Cape Girardeau renter evicted prior to Christmas holiday
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Diane Holivay, who we spoke to last month, was heading to court to fight for time and her home and ask for some type of agreement with the property manager, McClanahan Real Estate and Property Development.
But after her Dec. 23 court hearing, she was given an eviction notice that said she needed to be out as soon as possible.
“Until I mentioned what’s currently going on and has happened, and then it’s no,” said Holivay.
Aaron Lerma, Cape Tenants president, an organization looking to unionize with renters and landlords — looks to educate renters on their rights.
Lerma helped Holivay by helping her find legal counsel. But once she was eviction Lerma and cape tenants helped by raising money for storage and a hotel.
“We know that she’s not alone and that there are other tenants in the city and then in the county that has dealt with this exact same issue,” said Lerma.
Holivay is still looking for a new home and is staying positive through her situation but is thankful for the help of cape tenants
“But our goal, in the end, is really to build a community of tenants that have each other’s backs because there are not many people in the community that have our backs and we get convinced here in the community that we’re each other’s enemies … we got to fight with each other and that’s just not true,” said Lerma.
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