Beginning on April 1st, 2020, many Americans will be unable to pay their rent, mortgage, loans, or utility bills in the context of the pandemic and global recession. The president has so far spent $2.5 trillion in bailing out the stock market and large corporations, and nothing to bail out the working class.
Without a massive stimulus package, freeze on rent, utilities, and mortgage collection, millions of people will lose their jobs and homes. Unemployment could reach 30% according to some projections. We have to start organizing right now, turn our collective desperation to collective power, and force our government to enact a bailout for regular people, not Wall Street.
Our DemandsRent Strike 2020 started when a simple petition to freeze rent, utilities and mortgage payments has collected over 2 million signatures within 48 hours. The creators of the petition (Joshua Collins, and Rose Caucus) realized that this is a revolutionary moment and immediately passed it off to organizers who could build this into a movement that will be able to deliver a win for regular people.
We have put together a comprehensive set of immediate demands that we are calling the People’s Bailout. Our goal is to win these demands for the working class by building a mass movement. We hope to partner with local tenants unions, labor unions, immigrant groups, prison reform and abolition groups, and left and socialist elected officials who share our movement strategy and vision. Following are our initial set of of demands:
Freeze all rent, mortgage, utility payments or we will carry out a rent strike!
Freeze all student, medical, car and consumer debt and interest during the ongoing pandemic and recession. Cancel student debt!
Tax big business and the rich, not regular people, to pay for the crisis.
House all unsheltered people to protect their health and safety, and public health at-large.
Suspend all Farm Service Agency payments to ensure that we have an uninterrupted food supply.
Provide free mass testing and treatment! Authorize the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services to cover all out of pocket expenses so people can get tested and treated without worrying about going bankrupt.
Medicare for All! Immediately nationalize pharma, healthcare, medical instruments and all providers for an emergency response like Spain did to swiftly respond to the health crisis.
Give democratic powers to Committees of workers and scientists over the response to the crisis in essential industries – including healthcare, transportation, logistics, grocery.
Nationalize any industry threatening layoffs that hasn't been bailed out under democratic workers' control.
End the mass incarceration system & immediately release all immigrants from detention centers to stop the spread of COVID-19 between prisoners and guards.
Show your support for this campaign by endorsing it and sharing why!
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David Pfahlert endorsed
“As a small local business owner in Kirkland, Wa, I like many others have double the monthly obligations to keep my business running. My business is the only financial means my family has to afford our basic survival necessities. We have spoken with all of our monthly debtors and they have placed us on small biz owner relief programs, but our property manager has had NO remorse and gas threatened us if we don't pay our Rent on time. Small businesses are taking the hardest hit, and micro-business like mine do not even qualify for Small Biz relief funds, Loans or Grants, so we are truly being hung out to dry. I am local supporter of my community and having been helping others Businesses for years, where's my HELP when I need it? I endorse this program as rent/mortgage payments (especially for small biz owner) must be suspended!”
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Raymond R Covington endorsed
“I have a family of 5 with 2 that are disabled, 1 with autoimmune disease. I'm the only income with the exception of 1 disability check. I had some money in savings to cover bills for August, but that it. We was ordered to stay home and not go to work or risk getting arrested or losing our business license. And expecting us to continue paying our bills is unreasonable as most of us are living paycheck to paycheck.”
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Jane E. Christenson endorsed
“Capitalism is a dreadful ponzi scheme. That folks have little money is part of the plan to keep people dependent and broke. From wages, rent, food to healthcare, it's predatory. The US is the absolute worst as the empire rampages across the globe with wars and sanctions. This economic system needs replaced by a Venus Project-type model and ethical leadership. This replacement would actually be "democratic".”
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Andria applewhite endorsed
“No job no money ??♀️ How can we pay”
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Jessica M Williams endorsed
“I endorse this because i have a two year old babu girl and me and my other half have both been laid off. I cant pay anything. I have a child to protect who has a supressed immune system as well. We couldn't pay april. I was turned down for unemployment so i cant even get that. This horrible and when I spoke to our front office about it she was very ride and said they would be evicting as soon as they were aloud to. So clearly they don't care. Its all about the money. Nevermind people have children. Oh and the fact that NONE OF THIS WAS OUR FAULT. WE WERE TAKIN OUT OF WORK WITHOUT ANY HELP OF A BACK UP PLAN. OT WARNING.”
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Meredith Rust endorsed
“We were both laid off and have an expensive Brooklyn apartment we can no longer pay rent on. Bothe waiting for unemployment but haven’t seen it yet. Not to mention all the bills.”
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Tonya endorsed
“My husband and I are both out of work without choice for a few weeks now. We do not make enough to save money for hard times let alone pay for things now that we're not working! There are millions of people that are in this same storm alone with us and even once we receive a stimulus it will be just enough to pay bills that have accumulated over this time of being unemployed. We will then fall back in the same place as we wait for normalcy to return. We will have to work for 2 weeks before we receive a pay check again. Just like others we will again be in debt before we have a way to pay for anything..”
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Jennifer Cogdill endorsed
“My husband and I both have been out of work due to the covid 19 and haven't got a dollar to our name and have 3 children.we have foodstamps, but no money to pay our rent ,which we pay weekly $190 everything included, but have already been threatened with eviction this coming friday if we cant pay our rent.Its not fair and if all evictions are in halt until april 30th then it should include us to.i dont know what to do everyone is aware of the crisis we are in how could you be so heartless and throw anyone out in the streets”
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Jessica Sherman endorsed
“I endorse Rent Strike 2020 because we are a household of 2 and have both been laid off since March 18. We are in fear everyday on how much longer our remaining money will last. I do not want to choose between buying groceries to feed us or keeping a roof over our head. This is not right!”
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Jasmine R. Castillo endorsed
“I endorse rent strike 2020 due to the affects of COVID-19 on every aspect of our lives, especially financial strain on the working class. If mortgages can get deferred then rents should be deferred as well.”
Campaign created!
Show your support for this campaign by endorsing it and sharing why!
-
David Pfahlert endorsed
“As a small local business owner in Kirkland, Wa, I like many others have double the monthly obligations to keep my business running. My business is the only financial means my family has to afford our basic survival necessities. We have spoken with all of our monthly debtors and they have placed us on small biz owner relief programs, but our property manager has had NO remorse and gas threatened us if we don't pay our Rent on time. Small businesses are taking the hardest hit, and micro-business like mine do not even qualify for Small Biz relief funds, Loans or Grants, so we are truly being hung out to dry. I am local supporter of my community and having been helping others Businesses for years, where's my HELP when I need it? I endorse this program as rent/mortgage payments (especially for small biz owner) must be suspended!”
-
Raymond R Covington endorsed
“I have a family of 5 with 2 that are disabled, 1 with autoimmune disease. I'm the only income with the exception of 1 disability check. I had some money in savings to cover bills for August, but that it. We was ordered to stay home and not go to work or risk getting arrested or losing our business license. And expecting us to continue paying our bills is unreasonable as most of us are living paycheck to paycheck.”
-
Jane E. Christenson endorsed
“Capitalism is a dreadful ponzi scheme. That folks have little money is part of the plan to keep people dependent and broke. From wages, rent, food to healthcare, it's predatory. The US is the absolute worst as the empire rampages across the globe with wars and sanctions. This economic system needs replaced by a Venus Project-type model and ethical leadership. This replacement would actually be "democratic".”
-
Andria applewhite endorsed
“No job no money ??♀️ How can we pay”
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Kelly Hoff endorsed
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Eli Chavez endorsed
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Mary Verd endorsed
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Aimee Deere endorsed
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Jessica M Williams endorsed
“I endorse this because i have a two year old babu girl and me and my other half have both been laid off. I cant pay anything. I have a child to protect who has a supressed immune system as well. We couldn't pay april. I was turned down for unemployment so i cant even get that. This horrible and when I spoke to our front office about it she was very ride and said they would be evicting as soon as they were aloud to. So clearly they don't care. Its all about the money. Nevermind people have children. Oh and the fact that NONE OF THIS WAS OUR FAULT. WE WERE TAKIN OUT OF WORK WITHOUT ANY HELP OF A BACK UP PLAN. OT WARNING.”
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Crystal Petitjean endorsed
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Meredith Rust endorsed
“We were both laid off and have an expensive Brooklyn apartment we can no longer pay rent on. Bothe waiting for unemployment but haven’t seen it yet. Not to mention all the bills.”
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molly sullivan endorsed
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Toddrick Ryals endorsed
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Shannon Kirk endorsed
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Kristin Ferguson endorsed
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Cindy Somers endorsed
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Tonya endorsed
“My husband and I are both out of work without choice for a few weeks now. We do not make enough to save money for hard times let alone pay for things now that we're not working! There are millions of people that are in this same storm alone with us and even once we receive a stimulus it will be just enough to pay bills that have accumulated over this time of being unemployed. We will then fall back in the same place as we wait for normalcy to return. We will have to work for 2 weeks before we receive a pay check again. Just like others we will again be in debt before we have a way to pay for anything..”
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Jennifer Cogdill endorsed
“My husband and I both have been out of work due to the covid 19 and haven't got a dollar to our name and have 3 children.we have foodstamps, but no money to pay our rent ,which we pay weekly $190 everything included, but have already been threatened with eviction this coming friday if we cant pay our rent.Its not fair and if all evictions are in halt until april 30th then it should include us to.i dont know what to do everyone is aware of the crisis we are in how could you be so heartless and throw anyone out in the streets”
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Jessica Sherman endorsed
“I endorse Rent Strike 2020 because we are a household of 2 and have both been laid off since March 18. We are in fear everyday on how much longer our remaining money will last. I do not want to choose between buying groceries to feed us or keeping a roof over our head. This is not right!”
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Abbey Ryder endorsed
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Edward Gray endorsed
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Deena Acosta endorsed
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Jasmine R. Castillo endorsed
“I endorse rent strike 2020 due to the affects of COVID-19 on every aspect of our lives, especially financial strain on the working class. If mortgages can get deferred then rents should be deferred as well.”
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Kiera Stuart endorsed
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Linda Higham endorsed
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Carmen endorsed
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Lucinda Jones endorsed
“We are a family of two, my husband is what they call an essential worker for Spectrum. We were barely able to make rent for April. We have absolutely NO way of paying for the month of May 2020. We are scared that we will NOT be able to pay it and get evicted because Our Landlord is expecting the rent for May and we Just DON'T have it this month at all.”
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Pedro Mena endorsed
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Natasha Hosper endorsed
“I think it’s funny you want people to donate money that are not working when they can’t even pay there bills and spend what money they do have on food or other priorities. But I totally support the cause.”
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Bea Lauture endorsed
