Dear supporters,
Thank you for standing with me during this challenging time. Your encouragement has meant more than I can express.
I’m grateful for my most recent letter of support from New York State Senator Cordell Cleare (click here to read the letter), urging that my succession rights be recognized and that holdover eviction and legal proceedings be halted. Receiving this support at this stage means a great deal.
Over the past year and a half since receiving an eviction notice soon after submitting my rent stabilized succession request, I have done my best to communicate with decision-makers by providing documentation of my rent-stabilized succession rights along with letters of support from community leaders and elected officials who have advocated on my behalf. Today marks one year and 191 days since my grandmother died, and I am still awaiting my lease while continuing to advocate for my rent stabilized succession rights.
I will keep you updated on any opportunities for community support. Knowing I have this community behind me gives me strength, and I am deeply grateful. Should you be in the position to help cover legal costs as I continue this process, you may contribute to my legal fund here: paypal.me/beenherestillhere
Everything I’ve learned throughout this process has helped me show up in support others as well. Our neighborhood of Morningside Heights, part of West Harlem, continues to experience displacement pressures disproportionately affecting Black and Latina residents like myself, and I remain committed to helping inform others about their housing rights. This fall, I began my work as an A'Lelia Bundles Community Scholar at Columbia University, where I am researching the impact of gentrification on women of color in New York City while developing community-driven workshops.
Thank you again for your continued support, solidarity, and care. Please continue sharing my petition with your networks. We are a circle of 1,400+ people strong and growing!
With gratitude,
Kristina Maria
Granddaughter of Mireya and Jaime. I've been here and I'm still here. ✊🏽