HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-21-24 Public Comment - A. Greenburg - Tenants Right to CounselFrom:City of Bozeman, MT
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]*NEW SUBMISSION* Public Comment Form
Date:Tuesday, November 19, 2024 6:35:55 PM
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Public Comment Form
Submission #:3627370
IP Address:108.145.130.16
Submission Date:11/19/2024 6:35 PM
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Full Name
Abigail Greenberg
Email
abby.lu14@gmail.com
Phone
(406) 861-2152
Comments
Attached below is a public comment addressing the need for the right to counsel for residents served evictions in
Bozeman.
If you would like to submit additional documents (.pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .gif, .jpg, .png, .rtf, .txt) along with
your comment, you may alternately address comments@bozeman.net directly to ensure receipt of all
information.
A. Greenberg Public Comment_11.24.pdf
Thank you,
City Of Bozeman
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City Commission Meeting is at 5 PM on Nov.19
Hi,my name is Abby Greenberg.I’m 22,and I live in Bozeman.
I grew up in Billings,MT,and moved to Bozeman in 2020 to pursue a pre-med
education.I moved into my first apartment and juggled work and school to pay
my rent.I graduated from MSU last May with a pre-med degree,and now I’m
applying to medical school and working as a patient care tech at the hospital.
During my sophomore and junior years,I lived at the Arrow,an apartment
complex near MSU.During my second year living there,I was placed with a
nightmare roommate by the management at the Arrow,and we did not get along.
I have struggled with anxiety my entire life,but this conflict with my roommate
caused my mental health to tank.It got to the point where it seriously affected my
grades,sleep,and relationships with others.
Management responded not by moving us to different apartments or offering
mediation,but by threatening to evict us if we did not figure things out.I had no
choice but to leave my home and break my lease.This was not the only time the
landlords I rent from have unjustly weaponized eviction against me.
I’ve also been threatened with eviction at the place where I'm currently renting.
One month,my auto-payment for rent did not go through.Because of the lack of
communication from my landlords,I was not informed that my rent was not paid
until almost a month after it was due.I only learned about the missed payment
when I got a notice that if I didn’t pay my rent and the $800 of late fees I’d
unknowingly accrued,they would file an eviction.
Something that is not reflected in the number of evictions that happen every year
is how many people are routinely threatened with eviction by their landlords.
Corporate landlords use eviction as a blunt force to get tenants to do what they
want.I have big dreams -I’m pursuing a career to become a doctor.If I have an
eviction on my record,I likely won’t have a place to live.
Tenants in Bozeman need the Right to Counsel now.There is such a slim margin
of error for us before eviction jeopardizes our lives.Please listen to my story and
see how widespread this issue is for tenants.
Thank you.