Renters in the United States are facing a crisis this year. Though the cost of living has continued to rise over the years in many places, disproportionate to wages, the pandemic has caused an enormous number of people across the country to lose work due to shutdowns or sickness, or simply a lack of customers as people try to stay home and stay safe.
As a result, Americans are struggling to pay their bills. And many parts of the country don’t have any protections currently in place to halt those evictions, even as the government has failed to come up with further financial help for those in need.
A growing number of people have expressed frustrations with landlords—particularly big companies that manage multiple properties and have the means—over their unwillingness to extend compassion to those struggling to make it through 2020. But now, one landlord’s apparent plea to their followers to show compassion for them after they evicted a family is amping up frustrations even further.
Twitter user @BRBRASTREISAND shared a screenshot of the text post, which looks like it originated on Instagram Stories, with the landlord’s username blocked out.
“Never judge a book by its cover,” the post begins. “I literally was almost brought to tears this morning because I had to evict one of my tenets [sic] that had a little girl.”
They continued by saying that they believe “we have to do better as a people on handling our business,” seemingly blaming the parents for failing to come up with the rent money.
“I didn’t feel bad for the parents I felt bad for the little girl because she was confused on why her stuff had to get set out and all this happen while she was in class my heart goes out too [sic] them,” they added.
“landlords are some of [the] worst ppl to ever exist,” @BRBRASTREISAND captioned the now-viral post.
People are slamming the landlord for not only evicting their tenants in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis but for publicly stating that they have no sympathy for the adults losing their home and security while also seemingly attempting to paint themselves as the victim for having to watch a little girl lose those things as well.
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The whole thing kicked off the usual arguments between people who defend landlords because many need to pay their bills as well, and those who insist landlords are leeches.
But many commenters were just left confused at what this landlord was trying to get out of posting this apparent plea for sympathy to begin with.
“Sympathy for kicking a family onto the streets??” @smith__ryan__ suggested.
Whatever anyone’s opinions on landlords are, seeing one openly talk about evicting a family in the middle of a pandemic simply does not evoke any fuzzy feelings.
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