Protect Evergreen Ridge tenants’ right to organize in the aftermath of extreme intimidation tactics
Shadow Ridge Associates, Owner of Evergreen Ridge Apartments
On Saturday, Oct 11th, Jen Hampton’s car was set on fire and destroyed while she was canvassing at Evergreen Ridge Apartments at 48-52 Riceville Road. Jen was canvassing there to organize with the tenants as Asheville Area Tenant Union's (AATU) Tenant Organizer.
Tenants at Evergreen Ridge Apartments asked AATU to organize with them in mid-September, specifically mentioning pervasive mold in many apartments that is making people sick. Tenants also shared their concerns that they would face retaliation for organizing with their neighbors.
At previous canvasses, a maintenance worker verbally threatened canvassers, including Jen Hampton. On Saturday 10/4, he told canvassers that the next time they saw him he would be “in a black ski mask.” This same maintenance worker took photos of Jen’s car during a visit to the property. He was seen lingering near Jen’s vehicle the day that it was set on fire.
Tenants have a First Amendment right to organize to improve the conditions of their housing, but this kind of intimidation prevents them from exercising that right. While these actions may or may not have been perpetrated by Evergreen Ridge Apartments' maintenance worker, we are calling on Evergreen Ridge Apartments to commit to protecting tenant’s safety and respecting their rights to organize.
To that end, we are asking Evergreen Ridge Apartments to sign this agreement to not engage in any retaliation or intimidation that interferes with tenants ability to organize with their neighbors and advocate for what they need.
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
Shadow Ridge Associates, Owner of Evergreen Ridge Apartments
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Shadow Ridge Associates, Owner of Evergreen Ridge Apartments in Asheville,
We are writing to ask you to sign the Non-Retaliation for Organizing agreement proposed by your tenants by 10/31.
As you must be aware, on Saturday, Oct 11th, Jen Hampton’s car was set on fire and destroyed while she was canvassing at Evergreen Ridge Apartments at 48-52 Riceville Road. Jen was canvassing there to organize with the tenants as Asheville Area Tenant Union's (AATU) Tenant Organizer.
Tenants at Evergreen Ridge Apartments asked AATU to organize with them in mid-September, specifically mentioning pervasive mold in many apartments that is making people sick. Tenants also shared their concerns that they would face retaliation for organizing with their neighbors.
At previous canvasses, a maintenance worker verbally threatened Jen Hampton and other organizers. This same maintenance worker took photos of Jen’s car during a visit to the property.
If your employee committed arson as part of a strategy of retaliation, then we request you hold that employee accountable for their actions and take full responsibility as a company and make restitution to the affected parties. In that case, signing the proposed non-retaliation agreement would be the bare minimum to demonstrate your commitment to your tenants’ safety.
If your employee did not commit arson and your company denies any attempts at retaliation against tenants for organizing, then we ask you to reaffirm your stated commitment to respecting your tenants’ rights and sign the proposed non-retaliation agreement.
Please sign the Non-Retaliation for Organizing commitment by 10/31.