Bowen Tower Tenant Union strike serves as the first of its kind in Raytown

Elijah Brink sets his eviction notice ablaze. // Photo by Dominic Pellettiere

“The strike won’t end until you come to the table” chants rang out in the heart of Raytown from residents of The Bowen Tower Tenant Union—an affiliate of KC Tenants—this past Wednesday, Oct. 1st. Behind a podium facing the library across the street, a mighty crowd assembled outside their apartment building with a declaration: the Bowen Tower Tenant Union is withholding their rent.

More than fifty tenants stood outside their home—the Alta/CGHS Real Estate Investments-owned building with ten stories of units—to ensure their demands were met before resuming their monthly payments. The Bowen Tower Tenant Union represents 64% of the building’s occupied units, while Cynthia Barlow, a union leader, hopes even more of her neighbors will join following the rally just outside their windows. “I just want the tenants in here to know that we have support,” Barlow says. “When we stand together, it’s better than standing alone. Stay strong, and don’t give in to the intimidation.”

Bowen Tower Tenant Union. // Photo by Dominic Pellettiere

Throughout the rally, different voices expressed their grievances at the podium, many of which were aimed directly at Charles Hill, the landlord who they claim has raised rents while neglecting proper upkeep on the building.

“They’ve raised my rent over $175 without fixing anything,” tenant Joe Mounts says. “I now pay close to $1,000 a month for an apartment that most people wouldn’t pay half of that for.”

Mounts went on to compare a strike he organized at his previous employer to the one he is participating in now, highlighting that negatively altering individuals’ wages and housing results in a stream of community harm.

Elijah Brink, a 21-year-old tenant who lives with his father, gave a scorching speech to end the rally.

“Management has threatened us, intimidated us, and has now retaliated against us with evictions,” he says. “We are The Bowen Tower Tenants Union, and we are not afraid.”

An echoed applause shortly followed, as Brink singed an eviction notice that had been posted to his door earlier that week. The aroma of butane and ashes carried in the wind were a fitting sign-off for The Bowen Tower Tenant Union’s rally, placing the ball in the ownership’s court to meet their expectations.

Brink also represented his union a few days later, during the inaugural convention for the Tenant Union Federation (TUF)—a national union comprised of local tenant unions across the nation. The convention was held over the past weekend, during which seven unions came together for a common goal.

The primary focus shifted to Capital Reality Group, the New York-based landlord that organizers repeatedly claim has subjected tenants to mistreatment and predatory tactics. Brink was tasked with giving the event’s state of the union speech, and he said this entire opportunity has “…made me feel alive, more alive than I’ve felt in years. This organization has saved my life and countless others. KC Tenants has taught me that everyone has a story, and your story is your power.”

The Bowen Tower rent strike marks the first rent strike ever launched in Raytown’s history.