Dozens of protesters representing residents of University City townhomes who are facing imminent eviction interrupted the University of Pennsylvania’s convocation ceremony Monday, calling out the Ivy League university for “Penntrification” — what they see as the school’s role in pushing low-income Black and Hispanic families out of the area.
The protesters converged on the convocation for around 2,500 Penn freshmen, shouting down Magill and calling out the university for its part in gentrifying the neighborhood. The primarily Black and Hispanic families, some of whom have lived in the townhomes for decades, are now facing an Oct. 8 deadline to leave their homes.
The deadline for residents to leave their homes, originally July 8, was pushed to Sept. 7 to accommodate the arrival of federal housing vouchers for displaced tenants. But the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development approved a request from the townhomes’ owners IBID Associates to extend the affordable housing agreement.
For months, residents had been trying to speak with Magill about how Penn could help residents to no avail, said Rasheda Alexander, a 14-year townhome resident and organizer at the coalition. The protest was the culmination of mounting frustrations from residents who felt ignored by the university, which they feel has failed to respond to their calls for help and to purchase the property so residents could stay.“Nothing was returned,” said Alexander.
People become activists when they realize that they're no longer getting laid in the bar scene.