Dozens rallied in southeast Seattle’s Othello Park Saturday, June 5, to demand an extension of Washington’s pandemic-related eviction moratorium and the “cancellation” of rent owed. The moratorium expires June 30, which housing-justice advocates at the event expect to intensify Seattle’s housing crisis. Seattle City Council candidate Nikkita Oliver said, “Housing is a human right. … There are thousands of Seattleites teetering on the edge of housing instability and homelessness. And now, as the COVID-19 crisis has greatly exacerbated the pre-existing conditions of racial, economic and gender inequality in our city, more people than ever are facing this looming threat.” The event was co-hosted by the Washington Poor People’s Campaign and the Cancel the Rent Coalition and included speakers, music, vendors, mutual-aid tables and a pay-what-you-can food truck.
Read more of the June 9-15, 2021 issue.