A TikTok user recently sparked discussion after posting a video that shows a series of eviction slips hanging on the wall of a building she says she just moved into. The video, posted by Taijé (@taijeeeee_), has over 331,000 views.
“Recession is real,” Taijé writes in the caption.
The TikToker’s video reflects a trend of rising evictions across the United States. According to an article published earlier this month by NBC News, “Eviction filings…were above their historical averages in half of the 1,059 counties tracked by Legal Services Corp., a federally-funded legal aid group, during either August or September.”
@taijeeeee_ Recession is real
♬ original sound – JiggyWitFr3akrocc ‼️
“The problem is expected to get worse in the coming months as federal rental assistance money runs out and people are unable to keep pace with rising rents and decades-high inflation, according to interviews with more than a dozen housing advocates, government officials and industry experts,” the article continues.
As the above quote notes, rising rents play a part in the uptick in evictions. “Rents rose 9% year over year in September,” analyst group Redfin claims.
While this is a slower increase than earlier in the year, this number also doesn’t tell the whole story.
The national average rental price may have only increased by 9%, but in some cities, rents are rising at a dramatically faster rate. For example, Redfin’s data notes that rental prices in Pittsburgh have increased 20% year-over-year. In Oklahoma City, that number is even higher, reaching 24.1%.
In the comment section of Taijé’s video, users speculated what circumstances may have caused the dramatic number of evictions in the TikToker’s complex.
“They probably recently raised the rent a month or 2 before you moved in,” one commenter suggested. “Either way praying for all these families.”
Other users claimed they had also seen evidence that evictions are increasing.
“There’s been 6 evictions in my building alone this month,” one user stated. “I really hope they managed to find housing elsewhere.”
“There is a uhaul truck in my complex every other day almost,” a second claimed.
Incidents like these have inspired some TikTokers to take action.
“Time to organize all the tenants together into a union and rent strike,” one user proposed.
“If we could unite the proletariat to do this across the country we would have change overnight,” another stated.
The Daily Dot reached out to Taijé via Instagram direct message.
