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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Brittany N Slack endorsed
“This pandemic is destroying people's lives and could face them with long term deficits including children going hungry and homeless!”
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emily dewey endorsed
“Endorse”
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Jill Kahn endorsed
“I can’t pay due to being out of work and in addition not receiving my Stimulus check and the state of Florida’s incompetency of paying our due unemployment money.”
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Jamaal Jones endorsed
“We’re already on fixed income living from pay check to pay check! How is it that these land lords and mortgage companies are still waiting for their monthly mortgage payments and rent? This is a serious matter the lives of our American people are at risk and Money is still a Topic this is terrible and something should be done about this immediately.”
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Benjamin Peralta endorsed
“I endorse because my apartments the enclave in Fresno refuses to renew my lease and says I have to move during the Coronado virus when I can't find anyone renting in Fresno california.”
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Teo Nguyen endorsed
“Most people everywhere and I have been hit so hard financially by this pandemic, we are unable to work to pay rent, utilities...”
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L T endorsed
“i am endorsing this rent strike because the pandemic affects the entire country. Millions of people are out of work and are unable to return to their line of work until this crisis is over.”
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Kerry Bryant endorsed
“I cannot work due to the pandemic and unemployment doesnt cut it! My landlord does not care. They expect rent anyway and me and my children will be homeless when this is over because they will evict us. We need help!!!”
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Lacey endorsed
“I have been directly affecting by lack of work due to this pandemic.”
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Meg Polk endorsed
“A lot of people including myself have fallen on financial hardship due to this global pandemic. We aren’t able to work therefore we’re not able to pay our rent and bills.”
Campaign created!
Show your support for this campaign by endorsing it and sharing why!
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Brittany N Slack endorsed
“This pandemic is destroying people's lives and could face them with long term deficits including children going hungry and homeless!”
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Jessica Lynn endorsed
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emily dewey endorsed
“Endorse”
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Jill Kahn endorsed
“I can’t pay due to being out of work and in addition not receiving my Stimulus check and the state of Florida’s incompetency of paying our due unemployment money.”
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Jamaal Jones endorsed
“We’re already on fixed income living from pay check to pay check! How is it that these land lords and mortgage companies are still waiting for their monthly mortgage payments and rent? This is a serious matter the lives of our American people are at risk and Money is still a Topic this is terrible and something should be done about this immediately.”
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Marsha Rosa endorsed
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Benjamin Peralta endorsed
“I endorse because my apartments the enclave in Fresno refuses to renew my lease and says I have to move during the Coronado virus when I can't find anyone renting in Fresno california.”
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Teo Nguyen endorsed
“Most people everywhere and I have been hit so hard financially by this pandemic, we are unable to work to pay rent, utilities...”
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L T endorsed
“i am endorsing this rent strike because the pandemic affects the entire country. Millions of people are out of work and are unable to return to their line of work until this crisis is over.”
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Kerry Bryant endorsed
“I cannot work due to the pandemic and unemployment doesnt cut it! My landlord does not care. They expect rent anyway and me and my children will be homeless when this is over because they will evict us. We need help!!!”
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jayne Perkins endorsed
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Stephen Bastic endorsed
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Lacey endorsed
“I have been directly affecting by lack of work due to this pandemic.”
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nikki johnson endorsed
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Barbara Ponce endorsed
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Arrelda Taylor endorsed
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Meg Polk endorsed
“A lot of people including myself have fallen on financial hardship due to this global pandemic. We aren’t able to work therefore we’re not able to pay our rent and bills.”
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Gabriel Ceballos endorsed
“It will take time for Americans to be able to get back on their feet after the pandemic is over.”
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Nicole Fields endorsed
“Because people need to worry about paying other necessities at this time and rent should not be held against individuals.”
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Brandi Anthony endorsed
“I endorse rent strike 2020 because NO ONE should be evicted and made homeless because of the pandemic that is upon us all that we have absolutely no control over!! Being homeless is just going to make the virus spread even more because we wont have a home to stay in! I pray for all our lives, our homes, and our country!!”
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tanya jordan endorsed
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Synnethia Clark endorsed
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Kelsey Backiewicz endorsed
“I endorse Rent Strike 2020 because it is time to bail out the working class that is out of work and don't need loans that they will have to tack onto their current debt. If our government can bail out the airline industry and is giving stimulus checks to millionaires, they can help the people that are the backbone of this country.”
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Carlos Manuel Salazar endorsed
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Tricia Gilfone endorsed
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Lydia James endorsed
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Jason A. Monczka endorsed
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Drew Edwards endorsed
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Pamela Dawn Parker endorsed
“We are already set on a fixed budget and with this pandemic we all need some help especially when our normal income has been impacted!”
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Roy Layne endorsed
