Tenant rights: Stronger eviction safeguards needed

Over the past few months the housing crisis has become a central topic of discussion for politicians, organizers, and community members alike.

What must be made clear is that while the city’s current proposed protections are helpful, they do not go far enough.

Just cause eviction protection, meaning a tenant can only be evicted for a lease violation or other specific reason instead of at the whim of the landlord, is the only way to protect tenants from the brutal reality of the Tacoma rental market.

The shortage of affordable housing in Tacoma will not be fixed overnight, and just cause would protect many who would otherwise fall through the cracks and into homelessness.

We must do everything in our power to protect communities from the exploitation we face at the hands of property developers.

If you are a renter, join Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee and South Sound Democratic Socialists of America in organizing tenants to fight for the protections that Tacoma desperately needs.