'Can't Pay May' Is a New York Rent Strike Hoping to Force Governor Cuomo to Cancel Rent

Alessandra Biaggi

Originally published in Esquire

A lot of New Yorkers are paying a majority of their [income in] rent,” Biaggi said. “So it's very hard for New Yorkers to save. It's very hard for Americans to save. What we're basically saying with the moratorium on evictions is that we'll evict you later. Because it's not really doing anything other than pushing the pause button.”

If you just draw the line to the federal stimulus bill that was passed, right, and the money that Americans are receiving, the $1,200—they cut it off at a certain number, rightfully so,” Biaggi said. “The people who have been hurt the most by this are the low-income New Yorkers, the communities of color that have been underinvested in for decades—not just years, decades—and the individuals who don't have the money to be able to purchase healthcare. And so, they're the sickest, and they're the most in need, and we have to help them."