Origins of the City-Wide Tenant Union

Liz McGriff on the origins of the City-Wide Tenants Union

Liz McGriff is a co-founder and Campaign Coordinator with the City-Wide Tenant Union of Rochester. Liz McGriff  She knows firsthand what it’s like to have to fight for your home and your family.  In 2018, after years of organizing, she was able to stop her family’s bank eviction and prevent the foreclosure of our home.

Could you tell us about how you became involved with Take Back the Land (TBL), the precursor to the City-Wide Tenants’ Union?

I was going through foreclosure when someone came knocking on my door to tell me about TBL. At first I was skeptical. I was afraid the sheriff was going to come and I was going to lose everything, including my children’s future. When you go through this, you feel ashamed, like it’s your fault. You put up defenses. Still I went to a meeting where I met others who were going through the same experience. They made me realize it wasn’t my fault and I wasn’t alone. And when I heard about some of the victories TBL had achieved, I felt more at ease.

What kind of support did they provide?

The most important aspect for me was the community involvement. They were standing with me when the marshals came. They brought ministers, sang songs, and edited videos. They spread the word to build public support. Because of TBL I was able to keep my home and get it at 15% market rate.

Why did TBL grow into the City-Wide Tenants’ Union?

We decided to broaden our focus beyond fighting against foreclosures to issues like de-commodifying housing, helping tenants organize and form cooperatives to own property, and supporting those living in unacceptable or unsafe conditions. In one building, tenants had their rent increased to pay for renovations. Five years later the tenants are still waiting for those renovations. I’ve met others who are living with icicles in their home. Landlords know they can pick us off one-by-one. That’s why the City-Wide Tenants’ Union wants to bring together tenants throughout Rochester. We want a better community. We want people to have good living conditions. And we’re strong because our message is if you come for one of us, you come for us all.

Now that you have a leadership role in the union, what do you think we need to do moving forward?

I’d love to see us continue to support people in the political realm who will fight for tenants and homeowners. I also want us to continue fighting for Good Cause [see Current Campaigns] to protect all Rochester tenants. No tenant should face eviction just for asking landlords to live up to their responsibilities. BIPOC tenants have especially faced and continue to face this kind of mistreatment regularly.

Any final message to our readers?

In order to change the system you have to confront the system.