Blog Post < Previous | Next >
GGVRC
Marin Housing Authority Seeks to Evict Annie Small: a 98-Year Old Marinship Welder
Annie Small has lived in Marin City public housing for over 50 years. She just wants to live out the rest of her days in her home where she can be at peace. The following article about her plight was written by one of her granddaughters, Fetema Marcus.
Annie Small was an original “Rosie the Riveter.” She served the United States as a ship building welder on the piers of Sausalito and greatly added to the war effort with her peers. This group of women just celebrated their 75th Anniversary.
Annie has a special place in the hearts of Marin residents because she raised her family and fostered over 37 children during her life in Marin City.
Her family had been sharecroppers. She had to pick cotton as a little girl. Her mother died when she was only 5 years old. She grew up working in the cotton fields of Louisiana seeing lots of tragic things that happened to people we now call African-Americans.
Annie & Earnest Small Sr. migrated to Marin City CA in 1942 where she raised her 3 boys Robert, Ronnie and, Earnest Small Jr. and one girl, Flora Jean Small. She cleaned homes in Tiburon and San Rafael for a living. In those days if you were and an Afro American you were generally not allowed to work everywhere in Marin. Afro Americans could only live in Marin City, not Sausalito! Annie also babysat her grandchildren and the children of close friends as their mothers worked and went to school to make a living for their children and families. Annie also Foster-parented dozens of children and raised 4 of them to adulthood. They are all her extended family. She did all of this living in Marin public housing!
Annie has been in her current 3 bedroom unit for over 45 years. The Marin Housing Authority honored her along with other historical residents and “Grandfathered” them into their respective units.
Now, the new Marin Housing Authority officials are threatening to take away her “grandfathered unit.” They have issued a 30 – Day Notice to Vacate.
It all started when Annie was taken to Marin General for a medical evaluation on June 6, 2017. Marin General observed her for 3 days because she had lost weight and she was not taking her medication as she should have. Annie then went to rehab for a month. The Marin Housing Authority was informed of her whereabouts.
It seems that the Marin Housing Authority cannot abide a single older adult living in a 3 –bedroom unit despite Annie’s need for reasonable accommodations for care-givers and family to stay and take care of her on a 24-hour basis. Instead, these new officials apparently saw this as an opportunity to take back her unit and move her somewhere less desirable.
They tried to board up her windows explaining that it is for the protection of her personal property. They unilaterally changed the locks and gave keys to her granddaughters so they could clean up the unit and discard unwanted items. Annie’s granddaughters were forced to consider relocation, but no agreements had been reached. Two months went by with no direct communication from the Marin Housing Authority.
Starting in August, the granddaughters proceeded with preparing her current unit for Annie’s return home. The Marin Housing Authority had other plans and they offered a unit in Novato, CA. The granddaughters informed the Marin Housing Authority that they could not move Annie out of Marin City after 75 plus years!
About one month later, with no notification, Lewis Jordan (the executive director of the Marin Housing Authority) brought Congressman Jared Huffman and two of his staff members into Annie’s unit for an inspection. It is still not clear what the purpose of that visit might have been.
The Congressman’s office was contacted and concerns were raised that the visit on August 30, 2017 was unauthorized and potentially unlawful. His office said they will look into it.
The Marin Housing Authority representative responsible for this mess is Ilya Filmus, the Marin Housing Authority’s legal counsel and the de facto Manager of Marin City Public Housing. He informed Annie’s granddaughters that they had found a unit for her to move to as she is being forced to relocate in a matter of weeks.
It was clear that the Marin Housing Authority never wanted Annie to move home. They appear to have done everything in their power to have Annie’s stay in the Acute Care facility extended through regular communications by Mr. Filmus with rehab staff.
A medical decision was made that Annie was no longer thriving at the rehab center and a plan for her to return to her Marin City home was approved by the rehab staff’s social worker and other concerned therapy providers. Annie’s granddaughters did move Annie home on December 11, 2017.
Despite multiple potential violations of Annie’s rights, the Marin Housing Authority has alleged baseless violations of her lease that appear contrary to state and federal law. The eviction notice was served on December 21, 2017.
The Marin Housing Authority cannot be allowed to break Annie’s heart. Annie is one of the oldest Matriarch’s left in Marin City. The predecessor officials of the Marin Housing Authority, with the approval of the Board of Supervisors, provided the Marinship workers with housing protections by granting grandfathered status for their housing units.
An eviction of Annie Small cannot stand. The Marin Housing Authority can wait to take back this unit until Ms. Annie Small lives out the rest of her days in Marin City. The pressure of an eviction on a 98-year old icon in the community is contrary to the very protection she was awarded by the same legal entity.
The Marin Housing Authority cannot be allowed to take advantage of a medical setback, their alleged interference into Annie’s rehabilitation / discharge and the offering of inferior units on the basis that a move is for her own protection because she cannot utilize the stairs to get to the bedrooms on the second level. They apparently want to protect her for her own safety.
In fact, Annie lives on the first level in a hospital bed and she has no reason to climb the stairs for any purpose. She can utilize a wheel chair, with assistance from one or more caregivers, to enjoy the patio and visits from her extensive friends, family and followers.
Annie deserves to live in peace.