HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-16-25 Public Comment - S. Swenson - Public comment regarding Tenant Right to CounselFrom:Salome
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public comment regarding Tenant Right to Counsel
Date:Tuesday, May 13, 2025 6:44:53 PM
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My name is Salome Range and I’m a leader in the Bridger Heights tenant union where I live.
I’m emailing my public comment because Mayor Cunningham never got back to me with myrequest to talk to him about what happened at Bridger Heights and what we need the city to do
about it.
I was born and raised in Montana, and moved to Bozeman in 2021 to live here with my
children for the quality of life and opportunities it could afford my kids. I didn’t want to raisethem next to the oil refinery in Great Falls.
In March, I received a pay or quit notice saying that I owe $2,452. It said I had 3 days to paythis or vacate. 8 of my other neighbors received eviction threats as well. I was furious because
I knew that my ledger was wrong. This was the first time I heard about this huge balance Iowe. The math isn’t adding up and instead of making an effort to work it out with me they said
I need to be out. Whether this was an attempt from 11 Capital, the corporate landlord whoowns the building to get more money before they leave or an honest mistake, it should not
have been an eviction threat.
Years ago I got an illegal eviction threat. I knew legally I shouldn’t have to leave but I had no
one helping me and I didn't know what to do and couldn’t stay in a situation with my kidswhere we were being antagonized. This is the business model for many corporate landlords
who use the threat of eviction over us all the time. When tenants almost never have money fora lawyer in eviction court, and we can’t afford an eviction on our record, our safety is
constantly under threat and our rights are not being protected.
If we had tenant right to counsel in Bozeman I wouldn’t have the stress or having to choose to
pay back rent owed that was wrong and fearing the worst. I’ve been homeless before whichmeant I lost time with my kids. I fought tooth and nail to find a place we could be together that
had enough room for them to stay. I refuse to go back to that. We need more time together, notless. I know a lot of parents in Bozeman feel the same thing. As a single mom stress like this
can tip you over the edge and I know I’m not alone in that.
No one can afford to lose their home. It’s safety. It’s security. We’re just dollar signs to
corporate landlords like 11 Capital but our lives are on the line. We need tenant right tocounsel to ensure we don’t get unfairly evicted in the future and other families struggling to
stay afloat won’t have to endure the same struggles. If my corporate landlord knew we wouldhave lawyers guaranteed to represent us in court, they would not be throwing around eviction
threats the way they have been.
Thank you.Sincerely,
Sarah Swenson (Range)