In Isla Vista, Calif., a neighborhood adjacent to Santa Barbara, working-class families are fighting to remain in the apartments where they have lived for years.
Over 55 families, mostly Latino, were handed eviction notices on Aug. 18, according to the Santa Barbara Independent. The notices ordered them to vacate the Cedarwood Apartment complex within 30 days.
A few days prior to the distribution of the eviction notices, the property was acquired by Conquest Housing. Conquest has a reputation in Los Angeles. It is a large corporation in the business of creating student housing.
Conquest is one of the largest landowners in the area surrounding the University of Southern Calif. USC is located in south central Los Angeles, a working-class area primarily populated by Black and Latino families.
Over the years, the company has built around 20 high-priced, luxury housing units near USC.
Conquest now wants to establish upscale student housing near the University of California Santa Barbara. The evictions in Isla Vista appear to be an initial step toward meeting this goal.
Conquest has hired Dennis P. Block and Associates of Los Angeles to conduct the evictions. Block’s website—www.evict123.com—proudly proclaims that his firm has helped facilitate over 100,000 evictions in the past 30 years. The firm claims it has evicted more tenants than any other law firm anywhere.
Fearing the worst, many Cedarwood residents are scrambling to find a place to live. Some families are contemplating moving as far away as Texas. Several young children living in the complex could not start school in Isla Vista because of the uncertainties caused by the eviction notices.
But at least 20 Cedarwood families have made the decision to stay and fight the evictions. Others are joining the struggle. Student and community groups have mobilized for several rallies. Nightly vigils take place at the complex. And the families who remain have retained an L.A.-based attorney to address the legal issues involved.
Luz Silva has lived in the Cedarwood complex for 10 years. She is a single mother who recently lost her job. In a recent interview with PSLweb.org, Silva said, “It is really hard but we have got to fight. I want to teach my daughter that to fight is always good—no matter what happens at the end. We need to be treated like somebody. We’re not trash. We pay our bills and we pay our taxes like everybody else. So, there are 20 of us families still here. We’re not moving. We’re ready to fight.”
The fight against Conquest Housing and its slimy attorneys is an important struggle. As revolutionaries, we always fight against capitalist incursions on people’s rights and lives.
