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Why Evicting Millions During a Pandemic is Bad For Our Democracy

Protesters demonstrating with signs calling for rent relief and an end to evictions.
In spite of the CDC's partial moratorium on evictions, tenants nationwide remain vulnerable.
Protesters demonstrating with signs calling for rent relief and an end to evictions.
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September 3, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, people across the country face the economic devastation left in its wake. Along with staggering unemployment numbers, millions of renters now face eviction — a situation made even more dire by the global health crisis. Congress responded by instating an eviction moratorium for more than 12 million rental units across the country. But that moratorium expired on July 24th. This week, the Center for Disease Control introduced another moratorium, protecting certain renters in certain circumstances until the new year. But that still leaves many unprotected, and those who are protected remain burdened with a hefty bill due in 2021.

ACLU Senior Staff Attorney Sandra Park has monitored this situation since the start of the pandemic and has litigated discriminatory eviction policies in the U.S. for almost two decades. She joined us this week to explain the current crisis.

Why Evicting Millions During a Pandemic is Bad for Our Democracy

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