(x-posted to los_angeles
There were a lot of people with nowhere to go in November when tenants were locked out of their Lincoln Place apartments. If you haven’t heard about the fight yet, there’s a link at the end to check out. Long story short, affordable housing shut down by evil corporation, families and senior citizens thrown out in one of L.A.’s biggest mass evictions. Here’s the press release – but I strongly encourage everyone who can to make it to the rally and show community & city support for Lincoln Place’s residents:
—
Martin Luther King’s dream of justice, equality and a life of dignity for all will be celebrated in Venice, beginning at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, in an outdoor rally on California Ave., just east of Lincoln Blvd.
The rally is being held at Lincoln Place Apartments in Venice, California, to focus attention on the dismantling of affordable housing in our community and to re-ignite King’s enduring vision of decent housing for all.
Prominent community and religious speakers and musical performers will celebrate Dr. King’s life and work, and reflect on his dream in today’s climate of forced evictions and the lack of affordable housing. On Dec. 6, 2005, 86 Lincoln Place residents (including 21 children) were locked out of their homes in the largest mass eviction lockout in Los Angeles history. AIMCO, the corporation that owns Lincoln Place, evicted the tenants pursuant to the Ellis Act, a California state law that was designed to allow property owners to go out of the rental business. Many believe AIMCO, one of the largest rental companies in the country, is abusing the Act, as it will remain in the rental business. In reality, AIMCO is seeking to destroy 696 units of garden-style apartments to build more than 800 luxury rentals and condominiums in their place.
“These evictions are a travesty, an injustice and a great shame,” says Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, who will be one of the speakers at the rally. However, the fight to reverse the evictions and save the affordable housing is far from over. Currently, there is a standoff between the tenants and AIMCO which is prevented from destroying any buildings because of their historic designation. Ralph Vaughn, an African-American architect, designed the complex after World War II to make maximum use of interior space in a park-like setting. Tenants say the apartments have stood the test of time and are as serviceable as ever. Lincoln Place was unanimously awarded state historical status last year.
more info at:
http://www.lincolnplace.net/pr/pr060109.htm
Jillian's Blog 