Oct. 1, 1978: 43 years ago, Oct. 1 1978, over 200 residents of the 428-unit Ping Yuen [...]
43 years ago, Oct. 1 1978, over 200 residents of the 428-unit Ping Yuen public housing complex in San Francisco’s Chinatown began a months long rent strike over dilapidated housing conditions and the horrific murder of a young resident and sweatshop seamstress, Julia Wong
Tenants of the complex founded the Ping Yuen Residents Improvement Association in 1966 after years or disrepair and neglect, habitability and security issues, to fight for better housing conditions. In the mid-70s, the Asian Law Caucus began organizing tenants in the building
Early organizing efforts and the threat of rent strikes had won small improvements and repairs for tenants but the SF Housing Authority ignored most of the organizing demands. Ed Lee, future mayor of San Francisco, who was working with the ALC, pushed tenants to withhold rent
After the brutal murder of a young tenant, Julia Wong, on Aug. 23, 1978–who was assaulted while having to walk up an unlit stairwell due to malfunctioning elevators–outraged tenants began meeting frequently with Lee and other ALC organizers to plan a rent strike
In late Sep., tenants dropped a banner from the third story balcony announcing that they would begin withholding rent on Oct. 1. By Jan. 1979, their demands for increased security and building repairs were met and their suit against the SF Housing Authority was won in their favor
The victory of the Ping Yuen Tenants Association inspired several rent strikes against the SFHA in the following years by public housing residents throughout San Francisco.
