Amidst the spread of coronavirus, communities are increasingly concerned about making the choice between taking unpaid sick leave and making rent. NYC activist and drag queen, Marti Gould Cummings, among other activists, is fighting to protect all New Yorkers from making this impossible decision.
In a petition to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Marti is asking the state to suspend all rent and mortgage payments during this crisis. New York has already halted evictions statewide. The petition was started just this morning, and already 10,000+ people have added their names.
When asked why they decided to start this petition, Marti said exclusively to Change.org:
“The Governor is doing an incredible job during this crisis but we now must take this a step further and suspend rent and mortgages to protect tenants in residential leases as well as small businesses.”
To see real-time signatures, as well as comments from people in the community, please visit: Change.org/SuspendPaymentsNYC. If you’re interested in interviewing Marti for a story, I’m happy to connect you.
Marti’s petition is part of a trend of dozens of petitions asking to freeze rent/mortgage payments, utility bills and evictions in cities and states across the country.
Other related petitions can be found here.
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