KC Tenants Organize to Fight Self-Help Evictions in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City

“Every eviction is an act of violence.”

~KC Tenants

Returning home is a truly heartbreaking event when you arrive there, the locks are changed and your possessions are tossed on the sidewalk. Or worse – they are still inside forcing you into an immediate position of complete and utter loss. And there on the door waves a formal notice of eviction.

This cruel reality happens 42 times per day to various renter households in Kansas City, Missouri. This totals approximately 9,000 times each year!

With a firm understanding of how eviction gives way to homelessness, poverty, and economic despair, a group of community organizers led by advocates and experts founded a venture in 2013 called the Kansas City Eviction Project.

The Data from that Initial Project Was Shocking, Showing Trends of Oppression, Racism, and Classism

The Kansas City Eviction Project took care to provide the data from approximately 182,992 eviction filings that were produced over the course of roughly two decades, from 1999 until 2017. Not only did this research reveal the large number of filings within a relatively small region (Kansas City boasts a population just under 500,000), but it also showed trends of oppression, racism, and classism. Here are a few of the highlights:

  • Eviction numbers remained steady for over 18 years, making it clear that eviction was likely built into the business plans of many corporate landlords
  • These evictions disproportionately affected communities of color and people renting in the poorest regions of KC
  • African Americans were specifically targeted. The in-depth analysis concluded that race was the single most important factor fueling eviction in the area

Now, in the Era of COVID-19, an Organization Called KC Tenants Battles Against Eviction

In response to the above-listed data, an organization called the KC Tenants was founded in 2019, under the direction of eviction research veteran Tara Raghuveer, with the support of all of the following associates:

  • Community activist and organizer Diane Charity who brings more than three decades of experience and leadership to the table from neighborhood strategic planning to community outreach and everything in between
  • Social justice/public interest Attorney Gina Chiala whose legal career is largely dedicated to the representation of underpaid workers
  • Software developer and data scientist Sam Zimmerman whose work was previously commended by our journalists here at Invisible People
  • Director of Planning and Real Estate Services for KC Public Schools Shannon Jaax
  • Bain Capital Credit’s VP John Ezekowitz
  • Dataiku’s head data scientist Jed Dougherty
  • Urban planning veteran Dina Newman
  • Harvard graduate and MIT PhD candidate Carolyn Stein
  • Renowned journalist and LINC employee Brent Schondelmeyer
  • 250+ Kansas City locals willing to put their livelihoods on the line for their neighbors and loved ones who are vulnerable to eviction

*Important Point: While scholarship and leadership are two important and respectable aspects of activism, the KC Tenants organization is clear proof that you don’t need a PhD or a decades long background in urban planning to influence housing policies. The 250 locals who work with and through the organization are the backbone of these protests and the policies that come out of them.

KC Tenant’s Track Record for Success

In February of 2019, this community-driven organization was heralded for “making history” when their activism spurred the passing of the KC Tenants Bill of Rights.

This bill is unique on all fronts:

  • The way it was drafted. Written in part by tenants and activists themselves, with input from landlords, lawyers, and legislative representatives
  • The way it was passed – by a candidate hand-picked and endorsed by the organization
  • What the bill entails. Some of the standout features of the KC Tenants Bill of Rights include:
    • The Right to Safe and Accessible Housing
    • Freedom from Discrimination and Retaliation
    • The Right to Fair Compensation and Restorative Justice
    • The Right to Organize and Bargain

That last section is extremely important because KC Tenants are exercising their right to organize as we speak.

Currently, KC Tenants are Rallying Against Self-Help Evictions

In a video published by the Kansas City Star, a heartwarming scene unfolds. On the steps of the courthouse, citizens from all walks of life, young and old, rich and poor, all hailing from various ethnic and religious backgrounds stand together with the common goal of disrupting evictions amid the pandemic. Their claim? Every eviction is an act of violence.

We at Invisible People firmly support both the sentiment, the statement, and the actions of this organization.

Carrying out evictions during the pandemic is both illegal and immoral. The same should be true at any period of time. By organizing online and in-person, this organization was able to prevent an onslaught of evictions that could have easily led to an increase in homelessness.

KC Tenants Director Tara Raghuveer continues to advocate for the #HomesGuarantee, a policy that would guarantee safe, accessible, sustainable, and permanently affordable housing for every individual across the nation.

This vision only seems impossible because we’ve made it that way. Ending homelessness must become a collective goal. Understanding homelessness and the fact that most people are just one unexpected incident away from eviction is of the utmost importance.

Want to help? Share this article and others like it. Read the data for yourself. Support this and other grassroots organizations and then make your voice heard as well.


Cynthia Griffith

Cynthia Griffith

     

Cynthia Griffith is a freelance writer dedicated to social justice and environmental issues.

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