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Holy shit.
KC's biggest evictor has been indicted on two felony charges. This comes after years of persistent reporting by @MattFlenerKMBC, organizing by @KCTenants and TEH residents, legal work by @ArchCityDefense, and much more.
Down with the slumlords, up with the people.https://twitter.com/MattFlenerKMBC/status/1296558048631193600 …
A few years ago, we started to see that TEH Realty, an out-of-state corporation, was quickly becoming the biggest evictor in Kansas City. By 2017, they were filing over 300 evictions in Jackson County alone.pic.twitter.com/DjGke520jL
Their website (since deleted) was very explicit about their exploitative business model: TEH sought after big, rundown complexes in cities like KC and St. Louis, and they leveraged federal money to finance their projects. They rented to the most vulnerable tenants.pic.twitter.com/D6c5uIlLF4
TEH Realty made themselves into what I call a "landlord of last resort." TEH tenant Nichole said when she was escaping a DV situation, TEH "smelled her desperation" and wrote her a lease based on that. Their business was to exploit, extract, and evict.pic.twitter.com/e0rPH6q2ub
TEH Realty's business started to crumble when their tenants stood up and told their stories. Because of brave tenants who spoke their truth, and reporters like @MattFlenerKMBC who followed the case, TEH came under scrutiny. Their federal lenders started holding them accountable.
.@KCTenants organized TEH residents in a Kansas property just last fall. Crestwood Apartments was in foreclosure because TEH was delinquent on their mortgage payments and minor repairs. The tenants were terrified but then they unionized and won every single demand they sought.pic.twitter.com/adApep3Cha
Btwn work to expose TEH in KC and St. Louis, we basically drove TEH Realty out of business in Missouri. The story isn't over. Their former tenants are still suffering and are owed damages. There are many more LLs like TEH. Corporate slumlording is evil, and the wounds are deep.
In sum, organizing works. Indictments (of anyone, no matter how horrible) don't bring liberation, as abolition of the racist carceral state is obviously key to our fight... but take a moment to honor the tenants fighting for their lives. And organizing works, let's keep doing it.
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