At approximately 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 4th, 2021, Buncombe County Sheriff's Office arrested six people at the home of a South Asheville family facing eviction. The group was standing, arms linked, attempting to stop the family's displacement by physically blocking the door.

In a press release issued via The Asheville Solidarity Network Facebook page, the group identified themselves as "Community members, including tenants and precariously housed people." The following is an excerpt from the release, which we have reproduced in its entirety below this article.

Community members, including tenants and precariously housed people, have come together on November 4 to resist an eviction in support of a multigenerational family experiencing forced displacement by Buncombe County. A number of people have occupied the property and have refused to leave until the city and county enact real solutions to the widely experienced housing crisis. Dressed as woodland creatures, the group brought a banner that says “Everyone needs a home”.
The family being evicted—a mother, grandmother and two children under 5, who wish to remain unnamed due to fear of finding suitable housing in the future—has been living in their home in the Sweeten Creek area for six years in good standing, with part of their rent covered by the Section 8 program. The mother has worked essential front line jobs during the pandemic. Because of a transfer of property last spring, their new landlord, Cindy Rice, stopped accepting Section 8 but did not notify the tenants or provide a new lease. Additionally, the Housing Authority of Asheville (HACA) is responsible for paying the subsidized portion but neglected to pay this portion of the rent for three months (a HACA worker recently communicated their oversight to the tenant). This became grounds for eviction, which was a surprise to the family. They twice paid to appeal the eviction in court with the assistance of Pisgah Legal, paid the bond and fees mandated by the court three times, but despite this, the court found in favor of their landlord and the eviction is expected to take place today. They have not been able to secure stable housing for the coming months.
BCSD deputies at the home of a family facing eviction. Photo by Elliot Patterson

The tactic of community members banding together to stop eviction with their bodies is not a new one. During the Great Depression, unemployed people developed community councils to provide for their neighbors by preventing or reversing evictions, keeping the heat and lights on, and other disaster relief activities. This type of direct action has been gaining popularity as it often goes hand-in-hand with mutual aid, a set of practices that gained a lot of mainstream popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

New Yorkers Are Using a 1930s-Era Tactic to Stop Evictions
Amid waning protections for renters and unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression, eviction defense is poised for a resurgence.

Asheville Free Press reporter Elliot Patterson was at the scene when arrests were made and captured the following video. In it, police accuse protesters of "resisting" and draw their weapons before entering the home. After the arrests, the landlord was allowed to change the locks on the home, finalizing the eviction. The arrestees were released from custody by 11:15 a.m.


Press Release: Community begins eviction resistance to combat wave of displacement

The following is the press release shared via the Asheville Solidarity Network.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sarah - (423) 845-4052

--Community begins eviction resistance to combat wave of displacement--

Community members, including tenants and precariously housed people, have come together on November 4 to resist an eviction in support of a multigenerational family experiencing forced displacement by Buncombe County. A number of people have occupied the property and have refused to leave until the city and county enact real solutions to the widely experienced housing crisis. Dressed as woodland creatures, the group brought a banner that says “Everyone needs a home”.

The family being evicted—a mother, grandmother and two children under 5, who wish to remain unnamed due to fear of finding suitable housing in the future—has been living in their home in the Sweeten Creek area for six years in good standing, with part of their rent covered by the Section 8 program. The mother has worked essential front line jobs during the pandemic. Because of a transfer of property last spring, their new landlord, Cindy Rice, stopped accepting Section 8 but did not notify the tenants or provide a new lease. Additionally, the Housing Authority of Asheville (HACA) is responsible for paying the subsidized portion but neglected to pay this portion of the rent for three months (a HACA worker recently communicated their oversight to the tenant). This became grounds for eviction, which was a surprise to the family. They twice paid to appeal the eviction in court with the assistance of Pisgah Legal, paid the bond and fees mandated by the court three times, but despite this, the court found in favor of their landlord and the eviction is expected to take place today. They have not been able to secure stable housing for the coming months.

The mother said yesterday, “We are working on getting an email from housing saying that our voucher was canceled due to a mix-up with the inspector, because now our voucher has been reinstated. We got evicted because housing stopped paying [their portion of the] rent. It is absolutely wrong—we had to pay a rent bond to the court and everything. We never knew we were being evicted because our rent was paid. This whole time everything was working against us and we had no clue until, boom, we get the paper that says we're being evicted, you owe this much.”

Those wishing to donate to relocation costs of the displaced family can send funds through Venmo to @quinn-nevel or through PayPal @quinnnevel

Edit: Donations can be made to @cigarettes4thepeople on venmo

The city of Asheville recently was awarded a $26 million dollar federal grant for relief, the largest grant ever given to the city. Currently many public housing residents are threatened with eviction by HACA for rent arrears of only a hundred dollars, or even a smaller late fee. Many tenants are leaving their homes to avoid a documented eviction proceeding that makes finding future housing very difficult. Evictions in private housing are taking place daily and weekly in Buncombe County. Additionally, there is a wave of tenant displacement with little notice due to landlords choosing to sell properties in an inflated local market, or converting to short term rentals to house tourists for their vacations.

A statement from the autonomous group resisting the eviction says: "We are seeing an unprecedented rise in displacements and evictions. This is just one example of a predatory eviction during the pandemic. The city of Asheville seems to have a policy of eviction whenever possible in public housing. Landlords have dollar signs in their eyes and are rushing to displace tenants to get tourist money. Every day we hear of a few more people losing housing. We have nowhere to go. Forced displacement is violence. We are enduring a period of pure gentrification enacted by those who have forgotten their humanity. Half the residents in the area are renters or unhoused, but the city and county do not care and continue to discuss ineffective solutions for housing at a snail’s pace. We will not be passive or polite.  We will disrupt tourism and commerce as long as adequate housing is not made available and direct relief offered.  This is a crisis and we demand housing now.”

Additionally, the autonomous group of community members who have come together to resist this eviction, in solidarity with the tenants and everyone going through displacement, have communicated these additional demands of local government:

"1. HACA must pay immediate restitution to the displaced family in the amount the family desires.

City of Asheville and Buncombe County must immediately forgive back or overdue rent for those living in public housing and cease threatening residents with evictions.

City of Asheville must forgive all unpaid or overdue water bills, including interest, for all residential customers.

Buncombe County Sheriff's Department must declare an indefinite moratorium on eviction enforcement; no one should be evicted during a pandemic--or ever.

City of Asheville and Buncombe County must make camping legal on city and county property, provide 24/7 access to clean public restrooms where facilities exist, continue offering regular trash and recycling disposal, and add permanent sharps disposal containers to all public park infrastructure."

Edit: Donations can be made to @cigarettes4thepeople on venmo

Banners hung by eviction defense group

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