Sam Russek is a writer from Houston, Texas. He’s currently a reporter-researcher at the New Republic.

04.24.2026

• Sam Russek

Lessons From San Francisco’s Fight Against Tech Displacement

A new book recounts how San Francisco tenant organizers took on tech-fueled displacement in the 2010s. Their campaigns were brave, media-savvy, and sometimes successful — but the conditions that made them possible have changed, and so must the strategy.

05.06.2024

• Sam Russek

Houston’s Market-Driven Housing Solution Is No Triumph

Mayors of large US cities are looking to Houston for inspiration in solving their homelessness problems. But Houston’s “Housing First” policy is designed to clear the streets and buoy landlords rather than provide stable housing for all.