— Photos by Bella Levavi

By Bella Levavi

Somerville Eviction Response Network led a protest in Davis Square Tuesday, June 15, in response to the expiration of the eviction moratorium due to occur nationally June 30.

“Housing is the biggest justice issue facing our communities today,” Bonnie Cohen, a Somerville resident who attended the protest, said. “I agree with extending it [the moratorium] as long as possible. In the long run we will need to come up with systemic solutions to gentrification and lack of affordable housing.”

About thirty individuals attended the protest, as the busy street around Davis Square whirled with bikes, pedestrians, and busses. The action began with HONK!, an activist brass band, playing protest music while people gathered. The action continued with three speeches given by organizers.

The group demanded that the moratorium on evictions be extended for another year allowing for more safety nets in the Somerville community. Governor Charlie Baker has extended the moratorium several times. As of June 21, the moratorium will continue until Oct. 17, 2021.

The group claims that “97 evictions for nonpayment of rent have been filed in Somerville” since March.

At the protest, Michael Ventura gave a speech saying he was almost evicted from his apartment owned by LaCourt Realty when his roommates moved out during the pandemic.

The manager of LaCourt Realty, who prefers to not use his name, said the company worked with tenants to give them emergency housing during the pandemic. He went on to say they are not raising rents until Sept. 2022 giving “a recovery period for tenants to rebuild after Covid.” He concluded by saying LaCourt has never done an eviction due to failure to pay rent, but “other landlords who are not renting luxury apartments have a completely different financial crisis to deal with.”

The Somerville Eviction Response Network came together January to protest in front of a local courthouse. A member of the group, Colin Kirkland, explained the group mostly met virtually until the protest last week. Many of the members were encouraged to join because of their friend Nicole Eigbrett. “She is a force,” Kirkland said.

Many other Somerville community groups came out in support of this protest. Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS) was mentioned by many speakers at the protest. MAMAS is a group that started at the beginning of the pandemic. On their website they say their mission is “pooling our resources to make sure everyone has what they need.” Workers at the Somerville Homelessness Coalition also attended the protest. When Demi LaMonica, an Accountant at Somerville Homeless Coalition, was asked why she came, she said, “Our mission is preventing homelessness. We want to make sure people aren’t displaced and that the moratorium extends.”

Housing is a large issue this coming election, and many Somerville residents running for office attended the protest. Katjana Ballantyne, running for mayor, Willie Burnley Jr., Becca Miller, and Judy Pineda Neufeld, all running for City Councilor, were in attendance.

“We stand out here for our most vulnerable neighbors, people that are facing intersectional oppression on the basis of their identity,” Sophia Grogan, an organizer of the event said in a speech to the crowd. “We are also standing out here for ourselves; as renters, the line between needing and being able to help can change on the drop of a dime.”