VACPUSA

by worker-correspondent Aloysius Wolf

On Sunday, February 2nd, despite the cold, folks came out to the Bacon Retirement Home in Church Hill, Richmond, Virginia in support of Seniors facing egregious living conditions which have been described by both residents and observers as slums. When I received the call from the Richmond Tenants Union, I, and many others did our duty and joined up with independent organizers, affected Seniors, and concerned citizens and marched up and down the property demanding better conditions.

Tenants at the Bacon Retirement home have a long list of concerns. Residents have not had hot water for over three months, with an absolutely apathetic management unwilling to provide any answers as to how this abominable condition is going to be resolved. There are ceilings caving in from burst pipes with quick fixes being used to cover up the problem instead of addressing the issue of water leaks that are becoming more and more common throughout the complex. Residents on the first floor reporting sewage regularly coming up. All of these active concerns indicate poor water and piping structure in the building. Pests have also become a huge issue as residents face continuous bed bug, flea, and roach infestations. Elevators are regularly out of order, which is a huge issue for seniors as this three story building houses many disabled folks.

One resident told us she had to wait over 8 months to have her stove fixed, and by the time that was done her cabinet fell over, leaving her with no cabinet and no dishes. “I pray every night to come up with enough money to get up out of here.” she solemnly stated after explaining her living conditions. Service requests go unanswered for months, sometimes years, with no real system of submitting grievances. There is no protocol or record keeping for tenant complaints, and tenants have to trust that the property manager is truly making a note of their requests, with no receipt to back it up. The daughter of a tenant contacted the 611 emergency line in December when her father expressed that he had no hot water or heat, and that he was heating his apartment with his stove. She was told that there was nothing they could do as it is a privately owned multi-family facility. Shortly after the call, management sent out a letter demanding that tenants don’t use their stoves to heat their apartments with no alternatives suggested or provided. Such are the horrific living conditions at the Bacon Retirement Home.

“I guess I’m an activist now, so much for retirement.” lamented one Senior who we were marching alongside, one of the few Seniors both able enough and brave enough to march with us after the slumlords at Bacon Housing threatened retaliatory evictions for any senior who asked for better living conditions. We were harassed by Bacon Housings private security: as they arrived they ran a stop sign, nearly striking a tenant and a child, and then proceeded to steal the personal property of an activist in front of police officers, who themselves were circling the senior center in an attempt to intimidate us into dispersing. This quick response reinforces the cruelty of these slumlords: they are unable to address any tenants issues in a timely fashion, but within an hour they had their goons out to harass us and steal our property.

The next day, after a prolonged community effort to get in contact with city council president Cynthia Newbille, we were informed that she was going to be holding a meeting at Bacon Retirement home at noon, and we again turned out to support our neighbors. When the meeting began, both community and Tenant Union members were denied access. Management has already employed multiple threats to these seniors to intimidate them into silence, but they blocked our presence in order to further strip these seniors of their right to have representation present who cannot be threatened.

According to an email received by a fellow organizer from Newbille, Newbille “met with residents of Nathaniel Bacon, the owner and manager at noon today to hear resident issues/concerns and to obtain owner/manager plans to address them.” a worthy goal, if she intends to follow up with it. Those familiar with the way the Richmond City Council operates are skeptical that much will come of it, if anything, so it is important to keep the pressure on despite these alleged promises. Mayor Avula, who grew up in Church Hill, has yet to comment on or respond to the submission of code enforcement tickets.

“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” The Richmond Tenants union and the other independent activists understand this, and will continue fighting for our most vulnerable community members, Richmond Police and the Slumlords ruling Bacon Retirement Homes seem to either not care of the harm they are causing, or are complicit in it. Both are disgusting outcomes and symptoms of a rotten system run by apathetic and incompetent careerists, with little regard for those affected.

We must keep up constant pressure and assist these seniors in their organizing efforts to unionize their apartments and have a system for defending the concessions they are and will continue to win.

How you can help:

Contact Cynthia Newbille and demand that she keep her word.
804-646-3012
cynthia.newbille@rva.gov

Contact the mayors office to demand action
804-646-7970
RVAMayor@rva.gov

Contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development and demand they investigate Bacon Retirement Community
800-842-2610