Advocates push for 10,000 in Twin Cities to back a rent strike
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Minnesota families who have stayed home from work since the federal government’s surge into the state in December are facing the challenge of paying another month’s rent from dwindling bank accounts.
In an effort to pressure the government to help, housing activists are threatening an experimental move: a Twin Cities-wide rent strike they say would be the largest in the U.S. in more than a century.
The action is led by Twin Cities Tenants, a coalition of tenant unions that launched about a month ago, demanding a statewide eviction moratorium and a $50 million rent relief fund from the state. Since that hasn’t happened, they’re using a new strategy to get politicians and power brokers to heed those calls.
“We are the collective power and we are able to wield that power to protect our neighbors,” said Nadia Langley, an organizer with Twin Cities Tenants, at a rally Tuesday. “People will be evicted unless we do something about it.”
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If 10,000 people pledge to withhold their rent by the end of the month — a bold action that could mean eviction for anyone who doesn’t pay — the group could vote to authorize a strike the next day.
The group estimates that the number of people withholding rent would amount to the loss of at least $15 million in payments to property owners per month. Their goal is to build leverage by posing a massive economic threat, forcing landlords to turn up the pressure on state lawmakers to take action.
If the group doesn’t reach 10,000 pledges, they won’t strike. And if those involved in the group determine there has been enough movement from politicians before the end of the month, they also may choose to call off the strike.
“We hope that we don’t have to actually authorize a rent strike, but we need to see some material commitments and a level of urgency and focus on what’s going to be done at every level to make sure that people are okay on March 1 and beyond,” said Tara Raghuveer, the director of the Tenant Union Federation, which has been supporting organizers locally.
The federal government’s more than two-month surge into the state sent a mass of residents into hiding, and, in Minneapolis alone, resulted in an estimated loss of $47 million in monthly income for families impacted by the operation. University of Minnesota researchers estimate that by February, rent debt linked to the surge swelled an additional $27.4 million to $51.3 million.
While there hasn’t been a significant spike in statewide evictions, filings are up in Hennepin County, which is the state’s most populous county and one of the hardest hit during the federal surge. Advocates and academics warn that families in hiding and even local mutual aid efforts might be exhausting their funds — and the worst could be yet to come.
Legislation that would help renters cover their bills face headwinds at the Minnesota Legislature. A Minnesota House bill for $50 million in rent relief was voted down by Republicans earlier this month. A similar Senate measure, that proposes $75 million, is still being hashed out.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has said he can’t enact a statewide eviction moratorium without declaring a peacetime emergency. He has not been willing to make that move and hasn’t shown signs of changing his mind.
As for the potential rent strike, Raghuveer, the national organizer who is assisting Twin Cities Tenants, said if enacted, it would be the largest rent strike in the United States in more than 100 years.
On a much smaller scale, using rent strikes has shown some promise as a tactic. She recently helped lead a strike in Raytown, Mo., where tenants withheld more than $110,000 over several months. In January, they won rent reductions and an agreement with the landlord for major building repairs.
This rent strike in Minnesota would be different. It’s more geographically spread out and focuses on property owners at large.
But there is some legal and economic jeopardy for people who choose to withhold rent. The state law wouldn’t protect them like it would in cases where a landlord hasn’t maintained their property or otherwise violated the state law.
“It’s a huge risk and it’s a big swing,” said Raghuveer, who said she expects broader rent strikes to become more commonplace as modern-day crises mount.
There are no legal protections for renters who strike as a form of protest, said Jess Zarik, a co-executive director at the tenant advocacy organization HOME Line.
The organization — which also operates a legal aid hotline that has seen a surge in calls about rent assistance during the ongoing ICE deployment — put out a letter outlining more risk- assessment information.
Zarik said if people decide they’re in a position where they can and want to strike, then it’s a move that “could have a huge impact.”
But she added that the way the strike drive happened was “very, very fast” and activists in meetings didn’t go over some crucial questions — like what happens if someone has a housing voucher — which can “ultimately can put tenants at a really major risk.”
One south Minneapolis renter named Dominic Minor said he understood those risks when he pledged to strike and has hope that it will build momentum for people to take action beyond traditional protest.
“What’s more radical than saying that I’m willing to risk my housing, I’m willing to risk my life, comfort, livability and safety to stand with the people who have that already threatened for them?” Minor said.
Twin Cities Tenants is leading the strike drive with the support of leaders from five labor unions, including SEIU Local 26 and Unite HERE Local 17. Four Minneapolis City Council members have also pledged to withhold their own rent.
Twin Cities Tenants will hold an authorization vote Saturday if they hit 10,000 pledges.
