Tenant rights organizations gathered Wednesday afternoon on USC’s campus to express their outrage with the university’s building plans for upcoming expansion projects. The protest started at the S Vermont Ave and Downey Way intersection and ended at Doheny Memorial Library.
In attendance were representatives from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Eastside LEADS, Inner City Struggle, Legacy LA and ACCE Action.
The protestors wrote and posted an eviction notice to USC President Carol Folt. They delivered it to Rene Pak instead, chief of staff in Folt’s office. The eviction notice stated: “YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that effective THIRTY (30) DAYS from the date of service on you of this notice; the tenancy of the premises known as the USC Health Science Campus and South L.A. Campus is terminated, at which time you are required to vacate and surrender possession of the premises.”
The notice demands fair union contracts for shuttle bus drivers and maintenance workers, various community benefit agreements, support of legacy businesses and defunding USC’s Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Organizations members and locals in attendance raised concerns about the displacement they’ve experienced and called for USC’s acknowledgment of it.
“Young people have been fighting for this community, have been fighting for this South L.A. in East L.A., are going through a lot of hardships and USC needs to acknowledge the direct and indirect displacement they have done,” said Michelle Penavides, an organizer with Eastside LEADS.
The university has been expanding further into South Central L.A. since the late 1990s. Working on their next big projects, USC is expanding its Health and Science Campus, as well as adding housing units to its South L.A. campus.
In the historically Black and Latino community, many tenants have undergone home displacements for more than 30 years by USC. But most recently, TripaLink, a housing company that provides off-campus housing, has been buying local buildings.
“They’ve been trying to do development without doing proper community engagement. We have to tell them that they need to speak to the community so that’s what we let them know today,” said protestor Michelle Maria Fernando. “We told them that they need to acknowledge the damage that they have done in our community and acknowledge that our community is there.”
One protestor claimed that District 14 has the highest eviction rate in Los Angeles and blames USC as the “big differentiator.”
Protestors raised concerns specifically about the expansion of the USC Keck Medical Center and how it is affecting the local community.
“It’s already creating displacement,” said Elias Anranjo, a member of East Side LEADS. “We have people in [the] community already leaving because their rent prices are so high. And apartments are being built with no affordable housing and it’s all… marketed towards students.”
Local community members participated in the protest to support the tenant rights organizations as well.
“This campus has grown tremendously and it’s at the expense of the people who used to live here. It’s really not the same community anymore” said Pastor Steven Cue from The Church without Walls in Skid Row. “A lot of time they just displaced people for whatever they want to do.”
In response to the protest, the university issued a statement that the proposed expansion to the Health and Science campus “will be built on land currently owned by USC and does not include any residential housing, additional land purchases or activities involving tenants in the Eastside or South Los Angeles.”
“Over the past three years, USC’s commitment has been to educate community stakeholders and ensure their input is incorporated. More than 110 meetings were held across Eastside and South Los Angeles communities which resulted in support from over 65 community organizations, including residents and labor partners. USC will continue to engage community members through every phase of this project.
Housing and gentrification are real issues that impact so many Angelenos, and USC remains committed to partnering with our neighbors and local policy makers to address this critical concern.”
UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a statement from USC.