Conventional thought says that the best way to achieve progress is to install a figurehead in a position of authority to dispense justice: i.e. President, Prime Minister, Senator, Judge, CEO, etc. This top-down approach to dispensing justice makes sense to a lot of people who have accepted that not only is this hierarchical approach the best system, but it is the way the system must function.
In reality, the opposite is true: true justice does not come from one individual wielding power of authority, but from collectives of people making up the communities we know as our homes, neighborhoods, and families. The power to make meaningful and lasting change resides with the people – not power brokers – and specifically with multitudes of people working together in service of a shared interest or goal. This is why community organizing is a powerful and indispensable tool when it comes to advocating for the basic needs of human life: housing, food, education, and healthcare, among others.
Housing is a fundamental need – indeed, the fundamental need – without which no one can lead an optimal life: one of dignity, reciprocity and connection to others, and self-determination.
We believe that community organizing is one of the strongest tools we possess to create and build power which protects our fundamental rights and advances protection of our needs. Community organizing takes many forms and can be led by anyone with a passion for justice. It requires no credentials other than a functioning conscience and the willingness to act.
This sentiment is what led Sue My Landlord team member, Akbar Ali, to host a community organizing event which was called “Existing in an Era of Erasure: A BIPOC Panel on Dedication to Revolutionary Struggle.” The event was structured as a panel featuring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students currently attending the University of Denver Sturm College of Law who spoke about institutionalized white supremacy in legal spaces and how those dynamics affect the students’ feeling of purpose and belonging – especially in the context of aspiring to champion social justice, including advocating for human rights and against state violence perpetrated by law enforcement and agencies such as ICE which are often working in tandem with Colorado landlords to coerce tenants to accept living in dangerous, unsanitary, and outright illegal conditions.
The BIPOC panel featured students from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds – including Black, Indigenous, Latinx, West Asian (Middle Eastern), North African, South Asian, and Asian and Pacific Islander. While individual students shared unique experiences regarding their interactions with white supremacy in legal spaces, they collectively shared the experience of being marginalized by a sociopolitical system which too often discounts the harms experienced by their communities in an effort to maintain the status quo.
One of the panelists – Rico Sissini, a former intern of our firm – featured at the event as both a panelist and an artist: a talented musician, Rico sang a song he composed about ICE gunning down civilians standing up for basic human rights and how violence is increasingly used by state forces to quell dissent even against the most egregious of crimes violating human dignity. Resistance and advocacy take many forms – artistic expression being among the most moving and essential. Kudos to our interns on a job well done!
One of the panelists – Rico Sissini, a former intern of our firm – featured at the event as both a panelist and an artist: a talented musician, Rico sang a song he composed about ICE gunning down civilians standing up for basic human rights and how violence is increasingly used by state forces to quell dissent even against the most egregious of crimes violating human dignity. Resistance and advocacy take many forms – artistic expression being among the most moving and essential. Kudos to our interns on a job well done!
Housing – and more specifically, the right to belong – is increasingly under attack at both the state and federal levels in the United States, as well as across the globe. From the growing number of unhoused in Colorado to the displaced millions in Palestine, Darfur, Congo and beyond, the lack of secure housing and safe community spaces has reached historic levels of crisis proportions. Not only is the status quo unacceptable; it is untenable.
There are many layers to this problem which require a collective approach of shared responsibility to make meaningful changes to a system which continually pushes more people to the margins. Housing cannot be reduced to another form of corporate extraction. Tenants must be aware of their rights; landlords must be aware of their obligations; and legal practitioners must further the scope of justice in every space they occupy.
Sue My Landlord exists to help those affected by these issues at the legal level and in the courtroom. However, none of our work is possible without the foundational work done by everyday citizens, activists, and community organizers who raise awareness and create coalitions across Colorado advocating for rights which affect our ability to live and function. These spaces are where frameworks for housing justice are built. They inform our ability to apply the law, advance protections, and maintain human dignity.
We are honored to be collaborators with you in the fight for fair housing practices. May we all find a place to call home.
