Support My Fight Against Displacement.

Hello.

My name is Malik Ali Ibn Rasheed Shabazz. I’ll be 40 in October. I’m Black and nonbinary. My friends call me Ali. I am a writer/artist from Los Angeles. I am currently unemployed and I am being evicted from my home. I need support for my legal defense, relocation, and monthly bills (food/transit/phone/utilities)

That’s the TLDR version of what brings me to GoFundMe.

The extended version is this:

My family and I moved into a two bed/2 bath apartment three years ago. The day we moved in, the apartment was not ready, so the landlord promised to finish the repairs, but I refused to sign the lease until they were complete. I was concerned that should we need to move out for any reason, we’d be on the hook for the state of the apartment.

The landlord never made the repairs to the unit, and the apartment started falling apart weeks after we moved in. Ben Leeds Properties, the property management company, refuses to return our deposit or pay for relocation, nor acknowledge their breach of contract.

(Residue that bubbles up in the sink periodically)

(parking lot gets flooded when it rains)

(The shower head broke apart after first 3 weeks because it was super glued together)

(instead of replacing the countertop, they hastily screwed a second one ontop of the first.)

(Loose flooring)

(with exposed nails)

(Mold that Ben Leeds refused to test and only painted over)

(exposed calking over the oven causes fumes)

(constant plumbing issues)

Moving will only solve half the problem. Reclaiming my time and my family's time is essential given the position of the property management company. We offered to move out by October this year in January, but Ben Leeds countered with 30 days. When we warned them that we would sue them for the harassment and violations of the warrant of habitability, they countered with 90 days. All while refusing to engage with relocation assistance or even return our deposit for the faulty unity they pushed on us. It’s now June, and there is no telling how long this trial process can drag on, given the amount of eviction cases happening in L.A. is enormous.

So, my only way out of this process is through. I am taking Ben Leeds to court and suing them for damages caused by their constant torment and malpractice. I have consulted the law, and I am studying cases similar to mine. Legal precedent is on my side, and my eviction case's outcome will not impede my countersuit.

We have good defenses for our case. The landlord violated the warrant of habitability in multiple ways over three years, mainly by never bringing the apartment to a suitable position from our first day of the tenancy. We’ve compiled all the evidence we could; when the time comes, we will win our case or reach an agreement before going to trial. We are in the first steps of taking legal action against the parent company of Ben Leeds; however, until I can find suitable work, we will be in a perpetual financial bind.

Since I started this campaign, people have given generously and without any expectations, and I am both humbled and deeply grateful. We have a small lump of money that’s been dwindling—a tax refund. So, I haven’t been pushing for donors; instead, I have devoted time to helping others share their crowdfunding links and spread awareness on Twitter. Now that I have some mastery of the moment I’m in, I must get his campaign going again but with focused intentions beyond putting food on the table.

So here are a few things you can do to help me out as I work through this process.

1. Donate and Share- If you see my mutual aid links, please share them on social media. If you donate, please ask if anyone can match yours. Your labor is just as valuable to me as your dollars, so either option helps my cause and the cause of my family. The funds you donate go towards our relocation, food, transportation, and the costs associated with seeing our case through to its final result. Your support also helps me put together episodes of "Displaced." You can follow the docuseries on Instagram; I'm still working on YouTube.

Cashapp: $habazzarts

2. Put pressure on the property managers.

If you live in L.A., my best advice is never to rent to Ben Leeds Properties under any circumstances. If you live in one of their buildings, keep copies of everything. Take pictures of all repairs. Make sure all communications are in text or email. File a CPRA complaint because they spy on tenants. Ben Leeds employs incompetent people, and when they inevitably make mistakes, they quickly blame the tenants for their failures. If you have the time to review bomb them, you can copy and paste what I’ve written here as a comment. Basically, if they don’t feel pressure to make a deal with us, they won’t. So, while I take them to court, they also need to understand that this case will be bad for their business in the short and long term. Just check out some of these Yelp Reviews to get an idea of what I and my family have been dealing with.

3. Buy my stuff-

Buy on Amazon Buy From Me $40

I am making myself open to commissions. You can also purchase my books “How To Draw Black People” volumes 1 and 2 directly from me. If you’re interested in a digital portrait, my flat rate is $100 per portrait. My time economy is very limited, so please be mindful when asking for paid work. My turnaround times will vary depending on how many requests I get or what’s happening with my eviction case. If I can’t complete something you requested, I will let you know and return your money immediately. Message me directly

4. Keep me in your thoughts-

It sounds corny, but I ain’t got no one out there praying for me. Call it what you want, but good things happen for people when you keep them on your mind and attach those thoughts to what makes you feel happy, so if that sounds like prayer, please do that for me and mine. One way or another, we’re going to get through this. With your help, it may be that much easier.