CONTACT: Linda Paris, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, 202-308-5186, [email protected]
WASHINGTON – Today, the Tyler House Tenant Association, and the President of the Tenant Association Ms. Venus Little, filed suit to stand up for the tenants’ right to organize. The Tenant Association and Ms. Little allege that SHNIR Management staff and Tyler House Associates LLC, through their property management agents, have obstructed their ability to organize as an association or collective in clear violation of D.C. law.
Tyler House is an affordable housing apartment complex located on North Capitol Street, north of Union Station. The residents are largely working-class Black residents of DC. For over a decade, tenants have been attempting to organize to address poor housing conditions, safety concerns, and other issues that have not received an adequate response from the management of the building.
DC law protects tenants’ right to organize and advocate on their collective behalf, and neither a landlord nor a property manager may obstruct or retaliate against any tenant engaging in protected activities. This Right to Organize law is relatively new, and the District is one of the few jurisdictions around the country that protects tenants’ rights in this form.
Tenants at Tyler House have attempted to engage in protected organizing activities, such as holding Tenant Association meetings, disseminating informational literature, inviting tenant organizers to assist their organizing efforts, and advocating for each other as a unified group in response to concerns with the owner and property management.
According to the tenants, property management refused to grant the Tenant Association access to the community room on numerous occasions, demanded that organizing literature be removed, and even served Ms. Little with a baseless Notice to Quit alleging she owed thousands of dollars in back rent – even though she did not. Ms. Little further alleges that Defendants’ attorney also threatened her with legal action if she continued her organizing activities.
“We have to speak up and speak out against our landlord’s retaliation against tenants. We need housing. But there is a lot of things wrong here. We are fighting for our health and safety concerns. We have the right to voice our concerns.” said Venus Little, President of the Tyler House Tenant Association.
“In spite of years of interference from and intimidation by SHNIR staff, Ms. Little and the Tenant Association have been staunch advocates for the tenants of Tyler House as they deal with terrible housing conditions and ineffective management practices.” said Caitlin Russi, Counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. “Washington Lawyers’ Committee is proud to work with these tenants in exercising their statutorily protected right to organize.”
The plaintiffs are represented by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
A link to the filed complaint can be found here.
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