Everyday Eviction
Eviction has become a special burden for low-income African American women, many of whom live in run-down rental housing and are raising children in single-parent homes. University of Wisconsin sociologist Michael Desmond, quoted in an article in the New York Times, argues, “Just as incarceration has become typical in the lives of poor black men, eviction has become typical in the lives of poor black women.”
In Milwaukee, one tenant in every 25 renter-occupied units is evicted annually. Poor African American women constitute 13 percent of the City’s population but 40 percent of those evicted. The impact of evictions on social connections, school enrollments, and credit ratings should not be underestimated.
To the extent it pays attention to housing issues, the media has of late focused almost exclusively on mortgage foreclosures, and, to be sure, the damage subprime lenders have done to the hopes and dreams of the working class has been huge. However, there is a socioeconomic class trying to carry on without even the assets and income of the working class. We might reflect on its plight when we drive through the center-city and see the humble furniture and other possessions of low-income African American women stacked alongside the curb by landlords who have just finished evicting. But, then, how many of us even drive through the center-city?
No one would be surprised to learn the work of the courts relates to the economy, but it’s nevertheless intriguing to see how the courts have taken up “clean-up” work related to the recent economic collapse. According to a report in the New York Times on December 28, 2009, the courts have a huge number of new filings related to deals that went awry and also to bad debts. In addition, there are rapidly increasing claims of domestic violence in homes affected by unemployment and lost wages.