On this day, 28 December 1907, 10,000 households in New York City went on rent strike against rent price hikes. The action was sparked by 16-year-old textile worker Pauline Newman, who enlisted 400 other young women and girls who were factory workers to help persuade other families to join in. Landlords fought back with water shut offs and revenge evictions, but the families stood firm, and by early January around 2000 households won reduced rents.
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That’s what always happens in capitalist societies. They say that if you don’t want to be poor, there’s a certain thing you have to do. But then everyone does it, so it’s no longer effective. The system depends on making sure that there’s always a supply of poor people to exploit.
