Today, Monday, November 16, the Baltimore City Council will vote on Council Bill 20-0625 and decide whether Baltimore City will become the 7th jurisdiction in the country to establish a right to counsel for renters facing eviction. Call or email your council person and Mayor Jack Young and tell them you support passing the Right to Counsel in Evictions bill.
At last week’s hearing, the Council learned that 451 families had already been evicted in Baltimore City from August through October 2020 – in the middle of a pandemic. Evictions have a clear, disparate impact on Baltimore’s Black residents. The number of Black women evicted in Baltimore City is 296% greater than the number of white males (https://evictions.study/maryland/report/baltimore.html). Renters must be able to know and assert their rights to avoid eviction. Having the right to an attorney will help address these disparities and keep people in their homes.
Take five minutes today and call your council person through the ACLU’s constituent connector line: 1-866-649-4068. Not sure who your council person is? Check here.
Or email your council person through our partners at Jews United for Justice.
Finally, please call or email Mayor Jack Young (410-396-4900, mayor@baltimorecity.gov) and ask him to sign the Right to Counsel bill, Council Bill 20-0625.
