Over 150 people gathered on the steps of the Capitol Tuesday evening to protest a Wisconsin bill, which opponents say would allow landlords more freedom to deny tenants housing.
The rally, which was organized by The Wisconsin Alliance for Tenants' Rights, featured several speakers from across the state, each voicing their opposition to the Senate Bill 107, which passed in the Senate this past summer and is awaiting vote in the Assembly.
""In a time of economic crisis, we should not be limiting tenant rights,"" Wisconsin Alliance for Tenants' Rights member Colin Ginnis said. ""We should be protecting tenant rights.""
The bill would allow landlords to deny prospective tenants housing based on their credit histories, employment histories and conviction records, according to critics.
Even though supporters of the bill say it will give landlords the tools they need to protect their properties, many of the speakers said allowing landlords to see personal information would unfairly discriminate against minorities and those under the poverty line.
Housing activist and Progressive Dane member Heidi Wegleitner said the bill will ""increase homelessness in our community and … increase racial segregation."" She called on public officials to reduce poverty in the area.
UW-Madison graduate student of Sociology and TAA member Charity Schmidt said the American dream is ""fast becoming nothing but an illusion,"" and called the bill the latest attack on ""our communal values.""
""Housing is a right, not a privilege,"" Schmidt added.
Opponents also fear the repercussions the bill could have on students who historically are viewed as living more transiently, moving each year.
UW-Madison student and United Council member Damon Terrell encouraged the protesters to remain united and keep fighting.
