid risk of eviction or arrest. The FBI with help from the police have been known in the past to spread disinformation (cointelpro era and beyond) to prevent popular movements from interfering with the status quo. Do not trust any rent strike flyer you see that is racist, authoritarian, anti immigrant, factional, or contradicts anything you read in this flyer. With the economy in the state that it’s in today a rent strike could very well scare the shit out of a lot of rich people. The last thing Pelosi wants to see is community organizing outside of the arena of showcase politics, and stepping out of our passive roles as spectators. Organizing with your neighbors this way could be beneficial in more ways than just striking rent. It’s a step in self organization that clears the way to develop a more desirable world.
Real property reform would consist of only allowing people to own property they live on. Land lords become bitter dealing with maintenance and management of their ungrateful tenants apartments, (much in the same way zoo keepers tend to ungrateful caged animals). There is no way to mend this relationship because the renter pays money to the landlord that never comes back. The renter sees no long term benefits and sees no reason to trust or have any interest in her/his own home. This situation sounds very familiar to most of our work environments as well. Addressing one problem of inequality inevitably leads to discovering more, which is why even the smallest radical reform must never be tolerated by the state.
SAN FRANCISCO
RENT STRIKE
This is a rent strike proposal.
-If there was a designated date in the possible near future to organize a mass rent strike in
We all pay it. None of us want to. What other choices do we have? Dumpster dive, squat, live on the streets, these are solutions to avoid paying the land owners, but do we not all deserve a roof over our heads?
There is legislation being prepared for June 3rd 2008 to end rent control in
Rent control is a road block for land owners, but this just allows the landowners to come up with new ways to get money off of land they don’t live on. Does this sound familiar?
-2 bedroom apartment being advertised as a 4 bedroom using the living room and dining room to cram us in, charging 3,500 dollars a month.
-relaters bribing senior tenants to move out so they can jack up the rent.
-renters fixing their apartments themselves instead of calling the landlord afraid inspections will force them out.
If you want to hear the real horror stories look up www.citistop.org. Legislation is a game. The Landowners have the money to manipulate legislation to fit their wants, and what they want is more of our money. Their costs are going up and they’re pushing it on us to make sure they can continue living off our labor.
It is time we think beyond the ballot and initiate change ourselves. Even if rent control is voted to stay in
We need to think about where our rent situation puts us, and ask ourselves larger questions:
-how do we view the quality of our daily lives?
-how much work do we push thru to pay rent every month?
-do most of us have the money and time to do what we want to do?
The conservative idea of “American dream” argues that the problems you experience are individual problems that are yours alone, that no one else shares with you. We see this everyday throughout the majority of our interactions, each examining:
-who’s tougher, flashier, more wealthy, more attractive, better dressed, etc.
The only time we are encouraged by the state to step out of individual competition and claim to be a part of a community is to vote for some rich person every two to four years that cannot possibly understand our problems because they are rich!
(Example: Nancy Pelosi, wealth and assets is worth over 100 million dollars!) She can pretend to be progressive but how can she understand our need of affordable housing?
Someone with money would say
“Then why don’t you move somewhere cheaper”. Or “get a better job”. This sink or swim bullshit plays right into the Rich’s hands. Struggling to pay rent is not your individual problem, it’s all of our problem, and will not go away by moving away. That just means someone else will have to deal with it.
“Shit rolls down hill” as they say. Can you imagine what a rent strike would do? The landowners would be unable to pay their debts to the banks and so on up the hill to a world of shit on the top of the pyramid. If enough people strike what can they do? It would take all the
Show this flyer to your friends. Your neighbors and co-workers are probably reading this as well. We could organize this horizontally on a city block basis. spread the information and community building like sickness. Concentrate on your block, each block connects to the next thru 1 to 2 people? Get to know the people in your immediate area, after all, how many of us really know all our neighbors? Have meetings on the street corner? People might find it strange and become curious in seeing people gathering on a street corner not selling or buying anything.
We could discuss the following:
-our demands to the realty companies (if any)?
-how long to strike rent, and where to take it from there?
-just pay half the rent and don’t say anything?
-coordinate the strike with the rent control measure in the June 3rd elections?
This should be a completely voluntary process that can only be done in large numbers to avoid risk of eviction or arrest. The FBI with help from the police have been known in the past to spread disinformation (cointelpro era and beyond) to prevent popular movements from interfering with the status quo. Do not trust any rent strike flyer you see that is racist, authoritarian, anti immigrant, factional, or contradicts anything you read in this flyer. With the economy in the state that it’s in today a rent strike could very well scare the shit out of a lot of rich people. The last thing Pelosi wants to see is community organizing outside of the arena of showcase politics, and stepping out of our passive roles as spectators. Organizing with your neighbors this way could be beneficial in more ways than just striking rent. It’s a step in self organization that clears the way to develop a more desirable world.
Real property reform would consist of only allowing people to own property they live on. Land lords become bitter dealing with maintenance and management of their ungrateful tenants apartments, (much in the same way zoo keepers tend to ungrateful caged animals). There is no way to mend this relationship because the renter pays money to the landlord that never comes back. The renter sees no long term benefits and sees no reason to trust or have any interest in her/his own home. This situation sounds very familiar to most of our work environments as well. Addressing one problem of inequality inevitably leads to discovering more, which is why even the smallest radical reform must never be tolerated by the state.
SAN FRANCISCO
RENT STRIKE
This is a rent strike proposal.
-If there was a designated date in the possible near future to organize a mass rent strike in
We all pay it. None of us want to. What other choices do we have? Dumpster dive, squat, live on the streets, these are solutions to avoid paying the land owners, but do we not all deserve a roof over our heads?
There is legislation being prepared for June 3rd 2008 to end rent control in
Rent control is a road block for land owners, but this just allows the landowners to come up with new ways to get money off of land they don’t live on. Does this sound familiar?
-2 bedroom apartment being advertised as a 4 bedroom using the living room and dining room to cram us in, charging 3,500 dollars a month.
-relaters bribing senior tenants to move out so they can jack up the rent.
-renters fixing their apartments themselves instead of calling the landlord afraid inspections will force them out.
If you want to hear the real horror stories look up www.citistop.org. Legislation is a game. The Landowners have the money to manipulate legislation to fit their wants, and what they want is more of our money. Their costs are going up and they’re pushing it on us to make sure they can continue living off our labor.
It is time we think beyond the ballot and initiate change ourselves. Even if rent control is voted to stay in
We need to think about where our rent situation puts us, and ask ourselves larger questions:
-how do we view the quality of our daily lives?
-how much work do we push thru to pay rent every month?
-do most of us have the money and time to do what we want to do?
The conservative idea of “American dream” argues that the problems you experience are individual problems that are yours alone, that no one else shares with you. We see this everyday throughout the majority of our interactions, each examining:
-who’s tougher, flashier, more wealthy, more attractive, better dressed, etc.
The only time we are encouraged by the state to step out of individual competition and claim to be a part of a community is to vote for some rich person every two to four years that cannot possibly understand our problems because they are rich!
(Example: Nancy Pelosi, wealth and assets is worth over 100 million dollars!) She can pretend to be progressive but how can she understand our need of affordable housing?
Someone with money would say
“Then why don’t you move somewhere cheaper”. Or “get a better job”. This sink or swim bullshit plays right into the Rich’s hands. Struggling to pay rent is not your individual problem, it’s all of our problem, and will not go away by moving away. That just means someone else will have to deal with it.
“Shit rolls down hill” as they say. Can you imagine what a rent strike would do? The landowners would be unable to pay their debts to the banks and so on up the hill to a world of shit on the top of the pyramid. If enough people strike what can they do? It would take all the
Show this flyer to your friends. Your neighbors and co-workers are probably reading this as well. We could organize this horizontally on a city block basis. spread the information and community building like sickness. Concentrate on your block, each block connects to the next thru 1 to 2 people? Get to know the people in your immediate area, after all, how many of us really know all our neighbors? Have meetings on the street corner? People might find it strange and become curious in seeing people gathering on a street corner not selling or buying anything.
We could discuss the following:
-our demands to the realty companies (if any)?
-how long to strike rent, and where to take it from there?
-just pay half the rent and don’t say anything?
-coordinate the strike with the rent control measure in the June 3rd elections?
This should be a completely voluntary process that can only be done in large numbers to avoid risk of eviction or arrest. The FBI with help from the police have been known in the past to spread disinformation (cointelpro era and beyond) to prevent popular movements from interfering with the status quo. Do not trust any rent strike flyer you see that is racist, authoritarian, anti immigrant, factional, or contradicts anything you read in this flyer. With the economy in the state that it’s in today a rent strike could very well scare the shit out of a lot of rich people. The last thing Pelosi wants to see is community organizing outside of the arena of showcase politics, and stepping out of our passive roles as spectators. Organizing with your neighbors this way could be beneficial in more ways than just striking rent. It’s a step in self organization that clears the way to develop a more desirable world.
Real property reform would consist of only allowing people to own property they live on. Land lords become bitter dealing with maintenance and management of their ungrateful tenants apartments, (much in the same way zoo keepers tend to ungrateful caged animals). There is no way to mend this relationship because the renter pays money to the landlord that never comes back. The renter sees no long term benefits and sees no reason to trust or have any interest in her/his own home. This situation sounds very familiar to most of our work environments as well. Addressing one problem of inequality inevitably leads to discovering more, which is why even the smallest radical reform must never be tolerated by the state.
RENT STRIKE
This is a rent strike proposal.
-If there was a designated date in the possible near future to organize a mass rent strike in
We all pay it. None of us want to. What other choices do we have? Dumpster dive, squat, live on the streets, these are solutions to avoid paying the land owners, but do we not all deserve a roof over our heads?
There is legislation being prepared for June 3rd 2008 to end rent control in
Rent control is a road block for land owners, but this just allows the landowners to come up with new ways to get money off of land they don’t live on. Does this sound familiar?
-2 bedroom apartment being advertised as a 4 bedroom using the living room and dining room to cram us in, charging 3,500 dollars a month.
-relaters bribing senior tenants to move out so they can jack up the rent.
-renters fixing their apartments themselves instead of calling the landlord afraid inspections will force them out.
If you want to hear the real horror stories look up www.citistop.org. Legislation is a game. The Landowners have the money to manipulate legislation to fit their wants, and what they want is more of our money. Their costs are going up and they’re pushing it on us to make sure they can continue living off our labor.
It is time we think beyond the ballot and initiate change ourselves. Even if rent control is voted to stay in
We need to think about where our rent situation puts us, and ask ourselves larger questions:
-how do we view the quality of our daily lives?
-how much work do we push thru to pay rent every month?
-do most of us have the money and time to do what we want to do?
The conservative idea of “American dream” argues that the problems you experience are individual problems that are yours alone, that no one else shares with you. We see this everyday throughout the majority of our interactions, each examining:
-who’s tougher, flashier, more wealthy, more attractive, better dressed, etc.
The only time we are encouraged by the state to step out of individual competition and claim to be a part of a community is to vote for some rich person every two to four years that cannot possibly understand our problems because they are rich!
(Example: Nancy Pelosi, wealth and assets is worth over 100 million dollars!) She can pretend to be progressive but how can she understand our need of affordable housing?
Someone with money would say
“Then why don’t you move somewhere cheaper”. Or “get a better job”. This sink or swim bullshit plays right into the Rich’s hands. Struggling to pay rent is not your individual problem, it’s all of our problem, and will not go away by moving away. That just means someone else will have to deal with it.
“Shit rolls down hill” as they say. Can you imagine what a rent strike would do? The landowners would be unable to pay their debts to the banks and so on up the hill to a world of shit on the top of the pyramid. If enough people strike what can they do? It would take all the
Show this flyer to your friends. Your neighbors and co-workers are probably reading this as well. We could organize this horizontally on a city block basis. spread the information and community building like sickness. Concentrate on your block, each block connects to the next thru 1 to 2 people? Get to know the people in your immediate area, after all, how many of us really know all our neighbors? Have meetings on the street corner? People might find it strange and become curious in seeing people gathering on a street corner not selling or buying anything.
We could discuss the following:
-our demands to the realty companies (if any)?
-how long to strike rent, and where to take it from there?
-just pay half the rent and don’t say anything?
-coordinate the strike with the rent control measure in the June 3rd elections?
This should be a completely voluntary process that can only be done in large numbers to avoid risk of eviction or arrest. The FBI with help from the police have been known in the past to spread disinformation (cointelpro era and beyond) to prevent popular movements from interfering with the status quo. Do not trust any rent strike flyer you see that is racist, authoritarian, anti immigrant, factional, or contradicts anything you read in this flyer. With the economy in the state that it’s in today a rent strike could very well scare the shit out of a lot of rich people. The last thing Pelosi wants to see is community organizing outside of the arena of showcase politics, and stepping out of our passive roles as spectators. Organizing with your neighbors this way could be beneficial in more ways than just striking rent. It’s a step in self organization that clears the way to develop a more desirable world.
Real property reform would consist of only allowing people to own property they live on. Land lords become bitter dealing with maintenance and management of their ungrateful tenants apartments, (much in the same way zoo keepers tend to ungrateful caged animals). There is no way to mend this relationship because the renter pays money to the landlord that never comes back. The renter sees no long term benefits and sees no reason to trust or have any interest in her/his own home. This situation sounds very familiar to most of our work environments as well. Addressing one problem of inequality inevitably leads to discovering more, which is why even the smallest radical reform must never be tolerated by the state.
SAN FRANCISCO
or buying anything.
We could discuss the following:
-our demands to the realty companies (if any)?
-how long to strike rent, and where to take it from there?
-just pay half the rent and don’t say anything?
-coordinate the strike with the rent control measure in the June 3rd elections?
This should be a completely voluntary process that can only be done in large numbers to avoid risk of eviction or arrest. The FBI with help from the police have been known in the past to spread disinformation (cointelpro era and beyond) to prevent popular movements from interfering with the status quo. Do not trust any rent strike flyer you see that is racist, authoritarian, anti immigrant, factional, or contradicts anything you read in this flyer. With the economy in the state that it’s in today a rent strike could very well scare the shit out of a lot of rich people. The last thing Pelosi wants to see is community organizing outside of the arena of showcase politics, and stepping out of our passive roles as spectators. Organizing with your neighbors this way could be beneficial in more ways than just striking rent. It’s a step in self organization that clears the way to develop a more desirable world.
Real property reform would consist of only allowing people to own property they live on. Land lords become bitter dealing with maintenance and management of their ungrateful tenants apartments. (Much in the same way zSAN FRANCISCO RENT STRIKE This is a rent strike proposal. -If there was a designated date in the possible near future to organize a mass rent strike in We all pay it. None of us want to. What other choices do we have? Dumpster dive, squat, live on the streets, these are solutions to avoid paying the land owners, but do we not all deserve a roof over our heads? There is legislation being prepared for June 3rd 2008 to end rent control in Rent control is a road block for land owners, but this just allows the landowners to come up with new ways to get money off of land they don’t live on. Does this sound familiar? -2 bedroom apartment being advertised as a 4 bedroom using the living room and dining room to cram us in, charging 3,500 dollars a month. -relaters bribing senior tenants to move out so they can jack up the rent. -renters fixing their apartments themselves instead of calling the landlord afraid inspections will force them out. If you want to hear the real horror stories look up www.citistop.org. Legislation is a game. The Landowners have the money to manipulate legislation to fit their wants, and what they want is more of our money. Their costs are going up and they’re pushing it on us to make sure they can continue living off our labor. It is time we think beyond the ballot and initiate change ourselves. Even if rent control is voted to stay in We need to think about where our rent situation puts us, and ask ourselves larger questions: -how do we view the quality of our daily lives? -how much work do we push thru to pay rent every month? -do most of us have the money and time to do what we want to do? The conservative idea of “American dream” argues that the problems you experience are individual problems that are yours alone, that no one else shares with you. We see this everyday throughout the majority of our interactions, each examining: -who’s tougher, flashier, more wealthy, more attractive, better dressed, etc. The only time we are encouraged by the state to step out of individual competition and claim to be a part of a community is to vote for some rich person every two to four years that cannot possibly understand our problems because they are rich! (Example: Nancy Pelosi, wealth and assets is worth over 100 million dollars!) She can pretend to be progressive but how can she understand our need affordable housing? Someone with money would say “Then why don’t you move somewhere cheaper”. Or “get a better job”. This sink or swim bullshit plays right into the Rich’s hands. Struggling to pay rent is not your individual problem, it’s all of our problem, and will not go away by moving away. That just means someone else will have to deal with it. “Shit rolls down hill” as they say. Can you imagine what a rent strike would do? The landowners would be unable to pay their debts to the banks and so on up the hill to a world of shit on the top of the pyramid. If enough people strike what can they do? It would take all the Show this flyer to your friends. Your neighbors and co-workers are probably reading this as well. We could organize this horizontally on a city block basis, spread the information and community building like sickness. Concentrate on your neighbors, each block connects to the next thru 1 to 2 people? Get to know the people in your immediate area, after all, how many of us really know all our neighbors? Have meetings on the street corner? People might find it strange and become curious in seeing people gathering on a street corner not selling oo keepers tend to ungrateful caged animals). There is no way to mend this relationship because the renter pays money to the landlord that never comes back. The renter sees no long term benefits and sees no reason to trust or have any interest in her/his own home. This situation sounds very familiar to most of our work environments as well. Addressing one problem of inequality inevitably leads to discovering more, which is why even the smallest radical reform must never be tolerated by the state. The purpose of government is to protect wealth and property, not people, so our only choice is to protect eachother.
RENT STRIKE
This is a rent strike proposal.
-If there was a designated date in the possible near future to organize a mass rent strike in
We all pay it. None of us want to. What other choices do we have? Dumpster dive, squat, live on the streets, these are solutions to avoid paying the land owners, but do we not all deserve a roof over our heads?
There is legislation being prepared for June 3rd 2008 to end rent control in
Rent control is a road block for land owners, but this just allows the landowners to come up with new ways to get money off of land they don’t live on. Does this sound familiar?
-2 bedroom apartment being advertised as a 4 bedroom using the living room and dining room to cram us in, charging 3,500 dollars a month.
-relaters bribing senior tenants to move out so they can jack up the rent.
-renters fixing their apartments themselves instead of calling the landlord afraid inspections will force them out.
If you want to hear the real horror stories look up www.citistop.org. Legislation is a game. The Landowners have the money to manipulate legislation to fit their wants, and what they want is more of our money. Their costs are going up and they’re pushing it on us to make sure they can continue living off our labor.
It is time we think beyond the ballot and initiate change ourselves. Even if rent control is voted to stay in
We need to think about where our rent situation puts us, and ask ourselves larger questions:
-how do we view the quality of our daily lives?
-how much work do we push thru to pay rent every month?
-do most of us have the money and time to do what we want to do?
The conservative idea of “American dream” argues that the problems you experience are individual problems that are yours alone, that no one else shares with you. We see this everyday throughout the majority of our interactions, each examining:
-who’s tougher, flashier, more wealthy, more attractive, better dressed, etc.
The only time we are encouraged by the state to step out of individual competition and claim to be a part of a community is to vote for some rich person every two to four years that cannot possibly understand our problems because they are rich!
(Example: Nancy Pelosi, wealth and assets is worth over 100 million dollars!) She can pretend to be progressive but how can she understand our need affordable housing?
Someone with money would say
“Then why don’t you move somewhere cheaper”. Or “get a better job”. This sink or swim bullshit plays right into the Rich’s hands. Struggling to pay rent is not your individual problem, it’s all of our problem, and will not go away by moving away. That just means someone else will have to deal with it.
“Shit rolls down hill” as they say. Can you imagine what a rent strike would do? The landowners would be unable to pay their debts to the banks and so on up the hill to a world of shit on the top of the pyramid. If enough people strike what can they do? It would take all the
Show this flyer to your friends. Your neighbors and co-workers are probably reading this as well. We could organize this horizontally on a city block basis, spread the information and community building like sickness. Concentrate on your neighbors, each block connects to the next thru 1 to 2 people? Get to know the people in your immediate area, after all, how many of us really know all our neighbors? Have meetings on the street corner? People might find it strange and become curious in seeing people gathering on a street corner not selling or buying anything.
We could discuss the following:
-our demands to the realty companies (if any)?
-how long to strike rent, and where to take it from there?
-just pay half the rent and don’t say anything?
-coordinate the strike with the rent control measure in the June 3rd elections?
This should be a completely voluntary process that can only be done in large numbers to avoid risk of eviction or arrest. The FBI with help from the police have been known in the past to spread disinformation (cointelpro era and beyond) to prevent popular movements from interfering with the status quo. Do not trust any rent strike flyer you see that is racist, authoritarian, anti immigrant, factional, or contradicts anything you read in this flyer. With the economy in the state that it’s in today a rent strike could very well scare the shit out of a lot of rich people. The last thing Pelosi wants to see is community organizing outside of the arena of showcase politics, and stepping out of our passive roles as spectators. Organizing with your neighbors this way could be beneficial in more ways than just striking rent. It’s a step in self organization that clears the way to develop a more desirable world.
Real property reform would consist of only allowing people to own property they live on. Land lords become bitter dealing with maintenance and management of their ungrateful tenants apartments. (Much in the same way zoo keepers tend to ungrateful caged animals). There is no way to mend this relationship because the renter pays money to the landlord that never comes back. The renter sees no long term benefits and sees no reason to trust or have any interest in her/his own home. This situation sounds very familiar to most of our work environments as well. Addressing one problem of inequality inevitably leads to discovering more, which is why even the smallest radical reform must never be tolerated by the state. The purpose of government is to protect wealth and property, not people, so our only choice is to protect eachother.
Posted 10-25-08 THE PLAN
THERE IS A NEW RENT STRIKE FLIER BEING CIRCULATED. TO VIEW THE FILE CLICK ON ME.
As hundreds of millions of dollars are wasted in electoral politics breaking record high spending on advertising and lobbying for the next "ruler of the world" (the next president), renters watch over a million homes foreclose and billions of dollars get injected into a dead monster (the bankers economy). None of this is unexpected. Since most renters in the bay area are trying make enough to keep off the streets, the idea of affording an "owned home" seems to be nothing more than a joke.
In San Francisco there are more deceptive electoral games being played to end rent control once again (also expected). Electoral politics are costing thousands of wasted dollars in this city. Organizing with your neighbors is free and more interesting. 3,000 apartments going on rent strike could be more powerful than any legislation could be. Your neighbor wants to meet you.
A rent strike has been proposed for San Francisco. The people involved in drafting this proposal (The No Business Collective) are few of the over 400,000 people in San Francisco who live in someone else's extra home (commonly known as renters). These extra homes are seen by the Realty companies (and many Landlords) as prized commodities that should be used for profit. The Landowners commodification of property (whether intentional or not) forces the majority of renters into a world of "working to pay the rent" that seems to have no end.
The strike has been proposed as a horizontal association of tenants called
THE TENANT BLOCK who together form a mass protest to the Landowners ability to take advantage of renters. The process begins with meetings amongst neighbors on people's blocks to discuss the various housing problems tenants have. As each block organizes spokespeople are chosen to communicate these problems to surrounding blocks. As multiple blocks organize the spokespeople can meet to discuss all the tenants concerns and demands. Once there is a mass of organized tenants we are then in a position to make demands to improve our situation. The organization process can improve and change as people get involved. The decision of whether to go on strike or not will be determined by all the tenants who participate in the discussion.
The process of spreading the Rent strike flier begins in the month of May 2008. Anyone with questions or wants to join in to help organize please contact us at :
sfstrike@riseup.net or sfstrike@gmail.com
As this process has just begun, events, meetings, and presentations will be announced ASAP. The fliers are being passed out all over the city so spread the word and check this website for updates.
Square blocks of San Francisco have been numbered. If you leave information of where you live (not necessarily your address if you don't want to) you could be connected to others organizing in your area. This web site will keep track of areas organizing, and post it. Message to landowners
The No Business Collective is a group of anarchists in San Francisco that feel the continual escalating price of rent, and the unsatisfactory conditions tenants face (with rent control or not) will not change unless we change it ourselves. The tenant block format we feel is the most inclusive way to go about a community discussion where everyone has equal say. The name "No Business" can be explained as follows:
The relationship of business is a relationship of power. Each persons positions of power is based off how well they control business. De constructing relationships of power and business are essential to exposing the time and materials of life that could be available to everyone if there was NO BUSINESS.
The No Business collective does not speak for anyone but ourselves and do not intend to impose or force an agenda on anyone. With the extreme price of living in this city, as well as the continual attack by the Landowners on rent control, we think many people (like us) feel that legislation will always fall short of producing effective results that will improve everyone's lives. We are proposing community organization outside the political spectrum where everyone's voice counts.
We see housing as a human necessity (like health care) that should be available to everyone for free.
WHAT IS HORIZONTAL/ ANTI-AUTHORITARIANISM?
-Bosses over their workers
-Husbands over their wives
-Landowners over their tenants
-Masters over their slaves
-(unfortunately) Business over nature, people, and the entire planet
Each of these examples are social structures that inevitably imply dissatisfaction by those who are under the other. Horizontal ism implies not just rejecting your boss, but the social structure of bosses.
Re inventing the relationship between Landlords and tenants means rejecting the power one has over the other. The process of organizing with neighbors as equals not only challenges the power landlords have, but also assures no one can take the landlords abusive position (take the powerful position out and don't replace it).
The above description is extremely simplified and short. If you are unfamiliar with these terms please investigate further in books and websites that deal more specifically with Anarchism/ Horizontal/ Anti-Authoritarianism/ Autonomy/ Decentralization etc.
More information and organizations for renters issues-
Housing rights committee-- www.hrcsf.org
San Francisco tenants union-- www.sftu.org
About "City apartments"-- www.citistop.org
"All space is already occupied by the enemy, which has even reshaped its basic laws, its geometry, to its own purpose. Authentic urbanism will appear when the absence of this occupation is created in certain zones. What we call construction starts there. It can be clarified by the positive void concept developed by modern physics. Materializing freedom means beginning by appropriating a few patches of the surface of the domesticated planet."
- Situationist International -