About thirty people joined a march along Washington Street in Codman Square last Thursday to push for state lawmakers to adopt a bill intended to halt no-fault evictions in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

The event— organized by City Life/Vida Urbana and held despite a heavy rain— highlighted the group’s success in assisting two Dorchester people— Jean Gaspard and Stephania Pierre-Noel— who were facing imminent evictions earlier this year to stay in their homes.

Antonio Ennis, an organizer for City Life/Vida Urbana, noted that a candlelight vigil held in support of the two residents in February resulted in negotiations with their landlords that led to new long-term leases for both tenants.

“That’s the movement working,” said Ennis, who addressed other advocates outside of 740 Washington St., where Gaspard and Pierre-Noel still live.

Gaspard also spoke briefly to express his appreciation for City Life/Vida Urbana and his relief at being able to stay in his home.

“I’m so happy,” he said. “If somebody comes to City Life for the first time, don’t be worried, because you are in the right spot right now. I’m so happy to be part of the City Life movement.”

Much of the event focused on the passage of House bill 1434— dubbed the “Massachusetts Covid-19 Housing Equity Bill.” The legislation— written by Rep. Frank Moran of Lawrence and Rep. Kevin Honan of Boston— would “guarantee that millions of dollars in rent relief coming from the federal government get to the communities that need them most, like the community we’re standing in right now,” said Ennis.

He added: “It’s going to stop evictions for people who are behind on rent due to the pandemic. It’s going to stop evictions by landlords who can get paid by rent relief programs such as RAFT [Residential Assistance for Families in Transition] but refuse to accept the funds.

“Getting help with back rent doesn’t help if the landlord wants to evict no matter what. It’s going to preserve homeowner protections for small homeowners like myself. It’s going to stop foreclosures during the pandemic and recovery period and allow homeowners to get forbearance on their loans.”

Ennis warned that a failure to pass Bill H.1434 could lead to increased homelessness, which would then engender crime and health issues while weakening family ties.

“It’s not going to be good,” he said.

Leo Stella, who works for state Sen. Nick Collins’s office, spoke at the rally to emphasize his support for the bill.

“We support this legislation, and we’re going to be working on it from the inside,” said Stella. “It’s really helpful to have community activists working and putting pressure on the State House to make sure these things get passed in support of renters and homeowners alike.”

The advocates then took to the street, marching down Washington Street with drums and chants until they arrived outside the Second Church of Dorchester at Codman Square.

Once there, members of various local organizations made speeches in support of the bill. Ruthzee Louijeune, an attorney who is a candidate for at-large City Council, spoke about the fear of displacement for residents in Codman Square and other parts of Boston.

“These are our communities, and we have to have a say in terms of who is here,” Louiheune said. “Working-class folks in Boston are often left off the table. No more. We need to stand up and fight back.”

Marvin Martin, executive director of Action for Regional Equity, spoke to the scale of the housing crisis in Boston and the need for a transformative pandemic recovery program.

“It’s a shame that we’re all here again fighting for something that’s a right,” he said. “Housing is like food. If we look at the data that the city has pulled together here in the Fairmount Corridor, which includes where we are right now, there are 20,000 folks who are at risk [of displacement] — one paycheck away, and this is pre-pandemic. We don’t know what’s going on now. That number must have doubled or tripled. We can no longer go back.

“People are talking about re-opening. That’s okay. But we can’t go back to the way things were. We’ve got to decrease the cost of housing. We’ve got to decrease the cost of living. We’ve got to tear everything down and start over again. That’s the mentality we have to have. We need to support this bill and all other legislation that’s being planned. We’re behind you.”

A representative from Dorchester People for Peace (DPP) spoke to the need for justice in housing, especially in Codman Square.
After about an hour, the protest concluded, and its organizers said they considered it time well spent.

“Just the fact that we have to be doing this, and doing this in the rain, shows you what a big problem it is,” Ennis said.