I would like to feel equanimous and powerful about my home situation. Last year my apartment building was bought by a company that has purchased a bunch of other buildings in my city. They have used intimidation tactics, lies, and pressured tenants to move out for lowball cash for keys so they can renovate the building and raise rents above market value.

I and a handful of other tenants know our rights and we have remained. We’ve also hired an attorney to help facilitate a 6-figure buyout from these shyster landlords. The conclusion of this case might not be for another 1-3 years.

They’ve tried to take away our parking and laundry usage, but we corralled against it and those amenities remain. That’s the backstory.

For the last six months, they’ve been renovating those vacant units with daily construction. This week, without notice, they tore up the area in the courtyard with three days straight of jackhammering.

I have had it!

I reached out to the manager and he gave me a heads up on upcoming work. At this point, I’m like, when is this shit ever going to end?

I work from home. I’m not in a position to work outside my home. They work 8-5 M-F.

Compounding that is the work I do in the world around deconstructing patriarchal conditioning and dismantling and healing from interlocking systems of oppression. I’m finding that my feeling of ill will towards the construction workers and building management and the landlord is exacerbated by the knowledge I have about patriarchy and the underlying attitude which essentially is “I don’t care about what’s copacetic for all… I have an agenda and I’m in it for the profit so fuck everybody else’s needs. Fuck peace and harmony.”

There was actually a period of time with the last manager, a woman, where I experienced her working with me and the other tenants and she had our backs. At that time I had a good relationship with the foreman on site and we worked together and had good communication about which types of construction is happening and when. We worked around each other.

Well, there’s a new manager and he doesn’t carry that same vibe. There’s tenant respect that has been lost since the previous manager left last month.

I feel that I’m giving my power away and I want it back.