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How To Predict The Future: Build It
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Red Young
March 09, 2025 • Reading time: 9 minutes
WARNING ⚠️
This newsletter may radically change your perspective.
My speech to the NYS Senate about Housing Freedom might move you to tears …. Or, to take action with us on March 29th.
In the second piece, we take a peek into autonomous communities the of the near future 👽 Don’t be surprised if this vision lingers on your mind all week.
By the way …
I’m not putting a paywall on either post, because the content means a lot to me.
I still encourage you to support my hard work. Please consider upgrading your subscription for the full newsletter each week, and more cool features!
My Housing Freedom Speech to Senate 🕊️🔑
I believe this speech I made to the New York State Senate will change the world forever.
I testified my story and beliefs on Housing Freedom to lawmakers, aiming to gain support of a revolutionary piece of legislation.
Does this face mean business or what?
The bill in question is TOPA, or the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.
TOPA would allow tenants to purchase their apartment units, or their entire building, if the landlord decides to sell it.
As rent continues to explode to unfathomable rates, and ownership slips through the fingers of common folk, TOPA could be the key to securing the comfort of life we deserve.
With communities serving as the backbone of urban life, I am confident this strategy will propel us toward a more fulfilling and connected world.
Affordable housing that is tenant-owned is needed more than ever, putting the power back in the hands of those who need it most.
TOPA would empower communities to reclaim the terms of our destiny, fulfilling the dream of home ownership in a uniquely urban context.
But a TOPA win is just the first step to Housing Freedom 🕊️
Keep reading to see what our futuristic plans for communities and urban living look like 🌠
Author Michael Muyot wrote a piece about my testimony to the Senate, and how it fits into his vision for the future of communities.
The below excerpt is an adapted version of it.
You can read the original piece on his Substack to explore the wide world of his imagination.
Housing Freedom 3.0 🤖 🦾
On February 27, 2025, Red Young, a tenant organizer from Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, stood before the New York State Senate and delivered a testimony that resonated far beyond those walls.
His voice carries the weight of generations of renters fighting for stability in a system designed to keep them struggling.
A voice for the 70% of NYC residents who are renters.
At stake is the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA)—a law that would give tenants the first right to buy their buildings before corporate investors shut them out.
But even if we secure a TOPA win, the fight isn’t over 🥊
❌ Landlords will manipulate prices to block tenant buyouts.
❌ State funding can be delayed, denied, or buried in red tape.
❌ Even when tenants “win,” the financial system still dictates who gets to own.
Red Young’s Testimony Was Heard Around the World—Now It’s Time to Build 🔨 🧱
"Landlords grow rich in their sleep without working, risking, or economizing. If you do not own land, you will be owned by someone who does."
— John Stuart Mill
We’re building a regenerative economy: One where communities own, govern, and sustain themselves 🔄
❌ We don’t need landlords
🚫 We don’t need hedge funds
⛔️ We don’t need permission
This is Housing Freedom 3.0 🕊️🔑
Let’s break down what it looks like ⬇️
💡 This model ensures that buildings remain permanently community-owned.
1. Tenant DAO 🧑🧑🧒🧒
The Tenant DAO is a self-governing ownership model where tenants pool resources, buy their buildings, and run them without landlords, banks, or corporate developers controlling the process.
🏡 Existing Tenants Get First Buy-In – If you live there, you own first. No outside speculators.
🛡️ Community Safeguards – Designed to keep buildings affordable and tenant-led.
⚖️ Ethical Investment Partners Only – No hedge funds, no private equity—only values-aligned investors.
📜 Smart Contracts Prevent Flipping – Owners must live in the building or sell their shares back to the DAO.
2. How Do We Fund? 💰
Instead of relying on mortgages and banks, we create Mission Coins and NFT-based fractional ownership that lets tenants gradually buy into ownership over time.
🪙Mission Coins – A community-backed financial pool that buys buildings before prices spike.
🏠 NFT-Based Ownership – Tenants buy equity over time—no need for a mortgage or massive down payment.
🔐 Smart Contracts Lock in Fair Play – No selling to outside investors. Equity stays within the community.
🎭 Artist-Owned NFTs – Sales fund community projects and keep artists housed.
This is NOT a speculative crypto scheme. It’s real-world, asset-backed, and tenant-controlled.
3. What about Old Folk? 👵🏻
Right now, seniors are being pushed into nursing homes they can’t afford, while younger people struggle with rent they can barely pay.
Intergenerational Housing is the solution.
How it works:
🏡 Younger residents can earn perks like lower rent and extra equity for providing care:
🦮Walking dogs, running errands, picking up groceries.
👵🏼Helping seniors with home maintenance, social support, and tech help.
📲Teaching older tenants how to use phones, WiFi, and smart devices.
Support, Don’t Isolate ⛑️
4. How Will We Eat? 🌮
🍽️ Local restaurants become part of the network: Residents get discounted meal plans, and restaurants get guaranteed customers.
🛒 Grocery Delivery Co-Ops: Buildings source from local farmers & markets, cutting out corporate chains.
🚗 Driver-Owned Delivery Services: No Uber, no DoorDash—only co-op delivery drivers with fair pay and ethical pricing.
💳 Instead of tipping, tenants operate on a membership model—like Costco, but for fair housing, compensation & services.
5. What Becomes of the Creatives? 🎭
Artists create a city’s culture — but they’re the first to get displaced.
Solution: Artist-run buildings & designated floors for musicians, actors, and visual artists 🧑🎨
🎨 Artist-owned galleries connected to the housing network – Providing sustainable income and public access to affordable art.
🏗️ Live-Work Spaces & Recording Studios – Designed for artists to create without financial stress.
💡Art sales, event partnerships, and venue revenue help fund artist-owned housing.
No more creatives being pushed out by rising rents ❌
"Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. Without stable shelter, it all falls apart." — Matthew Desmond, Evicted
🔥 Red Young ignited this movement. His testimony was a call to action. Now, we step forward to build the future.
Want to learn more about Tenant DAOs, AI, regenerative economics and more? ⬇️
🏡 Which aspect of Housing Freedom 3.0 should I break down next? Reply to this email, and I’ll write about it 📧
Thanks for bearing with me today. I know this was a lot – I mean, it is the future we’re building, after all.
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