From: Housing, Organizing, & Movement Empowerment Society
Date: November 18, 2024
Subject: HOMES - 11/18 Newsletter


Hi, everyone!


Good morning, and happy Monday! As always, one great way to get involved and stay connected is by joining City Life/Vida Urbana at their weekly tenant organizing meetings. City Life is a 50+ year-old grassroots organization fighting for racial, social, and economic justice through direct action, coalition building, education, and advocacy. They hold meetings every Tuesday (in English) in Jamaica Plain and every Wednesday (in Spanish) in East Boston to build community and inform people about their housing rights. Let us know if you have any concerns over transportation, and we can help. If you'd like to attend a meeting with members of HOMES this week, please fill out the Google form below!

Weekly Sign Up for City Life/Vida Urbana Meetings

Block the MIT Ban!
"We scholars, journalists, and people of conscience stand in full solidarity with Written Revolution chief editor Prahlad Lyengar and Linguistics Professor Michel DeGraff as they face targeted attacks, bans, and unjust punitive action from MIT. Please sign our petition at blocktheban.org. If you are a journalist interested in connecting with us please email eyesonmit@gmail.com." Find out more here.

Build Community As Workers and Renters!
"We are stronger when we unite together and build our power as tenants, as workers, as students, as neighbors! Please join us at our next POWR meeting and help us plan the fight ahead!" The event will take place on Tuesday, November 19th at 6:00 pm at 95 Empire St PVD. Find out more here.

Show Solidarity with Other Law Student Organizing Groups! 
Join Northeastern Law's Abolitionist Learning Zone for the November installment of their speaker series: Abolition in Praxis. They will be speaking to local organizers from Warm Up Boston and The Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending about why housing is an abolitionist issue. The speaker panel will be on Tuesday, November 19th at 6:00 pm at DK30 (click here for a map) at Dockser Hall (65 Forsyth St, Boston). "The goal of this speaker series is to continue our political education as abolitionists through a critical lens while decentering the rigid pedagogy of law school and examining how the law supports and reproduces subjugation. We hope that at the end of each iteration of the series, participants leave reassured and empowered to see abolition as an everyday practice rather than abstract discourse." More information can be found here.

Mourn Trans Lives on Transgender Day of Remembrance
BU's OutLaw is co-sponsoring this year’s Trans Day of Remembrance memorial next week at 3:00 pm on 11/20 on the COM Lawn (640 Comm Ave). It is open to the whole community to participate in the flag installation. Additionally, if you would like to participate in the reading of the names, please send an e-mail to jamch@bu.edu by 11/18/2024 at 12:00 pm. Find out more information here. There will also be a community event later in the day at 3464 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain, MA at 7:00 pm. Masks are required for this event. Find out more about this event here.

Hear Stories from Frontline Healthcare Workers in Palestine!
Join the BU Muslim Student Organization this Wednesday. November 20th in CAS313 at 6:00 pm "to hear about the experiences of healthcare professionals who worked in Gaza, Palestine, in collaboration with BU SJP. The speakers will be joining us virtually. We hope to see everyone there. In Sha Allah" Find out more here.

Don't Agonize, Organize!
"The Democrats failed, Trump won— what is to be done?" Join the Boston Liberation Center for "discussion, food, and community building in the aftermath of the presidential election—how can we continue the fight back?" The event will take place on Friday, November 22nd from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at 194 Blue Hill Ave, Roxbury. Find out more here.

Movie Night!
Mark your calendars for the Abolitionist Learning Zone's screening of Holding Ground, which covers the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, on Saturday, November 23rd at 4:00 pm at the Lucy Parsons Center (358 Centre St A, Jamaica Plain). More information can be found on their Instagram.

Get Informed on Your Rights as a Renter! 
"Join the Roxbury Collective for Housing Affordability to learn about renting in Massachusetts! We will discuss renters' rights, the history of rent control in MA and have lots of time to answer questions. Food, childcare, gift cards and interpretation will be provided for those who attend." The event will take place on Saturday, November 23rd, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at the Roxbury YMCA (285 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard). More information can be found here.

Solve the Housing Crisis by Abolishing Rent!
"Join authors Tracy Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis on December 15th at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern for an online book event celebrating Abolish Rent, hosted by ATUN. Register at bit.ly/ATUN-abolish-rent." Find out more here.

"How do we solve the housing crisis? Two of LATU’s co-founders wrote a book to answer that question, grounded in the expertise of LATU members who are organizing to take back control over their housing, their neighborhoods, and their lives. It’s the first book-length engagement with the resurgent tenant movement, and hopes to offer unions across the country a springboard to deepen our commitment to transforming our housing system and to reflect on tactics that will bring us closer to that goal. As we face new challenges in rising real estate consolidation under rising fascism, this event will be an opportunity for ATUN members to think deeply together about overcoming our fear, growing tenant power, organizing buildings, and claiming the territory of our cities."

Here are some more upcoming events that might be of interest to you all:

We hope you all have a good week! Stay strong, and keep up the good fight!

In solidarity,

BU HOMES
Boston University School of Law
Greg Bowe, Co-President
Danna Lopez-Flores, Co-President
Angel Yi, Treasurer
Chloe Buck, Secretary
Zoie Valencia, Community Liaison
Thomas Hontz, Education & Training Lead
Will Kleisner, Substantive Law Specialist
Eliza Thorpe, Outreach Chair

Greater Boston Tenants Union Is Collecting Items for Its Library of Tenant Things! 
GBTU North local is asking for donations to the Library of Tenant Things, which will be an inventory of tools to lend to tenants as we fight for long-term solutions. They are primarily looking for space heaters, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and air conditioners. Email gbtunorth@gmail.com if you have any of these items or would like to help out!

Looking for the Progressive Equivalent of FedSoc?
BU Law has its very own chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG). "The National Lawyers Guild is a progressive public interest association of lawyers, law students, paralegals, jailhouse lawyers, law collective members, and other activist legal workers, in the United States." In particular, the "Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild works to change the structure of our political and economic system. We seek to unite the legal community with organizers and activists in the service of the people, to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests." To get involved with the BU chapter, click here or reach out to Eliza Thorpe.

Do you know who your landlord is?
If not, click here for more information on how to find out.

Want to check your landlord's housing code compliance?
Or do you just have some free time on your hands? Check out the following Housing Code Checklist. If you notice any issues, remember you have a right to unionize.

For more information on unionizing (either joining a pre-existing tenants union or building one with your neighbors), check out the Greater Boston Tenants Union here.

Have you joined our GroupMe?
If not, click here to stay updated on important events and communications.


Sign up for City Life/Vida Urbana’s Action Alert emails!
Stay up-to-date with City Life’s organizing by joining their mailing list here. City Life sends out emails in both English and Spanish with time-critical event information.

Show Solidarity with Palestine Through Fundraising Outside the GSU Every Friday From 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm! They will be selling keffiyehs for $25 and stickers for $3 (or 3 for $8)! 12:10 pm - 2:00 pm every Friday, there will also be a lovely henna artist who has volunteered her services in exchange for donations! Come support and bring your friends!! All the proceeds are donated to mutual aid in Gaza. More information can be found here.