Freeze Rents, Not People: 
7 Demands for Housing Justice

1. NO RENT INCREASES: 

WE DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE HALT TO RENT INCREASES TO PREVENT FURTHER DISPLACEMENT OF WORKING-CLASS FAMILIES. RENTS SHOULD BE FROZEN AND LOWERED. RENT CONTROLS SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO PREVENT RENTS FROM REACHING OUTRAGEOUS HEIGHTS AGAIN. 

2. NO EVICTIONS: 

WE DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE EVICTIONS FREEZE. THE INTERSECTING CRISES OF COVID-19, HOUSELESSNESS, AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE MAKING OVERCROWDED SHELTERS AND SLEEPING OUTSIDE EVEN MORE DANGEROUS. NO ONE SHOULD BE EVICTED IN THE MIDST OF THESE CRISES BECAUSE THEY ARE UNABLE TO PAY THE UNAFFORDABLE RENT INCREASES PUSHED DOWN OUR THROATS THE PAST 3 YEARS. 

3. NO UTILITY SHUT-OFFS: 

WE DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE END TO UTILITY SHUT-OFFS. HOME HEATING AND ELECTRICITY COSTS HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO SKYROCKET IN RECENT YEARS. AS THE CLIMATE CRISIS ESCALATES, EXTREME COLD AND HEAT ARE BECOMING REGULAR OCCURRENCES DURING RHODE ISLAND WINTERS AND SUMMERS. NO TENANT OR HOMEOWNER SHOULD HAVE THEIR UTILITIES TURNED OFF DUE TO INABILITY TO PAY UNFAIR AND EFFECTIVELY UNREGULATED UTILITY PRICES. 

4. NO RENT FOR SLUMLORDS: 

WE DEMAND LEGAL IMMUNITY FOR TENANTS WHO WITHHOLD THEIR RENT FROM NEGLIGENT SLUM LANDLORDS. IF AN APARTMENT HAS UNHEALTHY AND UNSAFE MINIMUM HOUSING VIOLATIONS OR IF THERE IS NO LEAD CERTIFICATE, THEN THE LANDLORD SHOULD BE PROHIBITED FROM COLLECTING RENT OR RETALIATING AGAINST TENANTS WHO WITHHOLD RENT. 

5. NO EVICTIONS BLACKLIST: 

WE DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE UNLISTING OF PUBLICLY VIEWABLE EVICTION FILINGS BY DISTRICT COURT. CURRENTLY FILINGS HAUNT TENANTS DESPERATELY SEARCHING FOR NEW HOUSING. LANDLORDS DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TENANTS WITH FILINGS REGARDLESS IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY EVICTED. OFTEN FILINGS ARE RETALIATION FOR REPORTING SLUM CONDITIONS OR THE RESULT OF “NO FAULT” TERMINATIONS OF TENANCY CAUSED BY UNAFFORDABLE RENT GOUGING. FURTHERMORE LANDLORDS BROUGHT TO MUNICIPAL COURT FOR HOUSING VIOLATIONS ARE SHIELDED FROM PUBLIC EXPOSURE, WHY NOT TENANTS? 

6. NO RAIDS OF ENCAMPMENTS: 

WE DEMAND AN END TO THE EVICTION AND CRIMINALIZATION OF THOSE FORCED TO LIVE OUTSIDE. RECENT RAIDS AND ARRESTS ARE ILLEGAL VIOLATIONS OF THE HOMELESS BILL OF RIGHTS. WE DEMAND IMMEDIATE AID FOR OUR HOUSELESS NEIGHBORS INCLUDING RAPIDLY DEPLOYABLE PALLET SHELTERS, COMMUNITY CENTERS TO AVOID STREET LIVING OR BAD WEATHER, AND QUALITY TRANSITIONAL HOUSING WITH WRAP-AROUND SERVICES FOR THE 600+ RHODE ISLANDERS SLEEPING OUTSIDE. 

7. PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING: 

WHILE IMMEDIATE AID IS NEEDED, EMERGENCY SHELTERS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, RENT ASSISTANCE AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING ARE NOT A LASTING SOLUTION. WE DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE SEIZURE OF VACANT BUILDINGS AND LAND BY EMINENT DOMAIN TO RAPIDLY DEVELOP PUBLICLY OWNED AND RENT CONTROLLED HOUSING DEMOCRATICALLY GOVERNED BY RESIDENTS THEMSELVES. 

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COMMUNITY SPEAKOUT 

DECEMBER 1ST 

5:30PM 25 DORRANCE ST 

DRESS WARM & MASK 

POWRPVD.ORG 

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