HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-01-25 Public Comment - C. Gauvin - Please Support the Right to CounselFrom:Colin Gauvin
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Please Support the Right to Counsel
Date:Tuesday, March 25, 2025 12:53:51 PM
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Dear Bozeman City Commission,
I am writing concerning the Eviction Right to Council program that is currently being
petitioned. I believe that all people are equal under law but landlords have an unfair advantagein eviction proceedings due to being better resourced, with asymmetrical access to funds,
lawyers, experience, and education about this specific issue.
Every evicted person is a member of this community in which I live. My friends, myneighbors, and my family. All of them deserve to be heard, but not all know how to
communicate properly in a court of law. During my time in graduate school here, I saw friendsand neighbors unfairly removed from their homes and unable to afford proper legal counsel
because of their low wages as graduate students. They were not drug users, they were notdelinquent, they simply could not afford to keep up with ever increasing housing costs due to
their flat university stipends. In addition to the trauama imparted on those families, the rippleeffect is tremendous - the city loses its future scientists and engineers who would otherwise
increase class mobility, all to keep the deck stacked in favor of static wealth that contributesnothing back but literal rent seeking to this community.
This petition will ensure that even the weakest and disadvantaged will be equal in the eyes of
the court, and get the fair hearing they deserve. The city of Bozeman has been gifted withlarge increases in property values and therefore tax revenues, and the costs associated with this
program are very minor, while having a big impact. Failure to consider and implement thisprogram will be upsetting enough to swing the votes of myself and my family next election.
Best Regards,
Dr. Colin Gauvin720 Haggerty Ln, Unit 204
Bozeman, MT 59715401-263-0343
