On this day, 26 January 1932, 4000 mainly Jewish tenants in New York attacked police reserve forces who were trying to evict 17 tenants. The tenants had been on rent strike at 2802 Olinville Avenue in the Bronx, demanding improvements from their landlord. The mob was led by women poised on rooftops who directed the action with megaphones and hurled missiles at police, shouting that “the workers’ struggle has commenced”.
The Worker newspaper subsequently reported that after the battle, “the landlord was forced to reduce the rent on 2 room apartments by $2, on a 3-room apartment by $2.50, and on four-room apartments by $3”.
This journal includes a great history of rent strikes in New York City: https://libcom.org/library/radical-america-13-new-york-rent-strikehttps://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1907416759443465/?type=3
