SAN JOSE, CA – JANUARY 27: Protesters block a doorway at the Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Angry tenants and advocates demonstrated against the displacement of renters during the coronavirus pandemic. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE – More than 100 angry tenants and advocates blocked eviction hearings at Santa Clara County Superior Court Wednesday morning, protesting the displacement of renters during the coronavirus pandemic.
The standoff delayed hearings at the downtown San Jose courthouse and at least one demonstrator was arrested during a heated standoff with sheriffs deputies. Lawyers, landlords and tenants struggled to get through the throng during the intermittent rain, enduring chants of “Fight fight fight! Housing is a human right!”
SAN JOSE, CA – JANUARY 27: Officers with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office search a protester after removing him and others from blocking a doorway at the Santa Clara County Superior Court after declaring an unlawful assembly in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Angry tenants and advocates demonstrated against the displacement of renters during the coronavirus pandemic. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
Protesters at the event, brought together by the Regional Tenant Organizing Network, were seeking broader tenant protections for families struggling with lost wages and unemployment during the recession. A statewide moratorium on evictions broadly prevents landlords from removing tenants for nonpayment of rent during the pandemic, although courts are hearing a limited number of cases.
“The fact that evictions are occurring during the pandemic is unconscionable,” said Tony Samara, an organizer and program director at Urban Habitat. Some tenants report being harassed by their landlords for failing to pay rent, he said.
Broader state protections would help working families and protect community health, he said. “We need to keep people in their homes now.”
The moratorium allows courts to settle disputes that pre-dated the Covid-19 pandemic, move-ins of a landlord’s family and emergency removals for health and safety.
The moratorium is scheduled to expire Jan. 31. Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced Monday a proposal to extend legal protections through June. A vote is expected this week.
SAN JOSE, CA – JANUARY 27: Officers with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office declare a demonstration blocking an entrance to the Santa Clara County Superior Court an unlawful assembly in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Angry tenants and advocates demonstrated against the displacement of renters during the coronavirus pandemic. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
