Abolish Rent is now out from Haymarket Books
Dear friends, comrades, teachers, loved ones,
The book I wrote with my mentor, Leonardo Vilchis, is now out from Haymarket. Abolish Rent: How Tenants Can End the Housing Crisis is a polemic against rent, that monthly tribute we hand over to people already richer than us, just so we can meet our human need for a home.
We let the LA Tenant Union, which we helped start almost ten years ago, guide us throughout. We tell the stories of our members turning fear into defiance, building trust and community, breaking and remaking the law. I’m particularly proud of our emphasis on taking back the city (as Leo often says, you can’t fight a war without territory) and of our history chapter (100 years of the War on Tenants).
I want you to buy it, but more importantly, I want you to use it. A manifesto is nothing without a movement. If you’re a part of a tenant union or reading group, I can get you 50% off or free, just reach out.
And please join us this Wednesday, October 2nd at People’s Forum in New York, or Friday October 4th at Skylight Books in LA. (Or in Oakland, Louisville, Kansas City, Philly, DC, Baltimore, Portland, & Seattle, and then again in LA and NYC). We’ll talk about the tenant union as a vehicle to build local working-class power and international leverage in support of Palestine’s liberation.
Victory is not inevitable, but neither is defeat. We pave the path. As Gaza Poets’ Society put it yesterday, “You blame the world, but you are the world.”
With love and solidarity,
Tracy
P.S. If you’re on this list in error, I’m sorry! (Platform update.)
