Breyana Clark on “Good Cause”

Hello, my name is Breyana, and I am the WNY Campaigns Coordinator for VOCAL-NY. I want to thank the Rochester City Wide Tenant Union for all of the work they do on the ground. I am very honored and proud to be standing alongside them in this fight. This work is not easy, but it is vital to the survival of the people in this city who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. It pains and disturbs me that the real estate market boomed during a global pandemic while homlessness simultaneously reached record numbers. It pains and disturbs me that this city subsidizes upwards of $17 million in tax breaks to large developers that  acquire large amounts of land in the city and immediately evict Black, Brown, and low-income community members that can’t afford the increased rent prices forced upon them. 

As a Black woman, it pains and disturbs me that Black single mothers are the most likely to be victims of eviction. When you fail the Black mother, you fail the Black community. We come from our mothers. Decentering the voice of the Black mother in the fight for housing justice destablazies our communities, and destabilizes Rochester. Leaving them vulnerable and without protection from illegal evictions and predatory practices is an active and conscious contribution to the displacement of our Black children and rising child poverty rates. Prioritizing the Black mother’s experience is what will begin to lift us out of this housing crisis. And, we prioritize the Black mother’s experience by passing The Good Cause Protections.