They Get to Stay! Big win for Residents of 1907 Johnston

As of March 3, 2017, the residents of 1907 are officially allowed to stay in their building!

In October 2016, the residents of 1907 Johnston were told by their new landlord that they would have to move out of their homes by December 1, 2016. Almost all of them are seniors well above the age of 80 and have lived in the building from 5 to 30 years. Instead of moving out, the residents organized and fought together for their collective demand to stay in their homes. For four months, they supported each other through various verbal threats from the landlord and rejected his cash-for-keys offer collectively.

After our joint action on Feb. 11 with the residents of 2919 Broadway in Lincoln Heights, the residents of 1907 Johnston met with their landlord and negotiated for their stay. On March 3, a letter was issued stating that the landlord will continue to honor all the residents' leases. The landlord did not increase their rent and agreed that everything in the future will be handled according to law.

The residents of 1907 Johnston are proud of this important win. Throughout these four month, the tenants have become leaders of their neighborhood. While they fought for their rights, they also supported other residents in Lincoln Heights and Chinatown. Let's renew our commitment to support the residents as they live under this new landlord who has a track record of threatening their well-being. Despite the win, the residents did lose some of their common space. The most senior women Yeung Pou Pou and Zhou Pou Pou have also been conducting regular cleaning of their common areas since December, a service the landlord had previously provided.

We will continue to support the residents' fight for the good living conditions that they deserve.

​Housing is a human right!

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