Formerly Incarcerated Black Men Facing Eviction In Boston Say They’re Being Targeted

A group of formerly incarcerated residents in a luxury Boston complex claims they are being subjected to legal harassment.

A loft complex in Boston’s Charlestown community is under scrutiny for legal threats directed at formerly incarcerated tenants with darker skin.

Michael Penn and Demetrius Calhoun are among several formerly incarcerated residents who claim they are being unfairly forced out of their homes at the Graphic Lofts — an upscale apartment complex featuring a fitness center, roof deck, and pet spa. Both men believe they are being targeted due to their past criminal records and race.

“They want me out,” Penn told GBH News. “It sucks when I move into a situation where I’m happy to be and for no reason other than the fact that I’m Black or I have a record or, you know, they just don’t like my appearance. … To them, I just scream Black thug or, you know, gangster or whatever.”

The property used to accept residents with criminal records, according to Leslie Credle, the head of Justice 4 Housing, a nonprofit supporting formerly incarcerated individuals in the Boston area. Justice 4 Housing has successfully placed about a dozen people there with the help of city and state-subsidized vouchers over the last two years.

However, she now says her clients are receiving warnings and eviction notices due to unjust claims of smoking in the building or speaking aggressively to staff. Credle notes that all the individuals facing eviction have been people of color.

“Everybody that Justice 4 Housing put in [Graphic Lofts] is getting these letters that are saying that they’re being terrible tenants. They’re just making things up,” Credle said. “It was the dog. It was the window. It was the smoke. It’s anything and everything they can put their hands on, and they bombard them with legal letters.”

The property is owned by GWL Direct 32 Cambridge LLC, a limited liability company, and managed by Willow Bridge Property Company. According to Turk and Milone, a law firm representing the management company, they are “committed to providing safe, decent, and affordable housing” for their residents. However, they stated that “if a resident fails to comply with their lease and disrupts the rights of others to peacefully enjoy their apartments, Graphic Lofts must take action to support the community as a whole.”

Credle noted that while the tenants would probably win in housing court if they contested their evictions, most people with criminal records already struggle to secure housing, and the situation worsens when their name appears in housing court records. Justice 4 Housing is working to relocate many of its Graphic Lofts clients to other buildings.

“They don’t want to stay there after being harassed and targeted,” Credle said.