Residents of Calle Tribulete 7 in Madrid are fighting back against an investment fund that bought their building, using creative protests to draw attention to Spain's housing crisis.
The fund pressured tenants to leave through steep rent hikes and disruptive construction that caused flooding in several apartments.
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In response, the community organized, contacted the local tenants' union, hired a lawyer, and launched protests.
They also opened their homes to the public, inviting musicians to perform inside the threatened flats and shops.
A month later, tenants took furniture onto the street to cook, knit, play chess, and listen to a local brass band.
Shift in Housing Activism
Since the 2008 financial crisis, Spanish housing campaigners have adapted their strategies.
While the Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH) previously focused on mortgage loans and bank evictions, today's crisis involves funds buying entire buildings.
Large investment funds now acquire properties with dozens of tenants, changing the housing landscape.
A new style of media coverage celebrates threatened communities to inspire mobilization for decent housing.
Documentary filmmakers have spent two years in Lavapiés witnessing the rise of a new social movement.
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The tenants of Tribulete 7 include young families, pensioners, migrants, teachers, healthcare workers, and artists.
They used their social and cultural capital to turn their apartment block into a stage for resistance.
Nani, a second-floor resident who runs the DJ collective El Elemento for people with disabilities, fears for the group's future if displacement occurs.
Local authorities champion neighborhood culture, but critics say they show little interest in resolving the housing crisis.
Recent planning reforms in Madrid have made it easier to convert residential buildings into tourist accommodations through simple license changes.
Lavapiés already has one of the highest concentrations of unlicensed tourist rentals due to its central location.
The residents and their lawyer, Alejandra Jacinto Uranga, have filed a lawsuit against the investment fund for alleged real estate harassment.
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The building's owners reject the allegations and fight the case, while tenants focus on community care to bring the neighborhood together.
