98-Year-Old Woman Evicted From Home Of 50 Years, But Won’t Go Without A Fight [Video]

A 98-year-old woman is being evicted from her home of 50 years. Mary Phillips of San Francisco is being pushed to move out of her apartment because the landowners want to sell the building for another project they have in mind to take advantage of the city’s booming real estate market.

Phillips told KRON 4:

“I’ve been very happy here. I’ve always paid my rent, I’ve never been late.”

Protesters are making their message clear to Urban Green Investments in their support of Phillips. The number of evictions is going up alarmingly under the Ellis Act. “It allows landlords to evict tenants, temporarily shut down a rental property and then sell it at a profit,” Business Insider reports.

The 98-year-old woman won’t be evicted quietly. She’s been at her home for 50 years and isn’t about to be pressured to leave:

“They’re going to have to take me out of here feet first. Just because of your age, don’t let people push you around.”

Activist are urging people to contact Urban Green as a sign of their support for Mary Phillips and other renters like her.

A Facebook page is up for the cause of helping Mary and other tenants getting eviction notices in this manner. The Vanishingsf Facebook page reads:

“Who evicts a 98 year old woman? We heart Mary Phillips, who is facing eviction but is not succumbing (“they’ll have to take me out of here feet first”) AND the housing rights activists, who came out in support of her today.

“Mary has lived in her apartment for 50 years.

“KRON anchor, Pam Moore, is very obviously angered, and you should be too. Watch this interview with Mary.

“Feel free to let Urban Green CEO David McCloskey, who’s evicting her, know what you think, ask him how he sleeps at night and if he’d put his grandmother on the streets.

“David@urbangreeninv.com
(415) 651-4441
http://www.urbangreeninv.com”

Think Progress explains in its report that San Francisco is becoming one of the least affordable places to live in the nation. Consequently, people like Mary Phillips are being notified to leave their homes so real estate owners can profit further. The building that Phillips lives in on 55 Dolores Street was purchased by new owners in late 2012 for $2.5 million, making the old owners a $1.2 million profit.

Will news revolving around this 98-year-old woman being evicted from her home of so many years make Urban Green reconsider their decision to evict her?

[Photo Credit: KRON4 via Think Progress]