Activist Justice Horn Endorses Rent Strike

Again . . .

This presser is noteworthy because Mr. Horn has garnered media attention from across the nation and around the world and is one of the most high-profile young people in the Kansas City metro right now. 

Also . . .

The reality is that anybody who talks with most locals under 30 realizes that not only do they typically skew progressive but for this election . . . The youth vote for Gen Z denizens of color overwhelmingly leans toward VP Kamala Harris. 

And so . . . In that context, this local statement takes on even more relevance . . .

Statement of Historic Rent Strike Happening in Eastern Jackson County

As someone in a leadership position in Eastern Jackson County, it’s vital we stand with those who bravely stand up, organize, and say, “Enough is Enough.” Please find my statement on the rent strike being cared out at the Independence Towers in the City of Independence below:

“I write this letter to express my solidarity with the Independence Towers Tenant Union as they go on a rent strike until their reasonable demands are met.

 The Independence Towers tenants deserve to be heard, and their demands deserve to be met. Those demands are a national rent cap, new ownership, and collectively bargained leases by federally financed properties like this one.

 In 2023, the City of Independence, Missouri stated that the Independence Towers, “passed a building inspection with perfect scores.” The Independence Mayor has since admitted to the Kansas City Star that, “the city’s Rental Ready Program failed tenants.”

 From rodents, mold, broken appliances, faulty window latches, leaks, cracks, holes, and unsafe conditions, this strike is necessary in achieving an outcome where all tenants are truly safe and secure. Conditions must change for the betterment of those who live in the Independence Towers. These conditions have real consequences: In July, a 3-year-old died after falling out of a window at the Independence Towers, this tragedy could have been prevented.

 This strike is necessary, this strike is needed, and I stand in solidarity with this rent strike.”

 -Justice Horn

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