In an article featured in The Cut, Bridget Read portrayed me as an Eco Yogi Slumlord, but her narrative is built on falsehoods. Allow me to explain how Bridget Read distorted facts deliberately and with malicious intent, crafting a narrative that diverges significantly from reality.
Upon our visit to Dean Street, it was explicitly communicated that no tenant was facing eviction. We took the initiative to change the locks, providing every tenant with a new key. This measure was prompted by the presence of an illegal squatter, Scout, who had recently occupied the premises. To prevent our property from becoming a haven for squatters, we promptly requested Scout, a white woman, to vacate. No other tenant was subjected to eviction.
This is the false claim that Bridget Read and Leticia James believed and used to take away our house: All the tenants lied and told the press that we were kicking everyone out. That’s not true.
The reality is, we only asked Scout, an illegal squatter who had been there less than a week, to leave. Our lawyer and the police both confirmed that this action was legal.
We never threatened or harassed any tenants. Our conduct was always professional, with no raised voices or intimidation, contrary to their false claims. Due to the tenants lie, we lost our house and had to pay $300,000 for alleged “emotional damages”—all falsehoods.
Throughout the process, no one listened to our explanation that the supposed eviction was based on lies by the tenants. When I informed Bridget Read, she ignored me deliberately. Acknowledging the truth would have disrupted her entire narrative, so she chose to ignore it. Similarly, for Leticia James, acknowledging the truth would have undermined her ability to use the situation for a press release celebrating her victory against the “Eco Yogi Slumlord.” The narrative of “woke tenants lying for money” doesn’t serve their self-interest.