Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence

CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities builds grassroots community power across working-class Asian immigrant communities in New York City and our current work is around housing justice. Our goal is to stop gentrification in our neighborhoods by increasing the number of organized working-class Asian immigrant tenants and young people. Our members will build the political power necessary to disrupt capital, challenge the hegemonic idea that land is for profit not peoples’ needs, and create structural change in New York City and State policies, budget, and land use.

The pandemic has brought to light the failures of those in power and their level of care and action. The government failed in its role to provide inclusive and reliable resources so working-class communities can survive through a public health crisis. The housing crisis escalated and there was loss of jobs and financial instability. Even through all of this, CAAAV members continued to organize and demand safe and dignified homes and neighborhoods. Our members built power to hold a rent strike in one of the buildings we organize in Chinatown. We distributed PPE and emergency aid supplies. We expanded our public housing bases and built membership in Ravenswood Houses. Our members are still fighting for the cancellation of rent.  With the same resiliency and leadership communities have demonstrated in the ongoing fight for our rights, working-class Asian immigrants will continue to grow grassroots power in NYC and lead the housing justice movement.

The Growing A Movement fundraiser will support us to continue to organize by building and sustaining long-term power within our communities across generations. We will grow the movement by challenging and fighting structural and capitalistic interests that leverage profit over safe and truly affordable housing. By donating to the Growing A Movement fundraiser through our annual Karaoke Battle, you will enable us to:

1. Build the Neighborhood Eviction Defense (NED) committee in Chinatown. Through the Neighborhood Eviction Defense network, Chinatown residents will learn and become equipped in tenant rights, eviction moratoriums, ground in political education, and look into possible threats in the neighborhood due to predatory lending and harassment.

2. Fight against privatization in public housing through our NYCHA Trust campaign in Queens. Public housing tenants will organize to stop NYCHA’s Preservation Trust, which if passed, will provide a private-public partnership and management in public housing. We will organize to make sure public land remains public and is not managed by private entities.

It is more important than ever to resource Asian American grassroots organizing. We will be able to grow our movement stronger with member-led leadership and vision. And it is through organizing and grassroots power we will be able to have a safe community.