"Why would we bother buying this place if we can't get rid of them" , The voice was laced with disgust referring to the Gonazlez family who were sitting right there, huddled together in their abuelas tiny bedroom, while a group of spekkkulators took part in an illegal "open house" of their lifelong Mission Districit home. The Open house participants circled around the family like hungry hyenas assessing their prey. This sickening story of displacement and gentriFUKation of Lisa Gonzalez, her teenage daughter, her elder disabled mama and her elder disabled grandma from their home of over 40 years was told between tears to the Community Newsroom at POOR Magazine last week.
"Jason Chan of Barbagelata Real Estate is completely bypassing the law and selling our apartment right out from under us," Lisa went on to explain that Chan, who has boldly ignored the legal requirements to offer right of refusal to tenants to purchase their own apartments is holding weekly "open houses" right on top of her and her increasingly intimidated family.
Lisa's family are everyday people, workers, care-givers, mamas and daughters. living, practicing inter-dependence, humbly taking care of their elders and children like the ways of our indigenous ancestors. The Gonzalez family join the rank of so many of us humble peoples of color, working class folks, some we know, who have fought back like Benito Santiago, Diego Deleo, Kathy Galvez, and Sabrina Carter , but thousands we don't, who are brutally and intentionally excised from this city because they don't fit the profile created of young, wealthy and child-less by Mayor Lee and the GentryTechNation
Lisa explained that her family single-handedly dealt with and superficially remediated a severe mold problem in their home because there was never any repairs made my Chan or the realty company even though they were notified.
"We have nowhere to go, my mother and grandmother have nowhere to go, this is our family home, this has been our family home for generations," Lisa concluded, fighting back a river of tears.
Lisa contacted the Mayors office who blindly referred her family to an over-worked landlord tenant lawyer who said he couldn't help them until, "they received an eviction notice" leaving the family with no options but to withstand these continual, disrespectful and blatantly illegal "open houses" of their home.
POOR Magazine Revolutionary Legal Advocacy Project is actively WeSearching and advocating for the Gonazalez family to the extent that our humble resources allow as well as planning for an emergency press conference and linking the family up with comrades at Anti- Eviction Mapping Project. If you are a lawyer who can represent the family please contact us at (510)435-7500