Chapter I: New Podcast 🎥

Chapter II: Introducing Housing Freedom, the Next Great Revolution 🏡

Red in Black #004

Capturing The Perfect Moment 📸

What is your gift?

Mine is writing. I can think in words.

Some people taste colors. Or hear nature talking.

Other people can smell what you had for breakfast, even though it’s 5 pm.

We all have gifts and abilities, but the great ones pair them with skills.

Malik Chatman’s gift is visualizing reality through images – still frames of life that speak a thousand words.

Malik parlayed his talent for “seeing” in pictures into a career with impact, developing a reputation as Hell’s Kitchen’s official photographer.

”It wasn’t until high school when I picked up a camera and actually captured the shots that were always around me,” Malik says on my podcast.

Malik’s inspirations come from the neighborhood, (he’s born and raised in HK) and the plethora of pic-worthy interactions throughout the city.

Further, Malik feels drawn to the raw authenticity of the 1990’s and Early 2000’s, an essence he aims to recreate in every shot.

Enjoy the perspective he speaks from and the stories he shares – Malik knows what a great moment looks like.

They are as valuable as his photographs are stunning.

Housing Freedom – The Next Great Revolution 🏡

The below piece on Housing Freedom is published in the Westside Neighborhood Alliance’s newsletter, where I am an editor. Sub to it here: https://bit.ly/joinwsna

If you’re reading this, you’ve personally witnessed several people displaced due to rising rents.

They may have even been your friends or family, forced to move because they can’t keep up with landlord demands. 

This is because landlords and corporate entities leverage an immense amount of power over tenants, who hold little to no power.

This power dynamic must be flipped, and there is a plan in place to do so.

It begins with a concept I call Housing Freedom. 

It is achieved through Deeply Affordable Housing, sovereignty of the home, and community-based living.

A secure place to live is not only a basic human right but a strategic advantage for the elevation of the working class.

I believe Housing Freedom is the catalyst for several community-based revolutions – our achievements can be unlimited if we don’t have to worry about affording a place to sleep. 

The first step to securing Housing Freedom begins with ownership.

What if you owned your apartment instead of paying thousands just to rent it? What if you owned the entire building? 

If minimum-wage Joe Schmo owning a New York City apartment sounds far-fetched, think again. 

Affordable housing operated and owned by the people, for the people, could become a reality with the passing of the Tenant Opportunity To Purchase Act (TOPA).

TOPA gives average New York renters – tenants like you and tens of millions of others across New York State – the first chance at purchasing the buildings they live in, should the landlord decide to sell it. 

You won’t have to be a hot-shot millionaire to own real estate in New York. The only requirement is that you aim to nurture your home and the community in which you live.

Just imagine a New York City where communities thrive, comprised of neighbors who value love and respect.

A haven where living on behalf of one another is the standard.

The possibilities of community-owned housing are endless, and they’re all within reach. 

 I want you to picture the average landlord in New York. He’s neglectful towards repairs, largely unresponsive, and doesn’t care about the people of the building or community at large.

Instead, he only seeks profits at the expense of hard-working tenants – tenants who can hardly afford skyrocketing costs of living and rent in New York.

Why should individuals like this be rewarded for their abuse?

After years of hemorrhaging money and refusing to renovate, your landlord decides to sell your building. Typically, he’d sell to the highest bidder.

New York real estate is the most valuable on Earth – he’s sure to find a pretty penny. 

Now, you’re left with yet another neglectful, bumbling landlord waiting for the right time to flip your building like a stock broker.

While he’s at it, he raises rents, and harmfully targets tenants for speaking out against his malpractice.

It’s a vicious cycle that serves few, and scars many. 

How can we break this cycle?

1. Pass TOPA. When TOPA passes, millions of New Yorkers will rise to power via ownership and autonomy. Contact your Assembly Member and State Senator and let them know that TOPA is a priority this year. 

2. Endorse TOPA by filling out this form,  especially if you are affiliated with an organization of any kind.

3. Mark these dates on your calendar:

• Thurs. Dec 12th at 4pm: This is the next TOPA campaign meeting.  

• Weds. Dec 18th at 6pm: This is the next Tenant Takeover meeting.
  

  4. Stay up to date: Email Elise from the New Economy Project for more information and to get more involved with the movement!

     • [email protected] 

     • Social Media: NYCCLI on Twitter and Housing Justice For All.

Housing Freedom puts your life in your hands.

What will you do with it? Don’t forget to dream big.