FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A protest followed a press conference at the Washington County Courthouse on Sept. 6, 2023, where protest organizers rallied against Arkansas' handling of eviction guidelines.
The Arkansas Community Institute (ACI) has partnered with Arkansas Community Organization (ACO) and Arkansas Renters United (ARU) to shine a light on eviction laws, statistics, and how many renters were impacted during the pandemic.
Organizer Billy Cook states that "Landlords filed an average of 490 unlawful detainer cases monthly, with the end of the CDC eviction moratorium in September of 2021... in that month Evictions rose to 695."
Organizer Al Allen said, "Because Arkansas doesn't report eviction data on a national level, we're underrepresented, and in most cases not represented at all ... Arkansas evictions are on the rise, while unemployment is at an all-time low."
One Arkansan named September says she got sick in 2020, lost her job, and was evicted, "The eviction made it impossible for me to rent, and I lost everything that I owned. I lost all the videos and books of my children growing up ... I lost every important piece of jewelry I ever owned. Every valuable possession that ever mattered to me. That eviction took an immeasurable toll."
September said she applied for assistance programs and did everything she could to get back on her feet, "The judge in my eviction case, unfortunately, had been a landlord himself, and refused to recognize the CDC moratorium ... The case was filed more than once, which made it appear as though I had been evicted several times. So after that eviction, I became homeless."
Organizers say they hosted this event to make their voices heard in hopes that elected officials listen to possible solutions.
Allen said, "We want to end fear-mongering evictions. The 72-hour eviction notices tenants get ... [force] people to just vacate without actually ever having an eviction process."
Cook said that he would "love for Arkansas to join the rest of the country in protecting renters and its tenants. One in three Arkansans are renters, that's a lot of people across the political spectrum that are just trying to get by."
To find the organization or to get involved, Arkansans can reach out to Arkansas Renters United on Instagram at @ArkansasComm.
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