Homeless Liberation Initiative and Dare to Struggle CT Plan “Rally Against Gentrification”

The organizations, Homeless Liberation Initiative and Dare to Struggle CT, are planning a, “Rally Against Gentrification” with a series of demands for a prominent downtown developer.

The organizations say that the rally, on Monday, April 22, 2024 at 3:30pm in New Britain’s Central Park, is to, “to bring attention to the gentrification unfolding in New Britain and around CT, as well as the gentrification yet to come.”

“It is also to call out one luxury developer in particular, Jasko Development LLC and its CEO Avner Krohn,” organizers say. “He and his company have been described as leading New Britain’s ‘comeback’ (translation: bringing rich people in and kicking poor, homeless, and long time residents out).”

The Homeless Liberation Initiative and Dare to Struggle CT say that,

Like all luxury developments that have been built in once poor and underdeveloped areas across the U.S, the 3 luxury developments Jasko is building downtown will release the floodgates of gentrification. As more wealthy people, who can afford Jasko’s $1650 / month rent for a studio, move to New Britain, as more landlords in the surrounding area speculate that they can charge more for rent with the influx of rich people, the homeless, poor, and long time residents who can’t afford the rent increases and housing costs will be displaced. They will either end up homeless or be forced to move to an area with cheaper housing. It’s a process and story that has unfolded in San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, and Boston. Look at the changes in New Haven over the past 10-15 years!

Mayor Erin Stewart (R) and the City Council, while it was under Republican control, has pressed through a series of substantial tax breaks for a number real estate developers.

Last November, Democrats won an 8 to 7 majority on the City Council, and have since pressed for greater transparency of tax breaks for developers and other deals.

Calling Jasko Development LLC, “the face of gentrification in New Britain whether they intend to be or not,” organizers of the rally say they are demanding,

1. Cut the rent in 1⁄2 and don’t raise it
2. Remove 3x income requirements, disregard prior evictions, credit history, and criminal records, no application fees
3. Prevent police harassment, especially of homeless and poor people, on your property
4. Only rent to New Britain residents, employ residents of New Britain with a living wage
5. Subsidize rents with your estimated $7.5 million tax break

“If they are unwilling to do the above,” the organizations say, “then they make it clear they are not for the people of New Britain in these desperate times, they are only about their money, and we need to evict them before they evict us!”