Michael Friedrich
@mfriedrichnyc.bsky.social
writing about the politics of cities and housing for The Baffler, The New Republic, & others https://linktr.ee/mfriedrichnyc
Pinned
Rent Debtors Strike Against Abusive Corporate Landlord
The Debt Collective is leading the charge against the real estate behemoth Equity Residential.
prospect.org
A group of former tenants has organized the first rent debt strike in U.S. history. They are refusing to pay back unjust debts to Equity Residential, a corporate landlord accused of widespread misconduct. I wrote about their campaign for @prospect.org. prospect.org/infrastructu...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
I have a new piece out today in Phenomenal World, on the economics of a freeze in NYC regulated rents. www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/aft...
February 12, 2026 at 2:43 PM
I have a new piece out today in Phenomenal World, on the economics of a freeze in NYC regulated rents. www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/aft...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
thinking we need to suspend Godwin’s Law for the foreseeable future
More than 400 people, including hundreds of citizens, were “sorted” at gun point into racial and ethnic groups by 200 ICE agents who fired flash-bang grenades into cars with people inside, pointed guns at children & demanded their zip tied parents not comfort them. apple.news/Ausdx6kWtT0e...
Idaho families sue over immigration raid that swept up hundreds, including U.S. citizens — NBC News
About 400 people, including children and U.S. citizens, were detained for four hours while they were denied food and water in the raid, according to the lawsuit.
apple.news
February 12, 2026 at 5:04 AM
thinking we need to suspend Godwin’s Law for the foreseeable future
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
It turns out that data shows the negative impacts of luxury construction that low-income tenants constantly point out based on experience. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/r...
February 10, 2026 at 4:40 PM
It turns out that data shows the negative impacts of luxury construction that low-income tenants constantly point out based on experience. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/r...
I went on @marketplace.org to talk about my @bloomberglp.bsky.social story on how community-led tool libraries, founded on the principles of mutual aid, are increasingly becoming a resource during climate disasters. www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...
Tool libraries lend out hope during disasters
After Hurricane Helene hit Asheville, North Carolina, in 2024, the local tool library stepped in.
www.marketplace.org
February 10, 2026 at 4:50 PM
I went on @marketplace.org to talk about my @bloomberglp.bsky.social story on how community-led tool libraries, founded on the principles of mutual aid, are increasingly becoming a resource during climate disasters. www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...
It turns out that data shows the negative impacts of luxury construction that low-income tenants constantly point out based on experience. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/r...
February 10, 2026 at 4:40 PM
It turns out that data shows the negative impacts of luxury construction that low-income tenants constantly point out based on experience. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/r...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
In this economy, every story is a housing story.
January 30, 2026 at 3:16 AM
In this economy, every story is a housing story.
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
I traveled home to Minnesota to report on the rolling fallout of Operation Metro Surge. Both the occupation and neighborhood responses was breathtaking in scale. History in the making.
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
Thanks to the @economichardship.bsky.social for support
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
Thanks to the @economichardship.bsky.social for support
Fifteen Below Zero | Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein
Driving to St. Paul from the airport you pass under Fort Snelling, an enormous limestone structure from the early nineteenth century. In November 1862,
www.nybooks.com
January 30, 2026 at 6:16 PM
I traveled home to Minnesota to report on the rolling fallout of Operation Metro Surge. Both the occupation and neighborhood responses was breathtaking in scale. History in the making.
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
Thanks to the @economichardship.bsky.social for support
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
Thanks to the @economichardship.bsky.social for support
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
Gentrification, without lots of long-term affordable housing in place to maintain diversity, is likely to lead to resegregated exclusion and NIMBYism. Example #3496
(Kirkwood is a mostly gentrified, formerly predominately-Black neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta.)
(Kirkwood is a mostly gentrified, formerly predominately-Black neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta.)
Kirkwood NPU rejects 47-microunit complex for elderly unhoused Atlantans
The chorus of “no” votes doesn't mean the plan to build long-term housing for unhoused people is finished.
atlantaciviccircle.org
January 30, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Gentrification, without lots of long-term affordable housing in place to maintain diversity, is likely to lead to resegregated exclusion and NIMBYism. Example #3496
(Kirkwood is a mostly gentrified, formerly predominately-Black neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta.)
(Kirkwood is a mostly gentrified, formerly predominately-Black neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta.)
In this economy, every story is a housing story.
January 30, 2026 at 3:16 AM
In this economy, every story is a housing story.
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
Honored to be quoted in new article: Storm Recovery? That’s a Job for a Tool Library
TL;DR: As federal emergency assistance dries up, community tool-lending programs have emerged as a hyperlocal way to fill the gap and improve climate resilience
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
TL;DR: As federal emergency assistance dries up, community tool-lending programs have emerged as a hyperlocal way to fill the gap and improve climate resilience
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Storm Recovery? That’s a Job for a Tool Library
As federal emergency assistance dries up, community tool-lending programs have emerged as a hyperlocal way to fill the gap and improve climate resilience.
www.bloomberg.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Honored to be quoted in new article: Storm Recovery? That’s a Job for a Tool Library
TL;DR: As federal emergency assistance dries up, community tool-lending programs have emerged as a hyperlocal way to fill the gap and improve climate resilience
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
TL;DR: As federal emergency assistance dries up, community tool-lending programs have emerged as a hyperlocal way to fill the gap and improve climate resilience
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
The reality of the situation is that whatever Trump personally thinks about anything, he is allowing Stephen Miller to run his administration because he is lazy and stupid, and the entire decision-making apparatus on immigration has been infested with Nazis.
January 27, 2026 at 2:31 PM
The reality of the situation is that whatever Trump personally thinks about anything, he is allowing Stephen Miller to run his administration because he is lazy and stupid, and the entire decision-making apparatus on immigration has been infested with Nazis.
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
As climate change spurs more frequent and damaging natural disasters, the Trump administration has retreated from providing relief. In this context, tool libraries have grown into more than just an asset for DIY home projects. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Storm Recovery? That’s a Job for a Tool Library
As federal emergency assistance dries up, community tool-lending programs have emerged as a hyperlocal way to fill the gap and improve climate resilience.
www.bloomberg.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:21 PM
As climate change spurs more frequent and damaging natural disasters, the Trump administration has retreated from providing relief. In this context, tool libraries have grown into more than just an asset for DIY home projects. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
When emergencies arise, coming together to lend and fix tools can represent a radical act: caring for each other where the state has fallen short.
I wrote for @bloomberglp.bsky.social about how community tool libraries are responding to climate disasters. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
I wrote for @bloomberglp.bsky.social about how community tool libraries are responding to climate disasters. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Storm Recovery? That’s a Job for a Tool Library
As federal emergency assistance dries up, community tool-lending programs have emerged as a hyperlocal way to fill the gap and improve climate resilience.
www.bloomberg.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:20 PM
When emergencies arise, coming together to lend and fix tools can represent a radical act: caring for each other where the state has fallen short.
I wrote for @bloomberglp.bsky.social about how community tool libraries are responding to climate disasters. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
I wrote for @bloomberglp.bsky.social about how community tool libraries are responding to climate disasters. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
When emergencies arise, coming together to lend and fix tools can represent a radical act: caring for each other where the state has fallen short.
I wrote for @bloomberglp.bsky.social about how community tool libraries are responding to climate disasters. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
I wrote for @bloomberglp.bsky.social about how community tool libraries are responding to climate disasters. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Storm Recovery? That’s a Job for a Tool Library
As federal emergency assistance dries up, community tool-lending programs have emerged as a hyperlocal way to fill the gap and improve climate resilience.
www.bloomberg.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:20 PM
When emergencies arise, coming together to lend and fix tools can represent a radical act: caring for each other where the state has fallen short.
I wrote for @bloomberglp.bsky.social about how community tool libraries are responding to climate disasters. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
I wrote for @bloomberglp.bsky.social about how community tool libraries are responding to climate disasters. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
I was at bankruptcy court for three hours yesterday and listened to more of the hearing online after that. The lawyers for my current landlord and the presumptive buyer were SO mad about organized tenants so I personally think every rent-stabilized building should form a union :)
Slumlord update: Sale set to be finalized today. Thanks to tenant organizing "the bank financing the deal offered to extend a $3M line of credit to fund repairs." Buyer negotiated w city, tenants "around a binding timeline and specific cash commitment to address thousands of housing code violations"
NYC landlord clashes with Mamdani administration in 9-hour bankruptcy hearing
Attorneys for City Hall and Pinnacle tenants argued for legally binding financial commitments that would compel a new buyer to address housing violations.
gothamist.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:56 PM
I was at bankruptcy court for three hours yesterday and listened to more of the hearing online after that. The lawyers for my current landlord and the presumptive buyer were SO mad about organized tenants so I personally think every rent-stabilized building should form a union :)
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
For @thenation.com and @typeinvestigations.org, I looked into American Landmark, a major landlord filing evictions far more than the national average.
I found they are owned by an Israeli company with ties to the IDF, including during the Gaza genocide. (1/10)
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
I found they are owned by an Israeli company with ties to the IDF, including during the Gaza genocide. (1/10)
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Eviction Kings
One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.
www.thenation.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:57 PM
For @thenation.com and @typeinvestigations.org, I looked into American Landmark, a major landlord filing evictions far more than the national average.
I found they are owned by an Israeli company with ties to the IDF, including during the Gaza genocide. (1/10)
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
I found they are owned by an Israeli company with ties to the IDF, including during the Gaza genocide. (1/10)
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
Today's must-read by @thomasbirm.bsky.social: a major corporate landlord is fueling homelessness across the U.S. *and* the mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank.
The Israeli company owns tens of thousands of apartments in the South, filing evictions at nine times the national average.
The Israeli company owns tens of thousands of apartments in the South, filing evictions at nine times the national average.
The Eviction Kings
One of Israel’s biggest companies is taking over huge swaths of US real estate—and tenants are paying the price.
www.thenation.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Today's must-read by @thomasbirm.bsky.social: a major corporate landlord is fueling homelessness across the U.S. *and* the mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank.
The Israeli company owns tens of thousands of apartments in the South, filing evictions at nine times the national average.
The Israeli company owns tens of thousands of apartments in the South, filing evictions at nine times the national average.
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
Many Jewish institutional leaders have spent the past few months promising that New York Jews will be in danger if Zohran wins.
We’re about to see exactly how wrong they were.
Will they admit it?
empty-brain.ghost.io/will-jewish-...
We’re about to see exactly how wrong they were.
Will they admit it?
empty-brain.ghost.io/will-jewish-...
Will Jewish leaders atone for their sins next year?
Falsifiable fearmongering and the Zohran Mamdani election.
Maybe because they’re clergy so bad behavior takes on an fancier form, or because their worst conduct has played out in the shadow of the Hi...
empty-brain.ghost.io
November 3, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Many Jewish institutional leaders have spent the past few months promising that New York Jews will be in danger if Zohran wins.
We’re about to see exactly how wrong they were.
Will they admit it?
empty-brain.ghost.io/will-jewish-...
We’re about to see exactly how wrong they were.
Will they admit it?
empty-brain.ghost.io/will-jewish-...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
Under Trump, the draconian future of homelessness policy is coming into focus: mass internment. Utah is building a 16-acre site to detain up to 1,300 homeless people inside locked "accountability centers." This is profoundly alarming.
Vital reporting from @ellenbarry.bsky.social and Jason DeParle:
Vital reporting from @ellenbarry.bsky.social and Jason DeParle:
In Utah, Trump’s Vision for Homelessness Begins to Take Shape
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Under Trump, the draconian future of homelessness policy is coming into focus: mass internment. Utah is building a 16-acre site to detain up to 1,300 homeless people inside locked "accountability centers." This is profoundly alarming.
Vital reporting from @ellenbarry.bsky.social and Jason DeParle:
Vital reporting from @ellenbarry.bsky.social and Jason DeParle:
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
Published my first Op-Ed w/ Professor Ed Goetz on how the national narrative about Minneapolis misses how zoning and market rate housing are necessary but not sufficient to help lower-income renters 🧵 www.startribune.com/twin-cities-...
Opinion | We’re seeing haves and have-nots with Minneapolis rents
While the housing cost burden is easing overall, it’s not the case for lower-income renters, the authors write.
www.startribune.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Published my first Op-Ed w/ Professor Ed Goetz on how the national narrative about Minneapolis misses how zoning and market rate housing are necessary but not sufficient to help lower-income renters 🧵 www.startribune.com/twin-cities-...
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
Nobody wants it as a story but I have multiple NYPD sources who voted for Mamdani, are eager for his win in November, and who say their colleagues quietly feel the same.
They like that he wants NYPD to focus on crime, not quality of life enforcement.
They like that he wants NYPD to focus on crime, not quality of life enforcement.
October 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Nobody wants it as a story but I have multiple NYPD sources who voted for Mamdani, are eager for his win in November, and who say their colleagues quietly feel the same.
They like that he wants NYPD to focus on crime, not quality of life enforcement.
They like that he wants NYPD to focus on crime, not quality of life enforcement.
Reposted by Michael Friedrich
A group of tenants with rent debt are refusing to pay Equity Residential, one of the largest corporate landlords. The campaign’s goals are to win debt cancellation and spur regulatory action to hold corporate landlords accountable. Michael Friedrich reports:
prospect.org/infrastructu...
prospect.org/infrastructu...
Rent Debtors Strike Against Abusive Corporate Landlord
The Debt Collective is leading the charge against the real estate behemoth Equity Residential.
prospect.org
October 6, 2025 at 2:09 PM
A group of tenants with rent debt are refusing to pay Equity Residential, one of the largest corporate landlords. The campaign’s goals are to win debt cancellation and spur regulatory action to hold corporate landlords accountable. Michael Friedrich reports:
prospect.org/infrastructu...
prospect.org/infrastructu...
