Have you followed the story in the Washington Post about landlords who have forced tenants out of their buildings in order to turn them into condominiums? If you haven’t, it’s well worth reading. At very least, watch this. I have several gay friends who live at the Norwood on N Street, around the corner from Whole Foods on P street. They have fought aggressive landlord tactics for well over a year, and their plight makes me concerned for not only the immigrant and blue-collar people who can’t afford condos, but the young (gay) men and women who can’t afford them either.

Here’s the gist: In DC, tenants have strong rights. If a landlord wants to convert a rent-controlled building, tenants have the right to decline that decision. However, there is a loophole called a “vacancy exemption” which allows property owners to side-step a vote if the buildling is vacant. The result: since 2004 property owners have vacated and turned over 200 buildings–Many of them through harassment, intimidation, and lack of upkeep (no heat or air-conditioning for months/years, vermin infestation, plumbing problems, etc)–and little has been done to stop them. It just makes me heart-sick to think that such inhumanity can go unchecked for years, and our local government does little more than pat itself on the back for its “progress.”

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