Fighting Stroke Complications & Eviction
Donation protected
For years, these are the conditions that Rocky Brown and his wife have been living in while renting in Baltimore City.
A slab of wood covers the huge hole in the kitchen. The roof leaks. The heat has not worked in years. To get warm, they turn the oven on the highest temperature possible and all the burners on the stove.
Those are not even the worst of the inhumane conditions he and his wife have been subjected to. For years, the couple, now in their late 60s, have written handwritten letters to the women saved in their phone as “Kathy,” detailing the things they needed fixed.
In the last two months, they decided to withhold the rent to start making the renovations themselves. Kathy never pursued the matter in rent court. I think it’s pretty obvious why. On December 3, 2020, the couple received a letter that they had 30 days to leave the property as it had just been purchased.
I called Mr. Canales, who authored the letter, and he seemed very familiar with the situation. In fact, he brought up the neighborhood association. We asked him how much he wanted for the home and he advised that it was not for sale. He further stated that he was made aware, by the previous owner, that the home was in need of “serious repairs.” He agreed that serious repairs were needed because of pictures that were provided by the previous owner.
Based on the call, it is clear that the current owner has no intention of allowing Uncle Rocky and his wife to reside in the home, even after repairs are finished. This is in humane and something needs to be done now.
A slab of wood covers the huge hole in the kitchen. The roof leaks. The heat has not worked in years. To get warm, they turn the oven on the highest temperature possible and all the burners on the stove.
Those are not even the worst of the inhumane conditions he and his wife have been subjected to. For years, the couple, now in their late 60s, have written handwritten letters to the women saved in their phone as “Kathy,” detailing the things they needed fixed.
In the last two months, they decided to withhold the rent to start making the renovations themselves. Kathy never pursued the matter in rent court. I think it’s pretty obvious why. On December 3, 2020, the couple received a letter that they had 30 days to leave the property as it had just been purchased.
I called Mr. Canales, who authored the letter, and he seemed very familiar with the situation. In fact, he brought up the neighborhood association. We asked him how much he wanted for the home and he advised that it was not for sale. He further stated that he was made aware, by the previous owner, that the home was in need of “serious repairs.” He agreed that serious repairs were needed because of pictures that were provided by the previous owner.
Based on the call, it is clear that the current owner has no intention of allowing Uncle Rocky and his wife to reside in the home, even after repairs are finished. This is in humane and something needs to be done now.
Organizer
Annice Brown
Organizer
Baltimore, MD
