The Doubly Displaced in the Bronx

The Bronx is home to an array of immigrant communities, many of whom have and continue to be displaced from their home countries by colliding forces of climate change, economic exploitation, war and state brutality.  Immigrant communities rebuilt the Bronx back from the ashes of “the burning times” of the 1970s, when disinvestment from banks and government and landlord arson devastated the borough. They founded community organizations, affordable housing companies, and small businesses that have sustained families and neighborhoods.  

Today, immigrant communities face displacement from gentrification, landlord harassment, and deportation and are fighting for the right to remain in the Bronx.  In this episode of Tempest Tossed, Alexis Francisco, a community organizer with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and Angela Fernandez, Commissioner of the New York State Human Rights Division, share their family's journey to come to the United States and shed light on strategies to safeguard the homes of immigrant tenants.  While the Bronx remains the borough with the highest eviction rates in the city, immigrant communities and the agencies that support them seek to stem the tide of displacement through landmark legislation for Universal Rent Control and housing as a human right.