More than 500 People Attend Affordable Housing Town Hall

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“If you thought Seattle activists were passionate in their successful push for the $15 an hour minimum wage, just wait until you see their fervor for rent control.”Puget Sound Business Journal 4/24/15


More than 500 tenants, housing advocates, and social justice activists packed City Hall on April 23rd for an Affordable Housing Town Hall organized by Councilmember Kshama Sawant and co-hosted with Councilmember Nick Licata.

Community members expressed clear support for rent control and other solutions to the affordable housing crisis, like expanding tenant rights and building thousands of City-owned quality affordable housing units through a massive public works program.

They called on City officials to take immediate and bold action to make Seattle affordable for working, middle class, and low-income people.

Sawant and Licata also unveiled a resolution for the Seattle City Council to formally call on the State Legislature to repeal its undemocratic ban on rent control. Read the resolution here (PDF).

Watch the full forum here, or check out video highlights below.


Introductory Remarks

01 nick intro

Councilmember Nick Licata

 

02 kshama intro

Councilmember Kshama Sawant

 

Tenant and Organization Speakers

Cathy Heffernan - Tenant Stories

Kathy Heffernan – Tenant Stories

David Goldstein - Independent Journalist

David Goldstein – Independent Journalist

Liz Etta - Tenants Union of Washington State

Liz Etta – Tenants Union of Washington State

David Bloom - Seattle Displacement Coalition

David Bloom – Seattle Displacement Coalition

Barbara Brownstein - Tenant Stories

Barbara Brownstein – Tenant Stories

Nicole Grant - IBEW 46

Nicole Grant – IBEW 46

Jonathan Grant - Community Housing Caucus

Jonathan Grant – Community Housing Caucus

Susan Russell - Real Change Vendor

Susan Russell – Real Change Vendor

Mary Hackney - S.A.F.E.

Mary Hackney – S.A.F.E. Tenant Stories

Flora Ybarra - S.A.F.E. Tenant Stories

Flora Ybarra – S.A.F.E. Tenant Stories

Michael Ramos - The Church Council of Greater Seattle

Michael Ramos – The Church Council of Greater Seattle