Communism Comes to Albany as Front Group Takes Oversized Role in “Good Cause” Eviction Debate

Edited by: Fern Sidman

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders have abandoned efforts to strike a deal to overhaul how New York builds and regulates housing, amid soaring rents and a worsening shortage that has turned searching for an apartment into a blood sport, the New York Post reported on Thursday.

What has been currently a thorn in the side during state budget negotiations are the sometimes rancorous debate over “good cause” eviction in housing.  Now, the Post has reported that an affiliate of the US Communist Party has been playing an outsized role in the ongoing discussions about this.

At the center of the housing battle and what it can mean for low income New Yorkers and those struggling to pay their monthly rent is an advocacy organization known as Housing Justice For All. The Post reported that it has deep ties to far-left lawmakers such as NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and is an “active partner” of the New York Young Communist League.

The Post reported that in an August 2021 tweet, the New York Communists said they were working with Housing Justice For All to pressure then-Governor Andrew Cuomo to extend the eviction moratorium that was imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During these contentious negotiations aimed at hammering out the details of the state’s upcoming budget, the Post reported that Housing Justice For All has staged rallies with their radical left wing allies in the legislature to demand inclusion of “good cause” eviction in the state budget. Such an inclusion would render it illegal for landlords to evict tenants unless they violated their lease agreements and impose strict new rent regulations.

From a New York City landlord’s point of view, and especially a small landlord, this measure would be the proverbial death knell for them in terms of staying in business as the inclusion essentially would mean that universal rent control would be imposed, the Post reported.

The Post reported that Cea Weaver, a campaign coordinator for Housing Justice For All, has spent years publicly advocating unabashed Marxism on her personal Twitter account. “Elect more Communists,” she posted in a tweet from December 2017, the Post reported. “Seize private property,” she added in June 2018.

In August 2019, Weaver wrote that, “Private property including and kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a weapon of white supremacy,” the Post reported. Critics said the elevation of the openly pro-communist organization into the state budget dialogue sets a dangerous precedent.

Speaking to the Jewish Voice, an unnamed source who is familiar with the state budget negotiations observed, “Even though no one really wants to recognize the ‘elephant in the room’ we would be foolish to ignore the political reality of our time and the reality of the future. Sad as it is to say, we are living in the middle of a Marxist revolution in this city and state and throughout the country in certain regions. We have been living this way since the rise of the “woke, progressive” movement began to take shape.

They are tantamount to Communists in practically every way and there is no getting around it. For all intents and purposes, they want to bury this capitalist society and they want to disempower their mortal enemies, who just happen to be the “white man” who they believe owns and manages most of New York City’s real estate. Don’t be fooled by their universalist rhetoric. They also view the Jews as a chief enemy and want to grab their political power and their wealth. So, given this backdrop, we should not be at all surprised that the loathsome Communists have been given a place at the negotiating table.”

The Post reported that Democratic City Councilman Bob Holden warned that, “for years, communist groups like Housing Justice for All and the elected officials that support them have hidden in the shadows. Now they proudly display their affiliations. Anyone pushing for Good Cause or similar legislation is working hard to bring us one step closer to the USSR and cannot be trusted.”

Jim Whelan, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said “Implementing a housing policy by intimidation from fringe groups, including those with communist ties, is probably not the best approach to solving New York’s growing housing crisis,” the Post reported.

Housing Justice For All for all began in 2017 and has been in cahoots with the state Communist party since at least 2018, social media postings show. The Post reported that the group has developed years-long financial ties with far-left billionaire financier George Soros.

Housing Justice For All is a statewide campaign of the Upstate/Downstate Housing Alliance, which in turn is “fiscally sponsored” by the nonprofit VOCAL-NY, according to the Post report. That nonprofit has received eight grants worth more than $1.1 million from Soros’ Open Society Foundations between 2017 and 2021, according to itsHousing Justice for All website.

At least one $100,000 cash infusion went directly to Housing Justice For All, according to the grant description, as was reported by the Post.

Despite their openly Communist ties, Weaver and Housing Justice for All have made deep inroads among the city’s most powerful progressives, according to the Post report.