[dropcap size=big]I[/dropcap]t’s a cold Monday morning in February and long-term Echo Park resident Cassandra Tang and her aging mother are facing the prospect of displacement again. Her new landlord has repeatedly threatened to demolish the only working, wheelchair accessible bathroom in her unit. A week prior, workers showed up and almost began tearing down the bathroom before frantic phone calls and protest halted the demolition.
Now, tenants-rights activists are rallying to their defense. They've stood between her home and demolition crews to prevent her bathroom from being destroyed.
According to Cassandra, the bathroom in question was built before she moved into the apartment, 20 years ago. She is paraplegic and uses a wheelchair at all times. But in late August 2018, Cassandra’s apartment complex on Portia Street, near Dodger Stadium, was sold for 1.35 million dollars, according to Zillow. Within months of the sale, Cassandra’s new landlord, told her that the city deemed her only wheelchair accessible bathroom an illegal unit and claimed that they couldn't afford to renovate it.
Cassandra’s landlord acted as if the city was forcing him to demolish the unit. It's been a struggle ever since.