A planned eviction of of tenants in East London was stopped by people from London Renters Union blocking the doorway for five hours. The landlord and estate agents repeatedly came to the house, and people several times linked arms and blocked the door. Finally the landlord agreed to some breathing space for the tenants, who had nowhere to go, to find a new place.
Most evictions are not resisted, often the landlord does not even get a court order, tenants simply leave. Is it really worth doing eviction resistance, when the tenants will have to move out eventually?
Yes eviction resistance is extremely worth it. The most basic reason is that these tenants had not been able to find another place and were at real risk of destitution. A couple of weeks grace period could make all the difference to them.
On a wider level, part of the reason housing is so terrible is because landlords have it too easy. Tenants feel demoralised and powerless. The looming shadow of eviction stops people complaining about repairs and objecting to rent rises. Being able to stand up collectively and stop an eviction helps break that feeling of powerlessness for tenants and impunity for landlords. People spent hours huddled under a tarpaulin in terrible weather in order to protect someone else, and then said they felt happy, joyous, it was inspiring.
For eviction resistance to succeed, numbers are crucial. There were 20-30 people in front of the door at all times. This meant people were coming early then leaving for work and other people arriving later. Bailiffs can come around 8am so unfortunately we needed to be in place before that. You need a way to communicate with your supporters throughout the day whether the resistance is ongoing and you still need people or not. Don’t give out the tenant’s address publicly. Meet up in a park or at a station in the morning. Have later arriving people text somebody for the address.
The eviction resistance included several elderly and disabled people. There was a lot of effort made to look out for people’s safety and welfare, including having folding chairs, umbrellas, food, water etc. There is no way to make an eviction resistance 100% safe, as a landlord may start punching people and police can make arbitrary arrests, but the two main ways to make it as safe as possible is a big turnout and keeping calm. It can help to discuss safety issues beforehand, for example you can say that vulnerable people might leave if the police arrive. A small group of people can talk to the landlord and deflect him from threatening participants.
Standing with a load of people prepared to come out and stand up for two tenants, who in most cases they had never met, was a moving and emotional experience. This is a way we can fight against the alienation and powerlessness of so much of our current life.