Alpha Management, owned by Anwar Faisal, is retaliating against tenants exercising their collective right to organize (MGL Ch. 186, § 18). Unfortunately, my story is not unique. Many tenants face retaliation for exercising their right to organize. This is one of the many reasons why tenants across the country are organizing to fight for decommodified housing and a world without landlords.

As a member of the Alpha Tenants Union and the Greater Boston Tenants Union (GBTU), I am proud of the results that I and other union members have achieved for our community as a fully autonomous, member-funded organization.

Nearly one year ago, I started talking with my neighbors about the many ignored requests for maintenance and climbing rent prices from Alpha Management. Through hard work and struggle, our union won needed repairs to our homes and built a community amidst the pandemic. As our organizing work at Alpha Tenants Union and GBTU reached more tenants, and we won more victories in favor of our rights, Anwar Faisal’s company responded by making threats against me and the union as a whole.

Anwar Faisal and Alpha Management sent me a cease and desist letter threatening to sue me and our tenants union for 40 statements made in organizing materials, public meetings and in the press. They are threatening to sue me for slander and libel, just because I asserted my right as a tenant to organize. I refuse to retract my truthful statements about our living conditions or Alpha’s notorious reputation in Boston.

I am raising money to defend myself and our tenants union from this threat. Thanks to our incredible network of tenants, we met our fundraising goal in just 12 hours with help from unions all over the country. I am overwhelmed by this support from my comrades and friends. These funds will be used to pay Jeff Feuer, our lawyer for my individual defense, and to serve as my counsel in the proceedings Mr. Faisal and Alpha Management are threatening. We will not back down in this fight and plan to counter-sue Alpha Management for retaliating against us if they file their lawsuit.

Our next steps right now are to send a letter to Alpha Management and Anwar Faisal to let them know that we will not back down, and to continue our organizing to ensure that tenants rights remain at the forefront of our movement. We will continue to fight to hold landlords accountable for providing safe and fair living conditions while we work to create a world without landlords.

If you are able to support our legal defense, please donate here. Reporting on Mr. Faisal and Alpha Management can be found in The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Wicked Local Somerville, and CBS Boston.

Tenants are right now working to protect themselves from the landlord class that denies tenants’ rights and threatens tenants’ unity. Join the struggle and assert your rights as a tenant. You can get in touch through our social media accounts: Alpha Tenants Union and GBTU.

In solidarity,
Mary Stathos, tenant and organizer


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