ATTN: Renters & Landlords impacted by evictions on basis of race

Broadway, New York City NY

04 June, 2021

Description

The New York Advisory Committee (Committee) to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) will host a series of web briefings to hear testimony related to a study of possible racial discrimination in rental housing eviction policies and enforcement in New York State, with a focus on Albany, Buffalo, and NYC. Through this fact-finding exercise, the Committee will transmit findings and recommendations in a report to the Commission to share with appropriate federal, state, and local entities. The Committee invites New York renters, landlords, government officials, advocates, academics, researchers, and others impacted by rental evictions to speak during public comment at any one of their June briefings. Remarks should concern rental eviction policies and enforcement on the basis of race in New York. The Committee is particularly interested in hearing from individuals with direct experiences related to rental evictions during the open forum sessions on June 25th. New York landlords are invited to share their experiences from 2:15 – 3:15 pm, and New York renters are invited to share their experiences from 3:15 – 4:15 pm. Written statements for the public record may also be sent by email to (see photo or reply to CL post for contact info) by July 25, 2021. Further details are included below. All briefings are public, recorded, and will be transcribed for the public record and potential inclusion in the Committee’s report to the Commission. Members of the public may join the meetings by web conference or phone. Closed captions, Mandarin, and Spanish interpretation will be provided. Individuals requiring other accommodations should contact Mallory Trachtenberg (see photo or reply to CL post for contact info) at least seven business days prior to each meeting to make the request. The Committee’s initial questions are: • Which communities, if any, are disparately impacted or unequally treated by evictions in the identified cities? • What are the impacts of eviction on communities of color? • What are the impacts of tenant nonpayment and eviction remedies on landlords? • What factors, in addition to financial issues, are driving NY’s high eviction rates? • What role, if any, does structural racism play in eviction policies and enforcement, and how is it effectively addressed? • How is the Covid-19 crisis exacerbating evictions and any discrimination therein? • What new, existing and/or targeted policies and enforcement measures have or may prove successful in preventing evictions generally and protecting those in more vulnerable communities from eviction and discrimination, specifically. • What are the potential unintended consequences of current policies on tenants and/or landlords? • To what degree do new, existing and/or targeted policies fail to address the potential intersections between structural racism and the eviction crisis? • Whether and to what degree current policies are imposing costs on landlords that are then passed on to tenants thereby exacerbating the shortage of affordable housing? After invited speakers have concluded their statements, Committee Members will engage them in a question and answer period. From 4:30 – 5:00 pm during each briefing, members of the public will be invited to share comment for the Committee’s consideration and potential inclusion in their report to the Commission. Members of the public who are interested in speaking during the open forums or public comment periods should plan to notify before the briefing starts. If the public comment period concludes before all remarks have been provided, members of the public should email their statement to (see photo or reply to CL post for contact info). All comments received by July 25, 2021 will be recorded in the public record. FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2021 FROM 12:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M. ET Agenda: 12:00 – 2:00 pm: Researchers Panel 2:00 – 2:15 pm: Break 1 2:15 – 4:15 pm: Academics Panel 4:15 – 4:30 pm: Break 2 4:30 – 5:00 pm: Public Comment WebEx Audio/Video: Audio Only: English: ; 199 891 0456 Mandarin: ; 8858192 Spanish: ; 7895312 FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 FROM 12:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M. ET Agenda: 12:00 – 2:00 pm: Advocates Panel 2:00 – 2:15 pm: Break 1 2:15 – 4:15 pm: Government Panel 4:15 – 4:30 pm: Break 2 4:30 – 5:00 pm: Public Comment WebEx Audio/Video: Audio Only: English: ; 199 894 3105 Mandarin: ; 8858192 Spanish: ; 7895312 FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2021 FROM 12:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M. ET Agenda: 12:00 – 1:00 pm: Multi-Sector Panel 1 1:00 – 2:00 pm: Multi-Sector Panel 2 2:00 – 2:15 pm: Break 1 2:15 – 3:15 pm: Landlords Open Forum 3:15 – 4:15 pm: Renters Open Forum 4:15 – 4:30 pm: Break 2 4:30 – 5:00 pm: Public Comment WebEx Audio/Video: Audio Only: English: ; 199 491 6990 Mandarin: ; 8858192 Spanish: ; 7895312 The briefings are open to the media and the general public. Committee Reports are available at. Please visit www.usccr.gov or consult the Federal Register for more information.