LYNN — “Stand with us, join the fight … Housing is a human right!” said Western Avenue rally goers Tuesday night.
Community members, Lynn United for Change Tenant Union members, School Committee Member Sean Reid, and Ward 6 City Councilor Fred Hogan, gathered on the corner of Western Avenue Tuesday evening, rallying against the recent rent increases for two buildings at 667-677 Western Ave. and 44-46 Mall St.
In an email to The Item from Lynn United for Change, it was said that “Marblehead-based corporate landlords tried to impose huge rent increases,” days after purchasing the two buildings earlier this year.
At the rally Celly De La Cruz, community organizer for Lynn United for Change, said that tenants contacted the organizations as well as the Lynn Teachers Union, and set up a meeting between the tenants and landlords.
“In the middle of the meeting, the landlord’s refused to listen to the tenants, and suddenly walked out. A few days later after hearing concern from the elected officials, the landlords asked the tenants for an offer,” De La Cruz told the rally crowd. “The tenant union sent a compromise offer that included a big, but manageable rent increase in the first year, and gradual increases for the following years. But the landlords refused their offer. Instead of continuing to look for a compromise, they sent eviction notices to the majority of the tenants.”
De La Cruz said that the landlords should be able to operate with reasonable rent increases, but the majority of tenants in the buildings received a 60% rent increase.
“Those kinds of increases are a plan for displacement, and this gave the majority of the tenants rent increases of over 60%. That is an attack on our community,” De La Cruz said.
She said that these rallies are important to communities and families, and spread the message, “don’t move, fight back.”
Tenant facing eviction, Maria Perez, spoke in Spanish regarding her experience, saying that she and her daughters have lived in their Western Avenue apartment for almost 13 years. De La Cruz translated Perez’s speech to English.
“I received a notice that my rent will increase $650. The notice came with another notice that said, ‘you pay or move in 15 days,’” Perez said.
She expressed that her family won’t just lose their apartment if they end up displaced, but also their community, church, neighbors that feel like family, and Perez will no longer be able to attend her English-learning night classes.
“I felt helpless, I panicked and it was a terrifying moment for me. I work in a grocery store, and I don’t make enough money to pay that increase. If I sign the contract, I will not have the money to pay it, and I will end up evicted on the street with my daughters,” Perez said.
Other tenants who spoke included Cindi Marroquin, Enehemias De Leon, Isabel Collazo, Delfida Ramirez, Susan Matias, and Arali Matul.
Marroquin said her family received a rent increase of $950.
“On my part, it’s not that I don’t want to pay the owner that money. It’s just that, (I) can’t. We can’t take $950 out of the family budget, because we don’t have it. Simple. We don’t have it,” Marroquin said.
Collazo is a single mom living in one of the buildings, and said she has enjoyed living there because she trusts the other tenants, knowing they have the best interests in mind for her and her son. She got a notice for a $600 increase.
“I already have two jobs, plus being a mom. I do things to help the community at both of my jobs. I work as a behavioral therapist and help people with autism, (and) at my other job I’m a recovery specialist and I help people struggling with addictions,” Collazo said. “Right now, I’m in the middle of working 13 days straight without any time off.”
Collazo said she’s already struggling when it comes to money and time, and is frustrated that the landlords don’t understand she and others are already doing as much as they can to pay their current rate.
Hogan spoke on behalf of the city council and the city, saying that the city officials sent letters to the landlords, saying they aren’t happy with what they’re doing, and stand behind the tenants.
“We set up a meeting to negotiate and work on these terms and they walked out. That’s not acceptable. We came back with a counterproposal from Lynn United for Change, and we wanted to fight back and give other numbers and they didn’t accept. But we’re going to keep fighting,” Hogan said. “I’ll let you know that the City of Lynn stands behind you, from the Mayor to the Lynn City Council, we stand behind you.”
