Grand Rapids Area Tenants Union and Community Members Stand United Against Exploitative Landlords

Editor’s note: This article was written by Kellan Martin. 

On April 30^th at 6:00pm, dozens of community members along with organizers from the Grand Rapids Area Tenants Union joined Gretchen Statezni and Audrey Campbell to protest against the exploitative practices of their landlord, Josephine Cole.

Protesters gathered in front of Cole’s house and heard details of Cole’s exploitative “slumlord” actions. The conditions that both tenants face in their relationship with Cole include deliberate mishandling of paperwork, non-payment of utility bills, rent increases of over $6,600/year since 2020, and threats of eviction. These unfortunate situations and more have culminated into what is an exploitative relationship that Cole has with Statezni and Campbell. 

Statezni noted to attendees that it is primarily rent price hikes that have caused the most amount of damage over the years. Methods of relief such as rental assistance cause more issues instead of help. Since rental assistance is usually provided under guidance and consent of the property owner, Cole knew about these new sources of income. Statezni recounted multiple instances of receiving rent increases from Cole just days after being granted rental assistance.

Protestors talked to people in the neighborhood where the landlord lived to broadcast the profit-mongering nature of Cole’s business practices. Chants of “Eviction is violence!” and “Rent control now!” rang through the suburban complex. After a while protestors were met with four police officers, contacted by residents of Cole’s household. The police and Cole ultimately left when they realized they could not legally stop members of the community calling out a property owner for their exploitative practices! By the time the protest ended, both renters voiced their concern about retaliation from Cole as it has happened in the past.

The conditions that Statezni and Campbell face are shared by almost every renter in the US. A capitalist system with a low home-ownership rate and, in the case of Michigan, no laws to control rent mean that every year large portions of the US population face the experience of seeing their greedy landlord’s leases in the mail that demand hundreds of dollars more per month of stolen income from renters. 

Collective actions against landlords such as this one held by GRATU show people in need that they are not alone, and those in power that they cannot act with impunity and must face accountability for their violence. The struggle of tenants to build their collective power is therefore connected with the struggle for liberation of all oppressed people under capitalism. 

If you are a renter and need support and solidarity from the Grand Rapids Area Tenants Union, you can contact them at gratunion@gmail.com. Tenants can also attend the next GRATU meeting, which will be held on Saturday, May 11 at 10am. Go to this link for location and other details.