Streets of Change: Alisha Mess Reports from NYC Frontlines
Slumlord Millionaire: Inside NYC's Housing Justice Battle
49m
This episode of Streets of Change: Reporting on Protests, Activism, and Civil Rights in NYC features a powerful conversation with two legal advocates and the directors of the documentary Slumlord Millionaire, which premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. Host Alisha Mess interviews attorneys Bill Lienhard and Adam Grumbach, along with filmmakers Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez, who are working to expose and dismantle systemic housing injustices in New York City. From unsafe living conditions and tenant harassment to the quiet epidemic of deed theft, these lawyers are leading critical David-and-Goliath legal battles against powerful developers and complicit institutions. With roots in education, community law, and tenant advocacy, the guests share how they use the legal system as both shield and sword in the ongoing fight for housing as a human right. Their insights shed light on the emotional, political, and legal dimensions of gentrification and displacement, and on the courage, it takes to stand with tenants in a city under siege by speculative development.
Up Next in Season 1
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