A report from Washington, DC Council’s Racial Equity (CORE) warns that proposed legislation moving forward through district councils will have a negative impact on black and low-income residents.
As Susie Amanuel explains in the Washington city newspaper, rebalancing expectations of the neighbours, tenants and landlords (rentals) law could speed up evictions, remove tenant protections, and strengthen the gaps among black residents. The report points out that wealthy DC residents can afford legal representatives in the event of eviction, while low-income people cannot.
“Other jurisdictions have invested in preventing cycles and reducing evictions, but the district has significantly reduced emergency rental assistance,” adds Amanuel. According to the report, the law “leaves too much power in landlords and courts. Two institutions with far more power and resources than tenants, particularly in the Black community in D.C..”
The bill will exempt newly constructed buildings from the opportunity to purchase Tenant Opportunity (TOPA) law for 15 years, and allow further exemptions from buildings registered in affordable contracts. Topa helped to create affordability and equity in the black community, but opposition says development will be slower. “Black tenants who benefit most from the Topa transaction will suffer disproportionately the consequences of losing their Topa rights, according to Core.”
Source link
