Ross Fisher is an organizer with Lansing Tenants Union. It’s part of the national Autonomous Tenants Union. He says a group of working class renters in the area banded together shortly after the ‘Stay Safe, Stay Home’ order was implemented in the state.
“A lot of the things that are happening right now in the crisis are problems that were always problems that are just now being more exposed. Working class people have been struggling to pay rent and afford basic necessities for a long time.”
Those tenants working with the union who can’t afford their rent have expressed a fear of eviction.
“We have tenants who have reached to us that have received emails or letter from their landlords or management companies that were very threatening and not understanding of the current situation that they are facing.”
Fisher says they are advocating for a rent freeze, and an extension of the state’s eviction moratorium.
