LYNN — A group of residents gathered in the parking lot of St. Stephen’s Church to board a bus to Boston on Tuesday afternoon, where they marched in support of rent control to speak out against federal cuts to housing programs.
Members of Lynn United for Change collaborated with Essex County Community Organization (ECCO) and sought to protest in a way that would leave a lasting impression on the public, with the crowd waving handmade signs related to themes like housing justice and fair rent control.
The call for advocacy rides on the coattails of a national day of action, organized by the Right to the City coalition, which aims to stop President Trump’s proposed cuts to housing programs “and to fight the billionaires who have created the housing crisis by passing rent control and implementing permanently affordable social housing for all,” according to the press release.
“Cuts to affordable housing would hurt everyone, and Trump’s attack on personal housing and tenant protections is not accidental; they’re a calculated effort to create even more opportunities for the billionaire class to make profit by exploiting our basic needs,” the press release said. The point was raised that millions of people are already facing displacement and instability.
Protesters are demanding a halt to Trump’s cuts and proactive steps to respond to this crisis.
“Strong rent control is a proven solution to keep families housed and stop displacement. And big investments in social housing — permanently affordable, democratically controlled housing — are the only long-term solution to the housing crisis,” the press release said.
On the more local side of the political spectrum, Lynn residents have urged members of the city’s delegation in the State House to cosponsor and support “An Act enabling cities and towns to stabilize rents and protect tenants” (S.1447 / H.2328), which is a bill that would repeal the ban on rent control and enable municipalities to enact local rent control ordinances to stabilize housing costs and prevent no-cause evictions.
State Rep. Sean Reid (D-Lynn) is currently a co-sponsor of the legislation.
The national day of action includes actions in 15 other cities, including Memphis, Detroit, New Orleans, Santa Rosa, and Vallejo. The Homes For All Massachusetts coalition is coordinating the Boston action.
Executive Director of Lynn United for Change, Isaac Simon Hodes, explained why it’s a critical issue that deserves action.
“People in every corner of Lynn are struggling with out-of-control housing costs and the threat of being evicted from their own neighborhoods. Lynn United for Change is joining the protest today with Homes for All Massachusetts and local allies like ECCO to demand our state government enable rent control, which is the only policy that can act quickly enough and broadly enough to really protect tenants in this crisis,” Hodes said.
Hodes continued, “State Representative Sean Reid is already a co-sponsor of rent control legislation and we hope to see Lynn’s whole delegation in the State House sign on. We’re also marching to reject the catastrophic cuts to housing programs that Trump is pushing. The President is trying to gut housing programs and give the billionaire class a way to make even more profit from our basic need for a roof over our head.
“The cuts put forward by the Trump administration would make a huge number of families homeless, destabilize entire neighborhoods, and eliminate programs we need like fuel assistance. We can’t let that happen, and the march today is part of building a movement to beat back Trump’s attack and win a housing system that works for all of us.”
