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Full disclosure: I run a blog about gentrification in NYC, and ironically, in spite of being pro-gentrification, I was very suspicious of the cancel rent movement. The reason why is that cancel rent not only had all the earmarks of social engineering, journalists and politicians have been pretending as if this was an organic grassroots movement that started in urban centers as a response to high rents.
But I know it wasn't. This was a movement started by anarchist trolls on Reddit and white privileged trustafarians based out of hipster enclaves like Bushwick, then later legitimized by mainstream media and politicians in an unholy alliance to destroy small landlords and small property owners. To make this fake grassroots movement stick, all of these elements resorted to what's known as "astroturfing"--i.e., flooding the internet with tons of social media posts and articles to make it seem as if a completely manufactured movement had gained "traction."
I have been complaining about this endlessly for months but naturally, I come across as a crazy "fake news" kook so no one was really taking me seriously. But this past week, I finally found the smoking gun.
In April and May, a large network of writers churned out a huge spate of pro-cancel rent articles profiling a so-called "victim" of NYC's high rents and making her the face of the rent relief/cancel rent movement. Well, guess what? When you compare and contrast the articles, they all have dramatically different details about her background. Some say she is married with one kid. Others say she is a single parent with three kids. One article says she's a businesswoman, another a home health care attendant and yet another still a nurse at a retirement home. One says she's an American, the other says she's an undocumented worker from Jamaica.
Keep in mind that the publications that used this obviously fake person as the face of the Cancel Rent movement aren't fly-by-night operations. We're talking major outfits like The Atlantic, Esquire Magazine and a few others.
And no, I don't believe that Donnette Letford herself "conned" anyone, because all signs point to her not existing or of she did, the authors never having met her and going off a template. For example, many of them keep using a variation of a quote she allegedly said, as in, "Do the math." Also, none of the articles ever go into more specific details about who she is. Her bio is limited to: 1) marital status 2) # of kids 3) employment status 4) residency status.
Anyway, I'm putting this all out there in the hopes that people realize that Cancel Rent was never a real movement and that there's a sinister reason behind it being manufactured in the first place.
Full disclosure: I run a blog about gentrification in NYC, and ironically, in spite of being pro-gentrification, I was very suspicious of the cancel rent movement. The reason why is that cancel rent not only had all the earmarks of social engineering, journalists and politicians have been pretending as if this was an organic grassroots movement that started in urban centers as a response to high rents.
But I know it wasn't. This was a movement started by anarchist trolls on Reddit and white privileged trustafarians based out of hipster enclaves like Bushwick, then later legitimized by mainstream media and politicians in an unholy alliance to destroy small landlords and small property owners. To make this fake grassroots movement stick, all of these elements resorted to what's known as "astroturfing"--i.e., flooding the internet with tons of social media posts and articles to make it seem as if a completely manufactured movement had gained "traction."
I have been complaining about this endlessly for months but naturally, I come across as a crazy "fake news" kook so no one was really taking me seriously. But this past week, I finally found the smoking gun.
In April and May, a large network of writers churned out a huge spate of pro-cancel rent articles profiling a so-called "victim" of NYC's high rents and making her the face of the rent relief/cancel rent movement. Well, guess what? When you compare and contrast the articles, they all have dramatically different details about her background. Some say she is married with one kid. Others say she is a single parent with three kids. One article says she's a businesswoman, another a home health care attendant and yet another still a nurse at a retirement home. One says she's an American, the other says she's an undocumented worker from Jamaica.
Keep in mind that the publications that used this obviously fake person as the face of the Cancel Rent movement aren't fly-by-night operations. We're talking major outfits like The Atlantic, Esquire Magazine and a few others.
And no, I don't believe that Donnette Letford herself "conned" anyone, because all signs point to her not existing or of she did, the authors never having met her and going off a template. For example, many of them keep using a variation of a quote she allegedly said, as in, "Do the math." Also, none of the articles ever go into more specific details about who she is. Her bio is limited to: 1) marital status 2) # of kids 3) employment status 4) residency status.
Anyway, I'm putting this all out there in the hopes that people realize that Cancel Rent was never a real movement and that there's a sinister reason behind it being manufactured in the first place.
Hate to break it to you but nobody cares one way or the other.
The Eviction Situation
By Matt Butler Aug 13, 2020 Updated Aug 18, 2020
Protests aren’t an uncommon sight around Ithaca anymore. The last three months have seen plenty of them, from weekly Sunday protests demanding the defunding of the Ithaca Police Department to a spate of protests directed at supporting the local Black community to several actions dedicated to calling for rent cancellation in light of the coronavirus pandemic’s injurious impact on the economy and employment.
The most recent example of that was last Thursday, which was coincidentally also the most creative of the protests. A group of about 40 protesters, demanding an extension of the eviction moratorium, dragged couches, chairs and clothes into the driveway next to the Ithaca Police Department and Ithaca City Court. Their message: you have to evict us if you want to evict them, motivated by Thursday marking the reopening of Ithaca’s housing court operations.
Rent cancellation has been the reform initiative the ITU (Ithica Tenants' Union) has been able to push the farthest so far. A piece of legislation that would allow the City of Ithaca to ask New York State’s permission to cancel rent for tenants who have amassed three months of rent debt because of the pandemic and are at “severe risk” of homelessness as a result was passed by Common Council and is now awaiting Department of Health approval or response. It’s been the subject of a few rallies, with attendees gathering outside of Mayor Svante Myrick’s house, and then City Hall, to call for Common Council to approve the request and then for Myrick to sign it and send it. He did, and a task force has been assembled of landlords and tenants to hammer out a policy that would be implemented if the health department does approve the measure; the force was also responsible for the composition of the executive order that is pending approval.
I think those very same people you describe are running something called Queens Neighborhoods United, whose sole purpose is to be anti-gentrification. They claim to be pro-immigrant, pro-working class, etc. but it's quite unclear who they actually are. They seem to only want to stir up trouble and hide their faces behind their screens. I also think they are the same anarchists and white trustafarians living in Bushwick that you describe. Would be interesting to get your take on them.
After protesting endlessly about a new Target coming to Jackson Heights ("Target will cause gentrification!!") now they are on to trying to shut down a nice project where a non-profit has agreed to help restaurants in Jackson Heights Diversity Plaza utilize their outdoor space better for dining and bring in more business. This group's reason for trying to shut this project down? One of them is their great concern for the homeless people who currently use the plaza will be displaced.
They are so over the top about being anti-gentrification and so good at hiding who they are, that I'm SURE they are part of the same group you suspect is behind the cancel rent.
Former Landlord.
Home ownership is a great achievement
but comes with much much responsibility.
I can't wait for a Landlord movement that protects building owners
by having prorated property taxes based on occupancy status.
Any empty building should only pay say $500 or 600 buck a year.
Treat it as you would an empty lot. That will surely lead to the
Cancel Rent Movements' quick and timely demise.
I think those very same people you describe are running something called Queens Neighborhoods United, whose sole purpose is to be anti-gentrification. They claim to be pro-immigrant, pro-working class, etc. but it's quite unclear who they actually are. They seem to only want to stir up trouble and hide their faces behind their screens. I also think they are the same anarchists and white trustafarians living in Bushwick that you describe. Would be interesting to get your take on them.
Interesting. This "Queens Neighborhoods United" sounds like one of the many fake grassroots "housing" groups that mysteriously sprouted overnight but have been getting legitimized by the mainstream media. Other fake groups are "Housing Justice for All", the " Upstate/Downstate Alliance" and "Crown Heights Tenant Union." From what I understand, all of these "grassroots" groups were started by trustfarians, some who were hired. For example, a transplant named Cea Weaver was hired on a $45,000 "contract" to "organize". Who is she, who are all of these transplants and who is funding all of these people and groups?
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