Men and women chained themselves together outside a New Orleans courthouse to block landlords from filing evictions
- Protesters in New Orleans stood outside of a courthouse this week to block landlords from entering and filing evictions.
- Louisiana's eviction moratorium was lifted on June 15, but a federal moratorium didn't end until Saturday.
- One courthouse in the city has already seen 343 evictions, which was in the range of normal pre-pandemic, according to Nola.com.
- The protests disrupted some court hearings, but there were no arrests, officials told Nola.com.
Men and women stood chained together outside of a New Orleans courthouse to block landlords and attorneys from being able to enter to file evictions, Nola.com first reported.
The protestors banged pots and pans and stopped people from entering City Hall and the building that houses the First City and Orleans Parish Civil District courts, according to Nola.com.
The move came several days after a federal moratorium on evictions was lifted last week. The state of Louisiana's moratorium ended on June 15, but the nationwide ban protected people who lived in federally-backed properties, which are about half the renters in New Orleans, according to Nola.com.
The ending of moratoriums across the country will likely lead to a spike in homelessness due to pandemic-related job losses and the related economic crisis. Making rent during these times is impossible for some.
Emily Benfer, one of the creators of Princeton University's Eviction Lab, told Reuters that a whopping 28 million Americans could lose their homes in the coming months as these bans expire. For context, about 10 million people were evicted following the 2008 financial crisis.
As of Thursday afternoon, 343 evictions had been filed in New Orleans' First City Court since the end of the state ban. That's a number that is about normal for pre-pandemic times, Nola.com reported.
Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse, using furniture to block the doors. Some climbed on the roof.
The protest disrupted some court hearings, including evictions, but didn't result in arrests, officials told the local outlet.