Rally for housing justice in Baltimore

On Sept. 14, activists with the Peoples Power Assembly and delegates of the Baltimore public housing Resident Advisory Board marched and rallied for housing justice. The demonstrators demanded increased funding for public housing and an end to attempted privatization of Baltimore city public housing. For several years, the government of Baltimore City and Johns Hopkins University have been working to pave over public housing developments and replace them with condominiums for young professionals. 

In the meantime, funding for public housing maintenance and upkeep have been slashed significantly. Most egregiously, the city has refused to provide COVID-19 relief money to Baltimore residents of public housing. When the Resident Advisory Board spoke out against this failure, it was met with attacks from the city government. The Resident Advisory Board is a group of individuals who advocate on behalf of tenants of the 7,000 public housing units in Baltimore City. 

For these reasons, the demonstration outside City Hall demanded “Hands off!” the Resident Advisory Board, no more sales of public housing units, the cancellation of evictions and rent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the delivery of 10.7 million dollars in relief funds to the Resident Advisory Board!