Dear Editor: I started the morning with a big cuppa and the March 22nd edition of the Rockridge Voice—another brilliant edition, congrats! I particularly love the diversity of topics in each month’s Voice because it is mind- and awareness-expanding, presents the diverse flavors, concerns, and ideas of Rockridge neighbors — and is interesting to those of us outside of Rockridge, too.
I particularly enjoyed the articles on front yard gardens and the story about renters by James Rojas. Having owned my own homes since my early 20s, I experienced the real devaluation of being a renter when I sold our last home, so I was intrigued by his angle on this story.
I was surprised at how many fewer opportunities were offered to me as a renter vs. homeowner, how renters are perceived as less valued, even while I’ve personally tripled my time and donations to help the community, and what a vast difference there is between responsible landlords and those who distrust, ignore, or disrespect tenants.
Mr. Rojas’ article was about the freedom we have as renters to not be tied to the repairs, upgrades, and “internal” responsibilities of ownership and how a kind of sustainability should be a consideration for renters.
Having moved into many varied subcultures around the world, and with his perspective as an urban planner, I was intrigued by the value he placed on renting and how it seems to me that our culture holds such a different superficial entitlement of ownership that under-girds so many deeper issues of injustice: slave “ownership,” voting rights, political power, classism, racism, and opportunities for education, business, funding, employment, and cultural participation.
More radically, in light of the rise of authoritarianism internationally, I give more credence to the realization I came to as a teenager that we have all been trained as pawns of a power elite class, made to work ever harder and longer just for basic Maslowian survival rights of food, shelter, and safety for our families.
I’d like to see Mr. Rojas explore this topic more in-depth one day as our governmental power struggle develops with the rich getting richer off the backs of the poor getting poorer.
Great journalism is supposed to entice deeper thought and discourse. The Rockridge Voice seems to be doing just that. Congratulations!
