Thomas Birmingham
@thomasbirm.bsky.social
Y23, He/Him | Someone once said I’m naturally anti-dogmatic. Housing is a human right. Currently @thenation.com. Previously @inthesetimesmag.bsky.social and more!
“...we have power, and we will use it.” After years of rent overcharges, Kingston tenants are organizing building by building to force landlords to return money they say they’re owed. @thomasbirm.bsky.social on Kingston’s quiet rent revolution.
Kingston’s Quiet Rent Revolution
Landlords have spent years ignoring a historic rent reduction. Now, tenants are organizing to get their money back.
inthesetimes.com
Since May, I've followed a building story in Kingston, NY, where tenants whose landlords overcharged them for years (totaling millions collectively) are organizing to win their rent money back. My latest for @inthesetimes.com, with potential national implications: inthesetimes.com/article/king...
Kingston’s Quiet Rent Revolution
Landlords have spent years ignoring a historic rent reduction. Now, tenants are organizing to get their money back.
inthesetimes.com
forgot to include a link to the above @inthesetimes.com article by @thomasbirm.bsky.social about KTU's historic win: inthesetimes.com/article/kent...
Rural Kentucky Tenants Win Unprecedented Lease Agreement After Yearlong Campaign
How tenants in four federally-backed buildings in the South overcame intense retaliation and won a new contract from their out-of-state landlord.
inthesetimes.com
I had the honor of spending time this week with the Kentucky Tenant Union and came away inspired by their razor-sharp clarity of purpose and commitment to one another. At a time when so many feel powerless, they're showing what's possible when neighbors come together to build real collective power.
There's still time to apply for a summer internship @inthesetimes.com! As fascists and billionaires ransack the journalism industry, there's never been a better time to join an award-winning, nonprofit, progressive outlet. Deadline is March 15! Details: inthesetimes.com/internships
Internships
If you have a strong interest in progressive politics, independent publishing and journalism, we encourage you to apply for an editorial internship with In These Times.
inthesetimes.com
A Staggering Number of Minnesotans Took to the Streets Friday to Demand ICE Leave. The Next Day ICE Responded by Killing Another Resident. by @thomasbirm.bsky.social @inthesetimes.com “How many more Americans need to die for this operation to end?” said Mayor Frey. inthesetimes.com/article/minn...
A Staggering Number of Minnesotans Took to the Streets Friday to Demand ICE Leave. The Next Day, ICE Responded by Killing Another Resident.
Saturday morning marked the third shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. “How many more Americans need to die for this operation to end?” said Mayor Jacob Frey.
inthesetimes.com
Masked federal agents have executed another Minneapolis resident, this time 37-year-old nurse and union member Alex Pretti. My latest for @inthesetimes.com inthesetimes.com/article/minn...
A Staggering Number of Minnesotans Took to the Streets Friday to Demand ICE Leave. The Next Day, ICE Responded by Killing Another Resident.
Saturday morning marked the third shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. “How many more Americans need to die for this operation to end?” said Mayor Jacob Frey.
inthesetimes.com
“American Landmark is … owned by Elco, one of Israel’s largest corporations… Elco … has done extensive business in Israeli settlements … considered illegal under international law. Elco has also maintained deep ties to the Israeli military, including during the genocide in Gaza.” Wow.
Thomas Birmingham@thomasbirm.bsky.social · 11mo agoYesterday, @thenation.com ran my unprecedented investigation revealing a major U.S. landlord's links to West Bank settlements and the IDF. To see how American Landmark's U.S. tenants are being victimized, let's look at AL's properties in Charlotte, NC. (1/10) www.thenation.com/article/soci...
"In August, I contacted the UN Human Rights Office to ask about the implications of a circumstance like this, in which a company they flagged for involvement in Israeli settlements has a large US subsidiary profiting off tenants like Kelly." Stunning new investigation from @thomasbirm.bsky.social
The Eviction Kings
One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.
thenation.com
Yesterday, @thenation.com ran my unprecedented investigation revealing a major U.S. landlord's links to West Bank settlements and the IDF. To see how American Landmark's U.S. tenants are being victimized, let's look at AL's properties in Charlotte, NC. (1/10) www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Eviction Kings
One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.
thenation.com
“Before they came, rent was manageable. I was never late. When they took over, it became out of reach.” www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio... By @thomasbirm.bsky.social. Via @thenation.com @typeinvestigations.org #housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism
The Eviction Kings - Type Investigations
© Type Media Center document.write(new Date().getFullYear()). All Rights Reserved.
typeinvestigations.org
For @thenation.com, I dug into American Landmark, a major landlord unleashing rent hikes and eviction filings across the South, all while their parent company Electra has financial ties to West Bank settlements and the IDF. See it in the company's own words: www.thenation.com/article/soci...
our struggles are interconnected in ways we can't even imagine
Thomas Birmingham@thomasbirm.bsky.social · 11mo agoFor @thenation.com and @typeinvestigations.org, I looked into American Landmark, a major landlord filing evictions far more than the national average. I found they are owned by an Israeli company with ties to the IDF, including during the Gaza genocide. (1/10) www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Today's must-read by @thomasbirm.bsky.social: a major corporate landlord is fueling homelessness across the U.S. *and* the mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. The Israeli company owns tens of thousands of apartments in the South, filing evictions at nine times the national average.
The Eviction Kings
One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.
thenation.com
Also if you read this story and went "omfg," please follow @thomasbirm.bsky.social, who worked on it for over a year and is brilliant in every way.
Jack Mirkinson@jackmirkinson.bsky.social · 11mo agoWe have a stunning story from @thomasbirm.bsky.social in @thenation.com. It's about how one of Israel's biggest companies, with deep ties to the IDF and illegal settlements, is taking over huge swathes of US real estate—with tenants paying the price. A MUST-read. www.thenation.com/article/soci...
We have a stunning story from @thomasbirm.bsky.social in @thenation.com. It's about how one of Israel's biggest companies, with deep ties to the IDF and illegal settlements, is taking over huge swathes of US real estate—with tenants paying the price. A MUST-read. www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Eviction Kings
One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.
thenation.com
One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price. @thomasbirm.bsky.social reports in partnership with @thenation.com: www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio...
The Eviction Kings - Type Investigations
typeinvestigations.org
For @thenation.com and @typeinvestigations.org, I looked into American Landmark, a major landlord filing evictions far more than the national average. I found they are owned by an Israeli company with ties to the IDF, including during the Gaza genocide. (1/10) www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Eviction Kings
One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.
thenation.com
BREAKING: Hundreds of tenants across four states are waging the first campaign in recent memory to bargain with a shared private equity landlord across state lines For @inthesetimes.com, this is the Tenant Union Federation’s effort to win a historic interstate lease inthesetimes.com/article/priv...
Have Private Equity Landlords Met Their Match?
A new campaign from the Tenant Union Federation is uniting hundreds of tenants in four states to take on the mega-corporation that owns their homes.
inthesetimes.com
A new campaign from the Tenant Union Federation is uniting hundreds of tenants in four states to take on the mega-corporation that owns their homes. New report from @thomasbirm.bsky.social @inthesetimes.com on how tenant unions are taking on private equity landlords.
Have Private Equity Landlords Met Their Match?
A new campaign from the Tenant Union Federation is uniting hundreds of tenants in four states to take on the mega-corporation that owns their homes.
inthesetimes.com
In NY, homeowners are 2x as likely to vote as tenants. Unless there are pro-tenant policies on the ballot, that is, like a rent freeze. In the mayoral race @tenantbloc.bsky.social tried to awaken the untapped potential of tenants as a political bloc. Read @thomasbirm.bsky.social on this strategy ⬇️
Will NYC's Long-Suffering Tenants Carry Zohran Mamdani to Victory?
A close look inside the campaign that has helped turn New York City renters into a force to be reckoned with.
inthesetimes.com
NEW: Since February, I've followed @tenantbloc.bsky.social's campaign to win a rent freeze in NYC. Now, Zohran Mamdani is on the verge of a victory that would deliver one. Here's a first look into how organizers brought over 20,000 tenants into Mamdani's coalition. inthesetimes.com/article/zohr...
Will NYC's Long-Suffering Tenants Carry Zohran Mamdani to Victory?
A close look inside the campaign that has helped turn New York City renters into a force to be reckoned with.
inthesetimes.com
"These are the moments where we need to turn to our coalitions. We need to have as much communication and joint organizing as possible." Marissa Nuncio, director of the Garment Worker Center in Los Angeles, speaking with @thomasbirm.bsky.social
“Our Biggest Fear”: A Garment Worker Organizer on the ICE Raid That Set Off Mass Protest
“They're picking up folks who were literally just going about making their daily bread and terrorizing them in their place of work," says Marissa Nuncio, director of the Garment Worker Center in Los A...
inthesetimes.com
@thomasbirm.bsky.social spoke with Marissa Nuncio of the Garment Worker Center in LA. They discuss the ICE raids—at which two dozen garment workers were abducted—that sparked city-wide protests and how labor can respond to Trump's assault on migrant workers: inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...
“Our Biggest Fear”: A Garment Worker Organizer on the ICE Raid That Set Off Mass Protest
“They're picking up folks who were literally just going about making their daily bread and terrorizing them in their place of work," says Marissa Nuncio, director of the Garment Worker Center in Los A...
inthesetimes.com
I got to speak with Marissa Nuncio at the Garment Worker Center in LA for @inthesetimes.com. We discuss the ICE raids—at which two dozen garment workers were abducted—that sparked city-wide protests, and how labor can respond to Trump's assault on migrant workers: inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...
“Our Biggest Fear”: A Garment Worker Organizer on the ICE Raid That Set Off Mass Protest
“They're picking up folks who were literally just going about making their daily bread and terrorizing them in their place of work," says Marissa Nuncio, director of the Garment Worker Center in Los A...
inthesetimes.com
Congratulations to @thomasbirm.bsky.social, a named a Livingston finalist for his groundbreaking investigation of a mold crisis in New Haven, CT, fueled by landlord neglect. Read his reporting here: inthesetimes.com/article/mold...
Wallace House Center for Journalists@umwallacehouse.bsky.social · last yr.🌟 The 2025 Livingston Award Finalists for National Reporting! These exceptional journalists under 35 are telling stories that challenge assumptions and deepen our understanding of the nation. Read their work here: loom.ly/LAVASEQ #JournalismExcellence
I'm so, so honored to be named a 2025 Livingston Award finalist for “As Corporate Landlords Spread, a Mold Epidemic Takes Root” in @inthesetimes.com. I spent 6+ months on this investigation, interviewing New Haven tenants who developed respiratory conditions thanks to landlord neglect. Read below!
Wallace House Center for Journalists@umwallacehouse.bsky.social · last yr.🌟 The 2025 Livingston Award Finalists for National Reporting! These exceptional journalists under 35 are telling stories that challenge assumptions and deepen our understanding of the nation. Read their work here: loom.ly/LAVASEQ #JournalismExcellence
As someone who was there, the Jewish student the YDN quoted as saying he was “blocked from walking through Yale’s campus”was: - Attempting to forcefully move into the circle of students while filming them - Was the first to inform admin the encampment was being built - Is a frequent Fox News guest
BREAKING: Yalies4Palestine, Yale’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, was deregistered as an official student org at 3 PM today by Yale admin. The move comes after 200 students built a new encampment last night, an action the group says they were unaffiliated with. 🧵
BREAKING: Under threat of imminent arrests, organizers have instructed the newly constructed Gaza solidarity encampment at Yale to disperse for the night. They instructed protestors to reconvene tomorrow, when war-criminal Itamar Ben-Gvir will be addressing a Yale society. 🧵