Compton Unified staff holds emergency meeting re: tenant evictions
Compton residents are on the verge of facing no-fault evictions by the Compton Unified School District. The residents, of which some are undocumented, are concerned about eviction notices received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the Compton Tenants Union reached out to this blog to shed light on the plight of more than a dozen families who are due to be displaced to make room for expansion of Compton High School.
District insiders, who requested anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media, shared the reason for the expansion ties to a donation made by Compton native Dr. Dre.
“His $10 million donation came with a request to name a performing arts center after him,” shared the insider. It is unknown if this donation was used to purchase property that the current residents are living in.
It is unknown what relocation assistance is being offered to the residents and whether the Compton Housing Authority has stepped in to assist.
The city has posted information related to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s implementing an eviction ban, through May 31, 2020, for residents able to show their failure to pay rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Related: Letter to the Editor: Ask the Compton Unified School Board to not displace children
“On May 10th the district called the residents, presumably after reading your article, verbally telling the residents they didn’t have to move,” said a Compton Tenants Union spokesperson. “We want those promises in writing because they waited until the last day of the notice to reach them, however, the district hasn’t agreed to do so.”
The residents are seeking to remain in their housing until 90 days after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. LA County appears poised to keep stay-at-home orders in effect through July.
Related: L.A. County ‘with all certainty’ will keep stay-at-home orders in place through July
According to the district’s website, no board meeting notice was provided on this matter, nor is it known if any board members were present during the staffs May 10th phone call.
2UrbanGirls reached out to board President Micah Ali, to ask those questions, and he was unavailable for comment.
**this article title has been updated to clarify the district’s staff met and not the school board**
