Help Claire take on a Tucson Slumlord
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Claire Wilson, small business owner Prickled Pink Plants, rented a small shop space at Rain Crow Art Collective/Placita de Luna, an artist co op space that rented on a commercial lease.
What Claire thought would be a good move for expanding her business turned out to be a money pit, with a predatory 16 page lease designed to prey on vulnerable small business owners trying to get their start, and make them responsible for all restoration and renovation work while illegally “not guaranteeing the continued availability of any utility”. Susan Alexander, the owner of this Collective uses tenants to repair and upgrade her property and then kick them out on a whim when she feels she can find a higher paying tenant, without ever making any decent upgrades herself.
Claire was harassed and had her business vandalized and sabotaged by Susan when she entered Claire’s shop with no notice and turned off her AC unit in July in Arizona, resulting in thousands of dollars worth of loss and damages of plants and electronics crucial to running her business.
Because there are not many options for small business owners on commercial leases to receive affordable legal aid, friends and followers have offered to donate to a legal fund, so this is set up as a way to initiate that process in the event of a lawsuit. Claire plans to initiate a lawsuit for damages against Susan if her business insurance does not cover the claim, and will at least use the money for a legal consultation with a real commercial lawyer, which goes for around $300-500 an hour (calculating ~1 week of work at 400 an hour for this fundraiser amount). If insurance does cover it and the lawyer advises her not to sue, she will use the funds to cover any other damages as well as the time and expense to report Susan and bring more light to tenant’s rights issues.
What Claire thought would be a good move for expanding her business turned out to be a money pit, with a predatory 16 page lease designed to prey on vulnerable small business owners trying to get their start, and make them responsible for all restoration and renovation work while illegally “not guaranteeing the continued availability of any utility”. Susan Alexander, the owner of this Collective uses tenants to repair and upgrade her property and then kick them out on a whim when she feels she can find a higher paying tenant, without ever making any decent upgrades herself.
Claire was harassed and had her business vandalized and sabotaged by Susan when she entered Claire’s shop with no notice and turned off her AC unit in July in Arizona, resulting in thousands of dollars worth of loss and damages of plants and electronics crucial to running her business.
Because there are not many options for small business owners on commercial leases to receive affordable legal aid, friends and followers have offered to donate to a legal fund, so this is set up as a way to initiate that process in the event of a lawsuit. Claire plans to initiate a lawsuit for damages against Susan if her business insurance does not cover the claim, and will at least use the money for a legal consultation with a real commercial lawyer, which goes for around $300-500 an hour (calculating ~1 week of work at 400 an hour for this fundraiser amount). If insurance does cover it and the lawyer advises her not to sue, she will use the funds to cover any other damages as well as the time and expense to report Susan and bring more light to tenant’s rights issues.
Organizer
Claire Wilson
Organizer
Tucson, AZ