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Chanting, "Housing for people, not for profit" and honking noisily, a ten car caravan of members of the DC Coalition for Housing Justice, on Saturday, August 5, winded its way through three quadrant of the District to its first stop at the 4900 block of Ayers Place SE for a mini-rally and door knocking campaign to inform tenants at risk of involuntary displacement of their rights under the laws of the District of Columbia and to offer them help in getting organized.

The three Ayers Place properties are among the more than 60 properties on the City's "Hot Properties List" that are in danger of condemnation because of housing code violations. The "People's Caravan for Housing Justice," made three other stops, 4700 Block of Benning Road SE, the 4200 Block of Benning Road NE and 1600 Block of Isherwood Street NE to rally in support of tenants and call for the immediate enforcement of housing code laws by the city or immediate repair of the properties by the city and charge the owners.

The D.C. Coalition for Housing Justice is a group of concerned activists who came together under the auspices of Project WISH (Washington Inner-City Self Help) to challenge the assaults on the housing rights and threatened displacement of thousands of low-income people by the city and greedy landlords.

Tenants in properties toured by the group were very responsive to the caravan participants. Some joined the chanting, particularly the one that said, "Jail the slumlord, protect the tenants." Many were very eager to learn their rights and anxious to organize themselves into a tenants association.

One tenant asked the questions that many have asked since D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams unveiled his Hot Properties List of building facing condemnation back in March, "Where am I supposed to go if they closed down this building? I can't afford to pay $700 or $800 for an apartment." That is the question District government officials don't have an answer to.

There is a deepening affordable housing crisis in the District of Columbia that is compounded by the Mayor's threatened condemnation list. The Coalition's demands are that Mayor Anthony Williams:

• Stop the evictions and end the misuse of the condemnation process
• Improve housing code enforcement to assure safe and affordable housing for all of the citizens of the District of Columbia
• Make immediate repairs to properties on the list of buildings slated for evictions or potential evictions and require reimbursement from the owner
• Provide more money to repair other buildings and require reimbursement from the owner
• Enforce the zoning and permit laws
• Aggressively support the continuation of the Rental Housing and Sales Conversion Act and the Rent Control Act
• Aggressively support legislation to give receivership of deteriorating buildings to the tenants who live in them
• Develop a comprehensive citywide plan for affordable housing for low and moderate-income tenants and for related land management and use.

For more information about the campaign, contact Linda Leaks at (202) 332-8800 or Arturo Griffiths (202) 265-2659.

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