THE NEWS: LANDLORD ARRESTED IN NOT JUST STRIKING HIGH RENT BUT RENT ITSELF
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.
-If there was a mass rent strike planned in
If -If there
were enough people involved in a rent strike to avoid risk of eviction would
you consider it?
Rent control has been a road block for Landowners,
but it does not stop them from taking advantage of renters. For example:
- 2 bedroom apartments being advertised as
4 bedrooms
(calling the living room and dining room bedrooms),
charging twice the
value of the apartment to maximize profits.
- realtors
bribing senior tenants to move out so they
can jack up the rent to “market
value.”
- renters
fixing their apartments themselves instead of calling
the Landowners afraid
inspections will force them out.
If you want to see the real horror stories
look up www.citistop.org. Legislation
is a game. The Landowners have organized to get what they want, and what they
want is more of our money. Landowners
are continually finding ways to raise the rent.
If our goal is rent control we will always be fighting for it. Shouldn’t we be fighting for something better?
It
is time we (the renters) think beyond the ballot and initiate change
ourselves. Even if rent control is voted
to stay our lives still haven’t improved.
We need to think beyond the defensive strategies of preventing
conditions from getting worse and take
the offensive to make things better.
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 many
hours do we spend at work just to pay rent every month?
-do most of
us have the money and time to do what we want to do?
The
individual may find a way out of struggling to pay rent by getting a better job
(available to anyone, not everyone), or by moving somewhere cheaper. But struggling to pay rent is not an
individual problem; it affects all of us and will not go away by moving out of
the city. Escaping this problem leaves it for someone else.
The Landowners
are on the attack. Let’s reverse the attack and go on RENT STRIKE!!
Discuss this with your neighbors. After all how many of us really know our neighbors? Call everyone in your building together to discuss the following:
(click on me for inclusive meeting tips).
1. Has rent
control become ineffective? Will we consider a rent strike? If yes…..
2. What will our demands be to the realty
companies and landlords? (if any)
3. How long will we strike rent and where
to take it from there?
(example: fight until housing is free!!)
4.
How many strikers will there need to be to feel safe to set a date for
the strike?
5. How will we build solidarity with our
neighbors
to prepare for retaliation from landowners
(especially considering
those more vulnerable: immigrants, seniors,
and low income families, etc.)
-After multiple blocks are organized each
block can concentrate on moving forward with preparation for the strike (click on me for organizing tips). Those who feel uneasy about striking can
support the others on their block who do strike. Support and solidarity is very important.
This should be a completely voluntary process
and done in large numbers to avoid risk of eviction.
Removing Landowners’ control over properties they don’t
live on would be real property reform. They definitely shouldn’t control or
profit from land they don’t need (use your imagination). Striking rent could be
the beginning of this process. Our ability to organize our community will
determine how successful striking rent will be.
The last
thing politicians want to see is our community organizing outside the arena of
celebrity politics, and away from our passive roles as spectators. After all they
don’t want us to realize that we don’t need them. Organizing with your
neighbors in this way could be beneficial in more ways than just striking
rent. It’s a step toward community
organization that could deal with any problem (preparation for earthquakes which are expected soon, or broadening
protest movements etc).
Landowners
become bitter dealing with maintenance and management of their ungrateful
tenant’s 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 no reason to trust or have any interest in
her/his own home. Doesn’t this situation
sound like 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. If we
look to each other to make change we could find that working together is more
beneficial than competing to “get ahead”.
One way to live without rent is to spend 30 to 40 years of your life paying mortgage, requiring a high paying job (available to anyone, not everyone) full time until the debt is paid. This lifestyle is also known as the living dead. Buying land is the best case scenario, which is not even an option for most of us, so what are our options, rent control? If we truly value our lives then this reality is unacceptable. We must take control of our lives now to make this life worth living.
|
Information and organizations working for you:
SF tenants
union: www.sftu.org Horror
stories: www.citistop.org |
Things that will need to be considered:
--Making connections
with every organization willing to help support strikers.
-Arranging housing
for the homeless in unoccupied buildings for the day of the strike.
--Build support networks to protect those most vulnerable (immigrants, seniors, low-income families, etc.).
If you are a Landowner (who has rented properties in San Francisco) and you are reading this message then you found something you were not suppose to find.
The rent strike proposed is meant to create a community discussion about the problems renters face. If the citizens of San Francisco decide to go on rent strike to fix those problems then you have two choices.
1. You can use the powers granted to you through the laws of private property and attempt to flush out the unprecedented rebellion before you.
2. You can acknowledge that many of the problems renters have you also have. If you cooperate with the tenants demands, you can then form an association of Landowners to push the pressure uphill by refusing the debts that hold you in the same cycle.
The No Business Collective cannot speak for all the renters in San Francisco but our guess is that most of them would prefer you to move toward the second option above rather than the first.
