I recently left Austin because I was illegally evicted Thanksgiving week, 2015. My belongings were thrown on the curb by my Landlord, Karla Kelsey, which was overseen by Constable Carlos Lopez of Precinct 5. More disturbing is that I sent over 20 emails to my City Councilwoman, Leslie Pool, for assistance or some type of intervention to no avail. Judge Herb Evans quickly denied my requests for a court-appointed attorney and for that matter, denied almost every motion I filed. William Warren was my Landlord's attorney, and it pains me to say that he is good. I couldn't keep up with the legal process while working a full-time job. I spent my time googling terms like "no jurisdiction" and "Pauper's Affidavit."
The eviction was preempted by my exercising my right under our Texas Constitution to "repair and deduct" for a sewage flood in my duplex. Although the majority of my clothes and furniture were covered in feces, I deducted $60 to help pay for a plumber. I felt, and still feel, that was fair. Because my Landlord, owns several rentals throughout Austin in equally deplorable conditions (rats, mold, what I think might be asbestos, faulty wiring, carbon monoxide hazards), I feel she sought to evict me immediately so I wouldn't bring attention to her units.
This isn't an isolated incident; this is a city-wide issue. Each Constable's office offers eviction services on their website but no assistance for tenants. Most, if not all, of the aforementioned individuals are members of the same organizations such as the Austin Apartment Association. Mrs. Kelsey has numerous evictions on record in Precinct 5 alone. Judge Herb Evans oversaw these.
I reached out to the Austin Tenants Council, which had a waiting list. I contacted Austin's free legal services, but I made too much money (40,000 a year). A private attorney was too expensive. Because I am a survivor of domestic violence, I reached out to Constable Lopez as he is heavily involved with domestic violence organizations in Austin; however, he ignored my pleas, did nothing to protect me and oversaw my Landlord throwing my belongings on the curb. He also impounded my dog. I came home from work to everything of value stolen, my birth certificate and social security card missing, clothes thrown around my yard, urine on my mattress, a homeless couple rummaging through my dog’s toys and all of my pictures thrown in a trash bag with liquid laundry detergent.
I am a college-educated woman who made a bad decision by putting too much faith in our system. I was positive no judge or jury would see the pictures of my bathtub full of feces and justify an eviction over $60. This was a terrible wager on my part, and I lost. I ended up at a Red Roof Inn during Thanksgiving and 2 boxes to my name. My t.v.'s, bedding, shoes, clothes, toiletries, and paperwork were gone. I felt stripped of any humanity.
I feel I'm somewhat intelligent, sans the decision to rely on our legal system, so if this can happen to me, it can happen to you. Most troubling is that it's legal. Why should you care? You should care because we have a housing crisis in Austin. We are contributing to the housing problem by quickly evicting tenants without any chance of mediation or resolution. A tenant being evicted does not have time to be put on a waiting list. Furthermore, any tenant being evicted should be granted legal representation. If the Landlord has an attorney, the tenant should have one as well. Furthermore, we should be highly concerned that our Justice of the Peace judges are not required to have any type of legal background.
I am still homeless, as there are very few resources for women like me who have a full-time job. I make too much. I don't have children. I am not a military vet. I am not disabled and I am not in immediate danger from my abuser. However, what I lack does not deny my right to affordable housing and my right to be acknowledged by my City Council Representative, Leslie Pool. I also have a right to be protected by my Constable's office as well as the right to legal representation in our city's Justice of the Peace court.
These evictions are happening every day, and the only way to make change is to raise awareness and elect competent leaders. Because of my eviction, I eft Austin, and that is terrible, ridiculous and unnecessary. Many people don't have the means to leave Austin. I was very lucky to have an angel come pick me up and take me in. However, I slept outside, I went without and I was ignored by my community.
If you are wondering why a pretty, white girl might be begging for a quarter at the intersection of Burnet Road and Anderson Lane, I hope you think of this story and ask yourself why there are so many homeless people on the streets of District 7? I've asked Leslie Pool and her staff this question several times via email, and I've yet to receive a reasonable answer nor has Leslie Pool taken time to personally respond.
If you want to help solve the homeless issue, I hope you look past the smoke and mirrors and fancy rhetoric of some council members. Tenant rights, mediation and competent leaders are crucial to ending our homeless epidemic in Austin.
Leslie Pool lives in a $600,000 house on Shoal Creek Boulevard and claims a homestead exemption; she has very little (if anything) in common with the middle class. Leslie Pool harbors slum landlords in District 7. As of July 20th, Ms. Pool took a sudden interest in tenant rights. I started my twitter campaign against her July 17th.
Thank you for your time and open mindedness. It isn't libel or slander if it is the TRUTH.
