September-October 2005

Tenants defeat slumlord, launch new Minn. organization

Tony Castillo, a leader with JAHC, talks to media during successful campaign that led to creation of Tenants In Action in Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS – Last December, the Jobs and Affordable Housing Coalition (JAHC) began a campaign that would take a new approach in fighting a longstanding problem. Tenants from across Minneapolis came together to battle poor housing conditions at its source, Spiros Zorbalas, owner of Uptown Properties, Inc., and a man many called a slumlord.

At the time, Zorbalas and Uptown Properties owned roughly 60 buildings containing 1,000 apartments. For months and sometimes years, tenants called on management to address basic repair issues, collapsed ceilings and water soaked carpets, poor building security, and serious health concerns with mold, cockroach, and rodent infestation. Zorbalas had become quite accustomed to ignoring his tenants and community.

This time, however, things would be different.

After extensive outreach to tenants in a number of buildings and hearing the same story, JAHC organizers Jeff Bartleson and Ana Lavold began organizing in 10 different apartment complexes. The buildings are all located in South Minneapolis within three neighborhoods that have a high percentage of Latino renters.

What began with informal building meetings soon grew into tenant meetings of 80 people and an accountability session where leaders invited the landlord to a community dialogue with more than 130 tenants.

While the landlord declined to attend, several media outlets did, and the public pressure created real results for tenants. 

Today almost all of the buildings have seen significant improvements in living conditions. While some of the repairs have included major improvements in roof and building integrity, many have been minor with more regular control of insects and rodents, more regular cleaning of the buildings, and better security. All of the improvements have made real differences in the lives and well-being of the families living there. 

The coordinated pressure on Zorbalas has resulted in the sale of a significant number of his properties. His portfolio has gone from roughly 60 buildings in January to 36 properties. The tenant leadership has also worked to achieve permanent improvements in Minneapolis housing policy, including the decision to employ a fulltime housing inspector in charge of all complaint driven inspections and finding creative new ways to deal with license revocations that help keep people in their homes and off the streets.

While the campaign has seen success, there is still much more to be done. The leaders have created a new organization, Tenants in Action.  The new group was recently incorporated in the state of Minnesota and has a newly elected board of directors.
These tenant leaders want to develop their leadership skills and begin targeting additional buildings and landlords that show a similar lack of respect for tenants and neighborhoods.

The new board members also recently attended training facilitated by NTIC staffer Kelley Ford and are ready to take their fight to the next level.