Seattle King County NAACP Praises the Victory of Skyway Tenants' Fight Against Eviction, Calls on King County Council to Pass Just-Cause Eviction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2019
Spokes Person: President, Seattle/King County NAACP
EMAIL: communications@seattlekingcountynaacp.org
president@seattlekingcountynaacp.org

​The Seattle King County NAACP wants to congratulate and uplift the victory of the Byrn Mawr tenants in Skyway, WA, against a racist attempt to evict multiple families from their housing complex. This is an example of the strength of people-powered advocacy. According to Byrn Mawr Plaza leader, Mergitu Argo, “this was racism. For the NAACP to step in and fight for us, it was helpful.”
 
Seattle King County NAACP President, and NAACP Housing Chair Clifford Cawthon, worked with community activists the week of June 17, 2019, to prevent the eviction of tenants at the Byrn Mawr Plaza Apartments in Skyway, WA. This was a fight that involved extensive advocacy from NAACP Housing Chair Clifford Cawthon, with the cooperation of Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
 
The Seattle King County NAACP branch is a 110-year-old organization, which was alerted to this situation by community allies, and after contacting the tenants and looking at the relevant evidence, sent a letter June 23, 2019, to the landlords on the matter. As of this Press Release, there has been no response from the landlords. Thereafter, the NAACP reached out to King County authorities and the landlords to seek a resolution. We were, and continue to be, proud to stand with tenants who are facing injustice, or anyone who is facing racial discrimination in King County.

The Seattle-King County NAACP wants to urge King County Council, Councilmember Larry Gossett (D2) and Council Chair Rod Dembowski (D1), to pass Just Cause Eviction Legislation.
 
We sincerely hope that they push this urgent matter forward toward fighting for Just Cause Eviction legislation, which would affect thousands of their constituents. This is an urgent issue for renters across King County, particularly in unincorporated areas. Across King County, hundreds of thousands of residents would be protected from being denied housing due to implicit racial bias or retaliation among landlords. As it stands, this is a core denial of everyone’s right of equality under the law.