In New York, hundreds of housing justice advocates rallied outside the headquarters of the Real Estate Board of New York to demand it stop blocking the passage of “good cause” eviction legislation. Good cause eviction would protect tenants from huge rent hikes and retaliatory or discriminatory evictions. As protesters peacefully blocked the entrance of the Real Estate Board’s building, police started arresting activists. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams spoke before he, too, was arrested.
Jumaane Williams: “The people of the city of New York, the people of the state deserve not to be evicted frivolously. They deserve to be able to go and say, 'Can you please repair my home?' without being evicted. They deserve rents that they can afford. The rent is too damn high. It’s been too damn high for many years.”