Although there is an eviction moratorium in Seattle and King County, an Air Force veteran and indigenous friend of mine, Phoenix Johnson and her 13 yr old daughter recently faced eviction. The notice came after several months of hostile and discriminatory behavior from her landlord. We talk to Phoenix and local organizer and educator Cliff Cawthorn about Phoenix’s situation and the general eviction crisis.
We briefly talk about Safe Seattle a conservative anti-homeless group that attacked Phoenix for their self-advocacy. I see Safe Seattle and groups like it as modern-day Citizens’ Council, a group formed in the U.S. South during the ’50s and ’60s. The first council – also known as the White Citizens’ Council, was founded in 1954 to resist the desegregation of public schools and Civil Rights’ changes sweeping the country.
Phoenix is a single mother of a young teen whose income has dropped substantially in the face of COVID-19. The eviction was not an option. Unfortunately, millions of people across the country face the same possibility. Bloomberg News reports up to 40 million people …”are ‘at risk’ of being evicted in coming months because they can’t pay rent.”
Fortunately, Phoenix – with a community of friends standing in solidarity with them, stood up to the landlord to gain enough time for the Johnson family to find and move into a new home. But, the struggle is not over. Phoenix is still fighting for the deposit to help pay for moving costs. Phoenix met this challenge head-on and won because they had people to stand with them. Most people do not have activists to stand with them and help navigate the system. A majority of people feel helpless and alone. Citizens and local and national governments must address this crisis before it gets worse.
Update: Atatiana Jefferson died Oct 12, 2019, killed Fort Worth police officer Aaron York Dean. Dean resigned from the force. On October 14, 2019, Dean was charged with Atatiana’s murder. He was freed the same day on a $200,00 bond. We are still waiting on the trial. But the community has not forgotten her and seek justice in her name. Fort Worth Star-Telegram coverage marking Atatiana’s death is excellent.
