As the afterwork sun set on April 12, a group of about sixty people descended into Jersey City City Hall, ready to spend nearly five hours in the chamber to support two housing-related ordinances. Forgoing an evening of balmy weather was a small price to pay to make their voices heard in the fight against baseless evictions, illegal rent hikes, and major tax breaks for corporate real estate companies.

In Jersey City, New Jersey, now reported to be the most expensive US city for renters and a microcosm of broader housing issues faced by renters around the country, organizers are aiming to empower tenants through institutional protections like right to counsel (RTC).

RTC guarantees tenants will have legal representation in housing court provided to them in cases involving eviction, landlord malfeasance, or habitability concerns. Nationwide, only 3 percent of tenants facing eviction are represented in court, whereas about 80 percent of landlords have legal counsel. Tenants are left defenseless while landlords are incentivized to squeeze all they can by raising rents and ignoring housing codes — the latter of which leads to horrific situations like the fatal fire that occurred in a former Bronx public housing complex bought by a private company in 2021.