Throughout
the semester we have been learning about the process of eviction and the issues
that lie within the system that makes it hard for people entrapped in the
eviction process to get out or get help. The past few classes, as a class we
have discussed many different reasons as to why this is such a difficult
process to handle as someone who might not have access to a computer or to
knowledge higher than themselves. A couple main points to focus on are the
process in which the tenant receives the notice to quit to the experience of
the courthouse in general and the processes of court itself.
One
of the main issues in the eviction process is the ability to gain or retrieve
information. As part of our research, we were tasked to find and record how
difficult it was to obtain the information necessary to find out the rights of
a tenant and landlord, information on the court process, and information on the
legal processes of eviction. As a class we came across many resources as a
result of a simple web search or some digging through different links on
Mass.gov and Boston.gov. We even came across different links to forms and examples
of eviction notices and court orders that could be useful for either filing for
yourself or comparing to the documentation that you may have received from a
landlord or organization. One of the most helpful resources we came across is
the eviction guide for Massachusetts from 2017 (https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/document-file-09-2017/eviction_guide_2017.pdf)
which provides vital information to the process of eviction for both tenants
and landlords and provides forms and steps that need to be followed in the
process of eviction.
We
have started to identify some larger issues within the context of the eviction
process and we have begun to think about what that could mean for scaling the
issues to within the Brooke Courthouse and identifying the issues needed to be
addressed to begin reform of the broken system. One of the key points of reform
now is access of information in general, almost as if you were to have the
information you wouldn’t need to
find it, but if you don’t you wouldn’t know where to find it.