Portside

In New York, the real estate industry and the politicians in its pocket both reign supreme. These tenants have a plan to change that forever.

The Bronx apartment fire that recently killed 17 people was a devastating tragedy. It is also the entirely predictable outcome of a housing market that forces tenants to grovel for basic repairs while landlords rule as something close to kings.

Federally subsidized housing complexes, many of them owned by for-profit investors, fail to enforce basic safety standards. Will the horrific fire this week become a wake-up call?

Is it true that only the elimination of eviction moratoria can help these landlords? Under analysis, most of their arguments in favor of resuming evictions fall apart.