‘When We Said Zero Eviction January, We Meant It’

(These are excerpts from an article by KC Tenants, reprinted with permission. See https://www.facebook.com/kctenants or the complete article.

KANSAS CITY, MO — On Thursday, January 28, the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County resumed evictions after a two-week moratorium. The Courts scheduled 152 eviction hearings for the day.

But when we said Zero Eviction January, we meant Zero Eviction January!

KC Tenants stopped 136 of Thursday’s evictions through direct action. Around 80 KC Tenants leaders blockaded two sets of doors outside the downtown courthouse, while nine KC Tenants leaders orchestrated a disruption inside, and over 50 allies disrupted online evictions in the morning and afternoon. By 3pm, KC Tenants had intervened in most of the scheduled evictions, delaying them for at least several weeks, and some well into March.

“I’m a certified nursing assistant, working full time, and things are hard right now. Really hard. I don’t know where I would go if I was evicted. Today my eviction was delayed till mid-February, thanks to a blockade outside,” said Diamond, a tenant facing eviction last Thursday. “I never knew there were people out there that helped you like this. It helps a lot.”

KC Tenants declared this month Zero Eviction January, a sustained month of actions to end evictions.

In total, KC Tenants stopped over 911 scheduled eviction hearings in January. KC Tenants successfully delayed over 90% of the eviction hearings scheduled in Jackson County this month.

Along with the tenants, we exercised collective power to confront an inherently violent system. Every single day of January, KC Tenants mucked up a process designed to oppress, buying time for tenants as COVID rates spiked and the weather dropped below freezing.

Our collective is stronger than ever, and ready to struggle forward towards the world we deserve.

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