"We were all forced out. Our things were ruined. We could have moved out and stayed quiet. But we decided to let Jerry Curtis know he could not just change the locks and have us leave quietly. You have to stand up for your rights," Wilson continued. Wilson, Andria Crosby, and Ira Jones, who describe themselves as "everyday people," filed suit April 26 against Curtis, who is deputy attorney general for the State Justice Department. The women claim Curtis locked them out, repaired the building, and is charging new tenants rents that are up to $325 higher than they were paying.

Wilson described the events that led to them being forced out of the building at 3474 Boston Avenue in Oakland. "We knew there was a problem with the roof in 1999. We wrote two letters to Curtis at that time. All we got was 'When are you moving?' because he wanted to rent to someone else for a higher rent. Then the roof blew off on October 22. We called and he promised to send someone out. He left on vacation without doing anything, leaving us exposed to the elements. A few days later roofers came, took a look, but didn't do any work.

"On October 25 it rained. I got a call at school that the rain was pouring into my apartment. When I got there I found 30 leaks, water pouring out of every electrical outlet, and everything I owned ruined."

Wilson, Jones, and Crosby were evacuated by the Oakland Fire Department and the building was "blue tagged" as an electrocution hazard. A TV station covered the story on the local news. The City of Oakland cited Curtis and ordered him to bring the building into compliance with the city's building code. Then the three tenants received letters demanding they vacate the premises and then, after the repairs were completed, received a second letter stating they would not be allowed to move back as they had "brought shame" to Curtis by speaking to the television reporters.

"This isn't supposed to happen to good tenants," Jones told the demonstrators. "I always paid my rent, faithfully and on time We took care of the property. We always reported when repairs had to be made. Good tenants aren't supposed to be made homeless."

That was exactly the position Andria Crosby was in after the lockout. For weeks she slept on the floor of a friend's apartment. The press conference was the first time she had spoken in public. "I'm nervous, but I'm not afraid. We have to show he can't mess with us without consequences."

Literature produced by the women to build the demonstration echoed this theme: "Silence is a form of acceptance," it said.

The rally also heard from their lawyers, attorneys Kenneth Goldstein and Ira Jacobowitz.  
 
 
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