emergency stay of evictions
One hundred years ago today … The prospect of a wave of October 1 evictions prompted the New York state legislature to pass an emergency rent bill, staying the evictions. The measure included NY’s first version of rent control.
Note: We previously covered NYC’s housing issues in posts on August 2, April 21, and March 27.
The Evening World, 25 September 1920, p. 1. Chronicling America.
Note: we are obliged to acknowledge the report of Olive Thomas’s corpse in the clipping above. See our September 10 post for context.
The Evening World gave itself credit (above) for prompting the measure; the newspaper's self-praise is justified by the campaign it had waged on behalf of New Yorkers most vulnerable to landlord greed and indifference. The World had published images of families forced out of their homes.
The Evening World, 23 September 1920, p. 3. Chronicling America.
The World consistently reported on 1920 NYC housing, rent, and tenant issues, and closely covered the drive for emergency rent laws that would stay evictions and address other areas, such as rent gouging.
The Evening World, 21 September 1920, p. 1. Chronicling America.
Note: we are obliged to acknowledge reports in the clipping above about the Wall Street Bomb and Assembly’s ongoing attempt to oust its socialist members. See our September 16 and January 8 posts, respectively, for context.
Usually, the World’s housing articles featured the name Sophie Irene Loeb in the byline. Loeb, a Russian Jewish immigrant, combined a career in journalism with a life of activism and advocacy, particularly in the area of child welfare. (See “Sophie Irene Loeb, Noted Writer and Social Welfare Worker, Dies,” on the Jewish Telegraphic Agency website.)
The World’s September 9 editorial urged Governor Al Smith to use his clout to force housing reform for the state. Smith had called for a special session on September 20 to address the issue.
The Evening World, 9 September 1920, p. 22. Chronicling America.
Smith would sign the bill into law on September 29. It remained on the books until 1929.
The Daily News celebrated the stay of evictions, though while printing a photo of an eviction that had somehow occurred that very day.
The Daily News, 23 September 1920, p. 1. Chronicling America.
WRITTEN BY JONATHAN GOLDMAN, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020.
TAGS: rent, tenant, eviction, legislature, law, housing, homelessness, rent control, journalism, newspapers, activists, women’s history