Devin Carpenter and her son were living in a home with unsafe conditions. The home had multiple violations cited by the City of Baltimore, but the landlord refused to make any repairs and somehow still had a valid rental license. Ms. Carpenter believed that this license was issued fradulently and asked that the City revoke the license until repairs were made. She displayed tremendous courage by testifying in front of the City Council and sharing her experience of unsafe living conditions. She advocated for safer housing and increased rental inspection accountability measures, not only for herself and her son, but for all the other Baltimore City tenants in similar situations.
Awura-Aduza Cummings-Martin suffered financially due to COVID, fell behind on rent, and relied on COVID-19 eviction prevention funds to become current on her rent. Then, she became an advocate for other renters: taking time out of her week to speak out in Annapolis to ask legislators to fund ongoing eviction prevention efforts beyond the pandemic-related rental assistance. As COVID-related eviction protections expired, Ms. Cummings-Martin was a voice for renters dealing with setbacks that put them at risk of eviction.
Antoine Hudnell, the father of two children, stood up to a landlord who refused to address serious health and safety conditions in the property. The landlord retailiated by filing for eviction. At trial, Mr. Hudnell was unrepresented, and the judge did not give him an opportunity to tell his story or properly present his defense. The PJC took his case on appeal and won in a preliminary motion to dismiss the case due to procedural defects (i.e., the legal procedures were not followed). We are still working with him to fight for repairs so that he and his kids can stay in their home and are not harmed by the unsafe conditions.
Sharnae Hunt was illegally evicted by her landlord two days before Thanksgiving 2022. Because of an “error” by her landlord, Ms. Hunt came home from work to find that all her belongings had been removed from her unit and thrown carelessly into the street. Her landlord acknowledged the error and returned her keys, but the damage had already been done; the landlord’s agents had damaged, broken, dirtied, and even stolen her belongings – including precious keepsakes her son had made, her Social Security card, and bank information. Her son’s pet turtle has been missing since the eviction. Ms. Hunt did not want such a traumatic event to happen to anyone else in Maryland. She joined Renters United Maryland in advocating for a proposed bill in the 2023 legislative session that would have given tenants the right to reclaim their property up to seven days after an eviction. Ms. Hunt testified passionately and effectively, telling every grisly detail and letting state legislators know that she is but one of many tenants who deal with this cruel process every year. Instead of simply allowing her landlord to make her whole and putting it behind her, she worked diligently to make housing more equitable for Maryland tenants. While the bill did not pass in 2023, Ms. Hunt has joined Renters United Maryland to bring this bill back in 2024.
The plaintiffs in Aguilar et al. v. David E. Harvey Builders, Inc. et al. deserve special recognition for their courage and persistence in fighting for their unpaid wages over the last five years. They bravely brought a lawsuit in 2018 after they worked for various weeks on a construction project without any compensation at all. Their pursuit of justice culminated in a week-long federal trial in May 2023, at which each of the plaintiffs – Angella Aguilar, Luis Baires, Carlos Chavarria, Blanca Ferrer, Jacinto Garcia, Fabricio Marroquin, Antonio Martinez, Wilson Panozo, Freddy Veizaga Prado, Jose Feliciano Revelo, and Jose Antonio Torres – provided compelling direct testimony and withstood cross-examination from two sets of defendants. The plaintiffs were able to share their stories on the stand and proved that workers can and will bring unscrupulous employers to court. In late October 2023, a federal judge ruled that both the general contractor and subcontractor were liable for paying the workers their unpaid wages, plus double damages, almost $95,000 in total. Read more here.
Darryl Evans and Andre Simmons were shocked when their food and cash assistance benefits were stolen from their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card accounts by an unknown individual or group through skimming theft. Their trauma was compounded when they learned that the Department of Human Services (DHS) was not replacing stolen benefits for thousands of Marylanders like themselves who were the victims of theft. This nationwide crisis has left the victims, including families with young children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, unable to afford food, rent, and utilities, driving them deeper into poverty. Mr. Evans and Mr. Simmons showed immense courage in advocating for state legislation to require DHS to replace stolen food and cash assistance benefits for victims of EBT card theft and enhance security protections for the cards. Further, they overcame numerous obstacles to testify virtually at the bill hearing before the legislative committee. As a result of Mr. Evans’ and Mr. Simmons’ tireless advocacy for justice and of sharing their personal experiences with benefits theft, the legislation is now law. More than 26,000 households have been reimbursed for more than $15 million in stolen benefits, and EBT cards now have new security features.
The North East Housing Initiative (NEHI) – under the leadership of Executive Director Garrick Good – has worked tirelessly to make the promise of community-controlled, permanently affordable housing a reality in Baltimore City. Since 2016, the PJC has partnered with NEHI and other members of Share Baltimore to ensure that community land trusts in Baltimore City receive the operational support and funding that they need to advance a mission rooted in housing justice, racial equity, and community control of land. Dozens of families have become community land trust homeowners through NEHI, and hundreds of additional opportunities are planned. We are proud to recognize NEHI’s vision and tenancity in achieving systemic change.
Partners for Dignity & Rights has been an invaluable resource to Baltimore City communities working to advance human rights and economic justice. Human Rights Development Program Director Peter Sabonis provides legal advice, policy expertise, and technical support to the movement advancing permanently affordable housing through community land trusts in Baltimore. The PJC is proud to partner with Partners in Dignity & Rights to advance housing justice in Baltimore.
“If you look across the nation, you will find few legal service programs that combine direct service, systemic litigation, and legal support to the organizing and mobilizing that builds power. The Public Justice Center is in that rarefied class. We are privileged to partner with them.” – Peter Sabonis.
