Housing Advocates Across California Join Caravans in Rally for Rent Forgiveness

In caravans of cars emblazoned with protest banners, housing activists in cities throughout the Bay Area and across California rallied on Friday to demand the state halt rent payments for tenants who have been hit hard financially by ongoing stay-at-home orders.

Rent was due Friday for millions of tenants across the state, many of whom are among the growing ranks of unemployed workers struggling to cover basic living expenses.

In Oakland, hundreds of cars plastered with "Cancel Rent" signs crept down Broadway, honking loudly in a caravan stretching from the port to the city's downtown.

“People are just fed up. We’re fighting back and we’re saying enough is enough,” said Carroll Fife, director of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, one of the groups organizing the protests.

Fearing widespread evictions and housing insecurity in the coming months, ACCE and other housing advocates are pressuring state and federal governments to provide billions of dollars in rent and mortgage forgiveness relief.

“We can’t wait,” said Sarah Sherburn-Zimmer, executive director of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, who joined a small but boisterous rally at Pier 50 in the city. “We need to do that now.”

– Matthew Green (@MGreenKQED) and Molly Solomon (@solomonout)