New Orleans, LA – On the morning of July 30, over 100 people gathered around the New Orleans Civil District Court building to demand that eviction court be closed. The crowd physically prevented landlords from entering. By the end of the demonstration, protesters shut down the entire court as well as city hall.

The demonstration began with a mock trial that sentenced the court judges and local and state leadership to be evicted for not taking action to protect renters. Above the scene, demonstrators hung a banner from the court roof that read “Eviction = Death.” During the trial, protesters placed furniture in front of the entrance and some demonstrators chained themselves together in front of the doors.

The New Orleans Renters Rights Assembly called the demonstration, with a number of other organizations joining. These included workers’ rights organizations like the City Waste Union and the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Alliance, Southern Solidarity, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and other groups.

The speeches demanded that the city close eviction court and provide immediate relief to the 300,000 Louisiana residents who are at risk of being evicted.

#NewOrleansLA #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Healthcare #AfricanAmerican #HousingStruggles #Eviction #RentCancellation

Dallas, TX – On Saturday, April 25, cities and towns around the country mobilized for a National Day of Car Protests to demand the cancellation of all rents and all mortgages for homeowners, small landlords and small businesses for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. Demands included halting payments for utilities and internet, as well as implementing hazard pay for all essential workers.

With nearly half a million Texas workers left unemployed since March due to shutdowns and shelter-in-place orders, families across the Dallas-Fort Worth region need more than temporary concessions and moratoriums on evictions. It's time for the city and state governments responsible for the deadly lack of preparation and response to the crisis to step up and carry out real relief.

New data showing that Black communities in Dallas County are disproportionately facing hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19 adds a level of urgency to the demands for relief. Without stable housing and a safe place to ride out the worst of the pandemic, the communities already hit hardest by economic exploitation are made even more vulnerable.

In Dallas, activists and local organizers rode in a caravan of vehicles bearing banners and signs reading, “If we can't work, we can't pay!” “Bail the people out this time!” and other related slogans. Messages on vehicles invited onlookers to get involved with the organizations' campaigns. Participating groups included the Dallas Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (DAARPR), Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The caravan travelled through South Dallas residential neighborhoods, homeless encampments and downtown to city hall, garnering support and cheers from community members along the way.

“It was already a struggle to make ends meet for so many of us. Now, we're dealing with a crisis wreaking havoc on our health, and our economic situation – our stability. We need to know we'll have what we need to survive this. So we're going to get together and build this fight for us – every person and family deserves that right now,” said Jennifer Miller, an organizer with the Dallas Alliance.

#DallasTX #OppressedNationalities #Healthcare #AfricanAmerican #HousingStruggles #DallasAllianceAgainstRacistPoliticalRepressionDAARPR #RentCancellation #MortgageCancellation