People across the country need to take action now to prevent millions of evictions in the middle of a resurgence of the pandemic. The U.S. government just marked Labor Day by cutting federal unemployment benefits for 7 million workers, which will immediately deepen poverty and compound the housing crisis. On September 24-26, join protests taking place nationwide to demand that:
The most recent eviction moratorium enacted by the CDC was cruelly struck down by order of the Supreme Court. The court’s majority opinion was explicit in its prioritization of profit over human lives. It argued, “Preventing [landlords] from evicting tenants who breach their leases intrudes on one of the most fundamental elements of property ownership—the right to exclude.” The court also expressed their fear that if the moratorium was allowed to stand then the government could also decide to mandate, “free grocery delivery to the homes of the sick or vulnerable.” The Supreme Court proved yet again that it is a tool for the rich and powerful to oppress the working class.
Aug. 27 emergency protest organized by Cancel the Rents outside the Supreme Court
What is needed most urgently is for Congress to enact an indefinite moratorium on evictions and foreclosures that covers the entire country. An act of Congress would not be subject to a court challenge the way the CDC-issued moratorium was. An indefinite eviction freeze would provide stability for working class renters, mortgage holders and small landlords, and should be followed by the total cancellation of rent and mortgage debt accumulated during the pandemic.
Furthermore, according to the Treasury Department as of the end of July barely 10 percent of the $46.5 billion that has already been allocated for housing assistance had been distributed. Renters are bogged down by complex and unnecessary bureaucratic procedures — distribution of aid must be massively expedited.
The intransigence of Republican members of Congress and right wing Democrats is no excuse for Congress to sit on its hands while an eviction crisis plays out. Protest can force them to act. This has already proven true for the presidency. After insisting for days that it was legally powerless to do anything to extend the eviction moratorium, the Biden administration did just that after a sit-in on the steps of Congress led by Rep. Cori Bush drew massive public support.
We need to build a powerful movement to win an indefinite moratorium that prevents 11 million people from being kicked out of their homes. But that alone will not resolve the situation. We need rent and mortgage cancellation to wipe out the mountain of debt that has accumulated amid the Coronavirus-induced economic crisis. The big corporations and banks have already been thoroughly bailed out by the government — renters, mortgage holders and small landlords deserve the same kind of desperately-needed assistance.
The city, state and national moratoriums on evictions are not enough. As these moratoriums are lifted or overturned in court as rents come due, we still don’t have the money! In December 2019, when COVID-19 presented in China, the United States was warned that we would be affected. Instead of using the next two months to prepare, Trump and the U.S. government ignored public health experts, even ridiculing them. Due to this lack of preparedness, the United States became the epicenter of the pandemic.
As of Aug. 5, 2021, some 620,000 people in the United States have died and more than 35 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed. People are being evicted from their homes while at the same time the COVID-19 pandemic is surging again. No one should be at risk of losing their home amid a pandemic in the richest country in the world!
As a result of the economic crisis, many renters will be unable to pay their rent this month. No one should lose their housing for any reason in this crisis! Now is the time to act to cancel rents and mortgage payments for tenants, homeowners, small landlords and other small businesses!
A short-term suspension of evictions is not enough to save people’s homes. And the meager rescue stimulus payments the government provided are long gone for most people. Even if there is another one, it will be needed for food, healthcare and other necessities.
Canceling rents and mortgage payments for the duration of the crisis can be won! Since the start of the pandemic in the United States, the federal government has pumped at least 5 trillion dollars into the big banks and the largest corporations. Only $249 billion was allocated for unemployment funding. This massive gift to the banks — the 1% at the top, compared to the 160 million U.S. workers — is 20 times the amount allotted for the unemployed. The money is there, it is simply a question of whether it is used to bail out Wall Street or to protect the homes of poor and working people. This wealth and the vast number of vacant housing units can be used to provide shelter for the homeless as well.
The government has the authority to cancel the rent. But this will be bitterly opposed by the landlords and big banks. The mobilization of the people, done in a socially responsible way, is urgently needed to ensure housing for all.
