A large landlord refused to negotiate with Mattapan renters to prevent evictions and displacement.
WHEN: Tomorrow, Saturday, July 17th, 11am-1pm
WHERE: SoMa at The T Apartments (formerly called Fairlawn Apartments), 15 Bismark St., Mattapan MA 02126 – rally will take place in the courtyard. Shortly before noon, the crowd will march to Mattapan Square, and at
VISUALS: 50-100 Mattapan residents and supporters with large signs, colorful puppets, and street theater protesting unjust evictions
CONTACT: Helen “Homefries” Matthews, Communications Director, City Life/Vida Urbana, (617) 784-1731, homefries@clvu.org, or Steve Meacham, Coordinator of Organizing, City Life/Vida Urbana, (617) 909-6182, smeacham@clvu.org
A rally will take place on July 17 in Mattapan, shining light on displacement and steep rent hikes at SoMa at The T Apartments. Organized by City Life/Vida Urbana, the rally is expected to have 50-100 participants. DSF Group, the corporate investor that recently bought the housing complex, has increased rents and displaced families during the pandemic.
“So far, DSF Group has refused to meet with tenants. They’ve refused to negotiate long-term leases at fair rents so that the families at SoMa Apartments can stay in their homes. They’ve also refused to meet with the City of Boston to explore subsidies to make SoMa Apartments affordable,” said Gabrielle René, a housing justice organizer at City Life/Vida Urbana, in a press release.
“The united tenants at SoMa Apartments are calling on DSF Group to either give us affordable, stable leases so that we don’t have to move out, or sell the apartments to a good landlord who will do that,” said Annie Gordon, a leader of the SoMa Apartments Tenant Association who has lived in the complex for over 40 years, in a press release.
Shira Laucharoen is a reporter based in Boston. She currently serves as the assistant director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. In the past she has written for Sampan newspaper, The Somerville Times, Scout Magazine, Boston Magazine, and WBUR.
