This session will tell the story of the Right to Counsel Coalition, which successfully launched a 3 year campaign to make New York City the first city in the US to guarantee a right to an attorney to tenants facing eviction. Speakers will draw insights from their perspectives about how this right is key to fighting gentrification as well as how to implement a new law in a way that creates a right and builds tenant power. Speakers will represent the different perspectives of the coalition: lawyers, advocates and tenants. They will also share lessons learned from the coalition and the campaign, offering insights for other cities who are facing mass evictions and looking for effective tools. They will also discuss the right to defending your home and how it can be used as an organizing tool towards a vision of a right to housing.
Moderator: Susanna Blankley, Right to Counsel NYC Coalition
Movement Lawyering Marika Dias, Legal Services NYC
Building Tenant Power--A Tenant Perspective Randy Dillard, CASA
Building Tenant Power--A Community Organizer Perspective Lorena Lopez, Catholic Migration Services
