Berlin - A Revolution by Law with Joanna Kusiak

05/04/22 • 42 min

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Sixty percent of voters in Berlin voted to socialize apartments owned by corporate landlords with more than 3,000 properties in the city, but what comes next?
The Filmmaker and the Advocate catch up with Joanna Kusiak, spokesperson for DW enteignen, on what has happened since the September 2021 Berlin referendum that voted in favor of government expropriation of over 200,000 privately-owned apartments in Berlin to create a new system of public housing.
After years and years of pushing for reform, the referendum made headlines around the world as voter support was spread across all political parties in Berlin. Fredrik, Leilani, and Joanna discuss what it takes to build a revolution that uses the legal system while simultaneously challenging it, and keeping momentum when a movement isn't making headlines.

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Palestine and the Heartache of an Advocate

The Filmmaker and the Advocate are traveling again!
While traveling to Palestine on a research trip at the invitation of the Norwegian Refugee Council, The Advocate was confronted with her family history and what her parents call "The Palestinian Heartache." Her trip through the villages of Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territories left her focused on the hope of a future where the Palestinian people have a voice. The Advocate also talks about learning to persevere in her work while while carrying sadness, and fighting with human rights.
All that, plus a week-long stopover in Pittsburgh to launch Fair Housing Month. Formerly a hub for the steel industry and home to jazz legends, the city's population has dropped by more than half in recent years, and the number keeps on dwindling. The city has yet to fall victim to some of the more virulent forms of financialization - and the Advocate is hoping to keep it that way.
And where has the Filmmaker been lately? Listen to the end to find out!
*See Leilani's photos from her trip to Palestine here.
*Please note this episode was recorded in early April, before the religious holidays and prior to the recent violence that has emerged.

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Next Episode

Voice of the Voiceless - Revisiting Grenfell w/ Lowkey

It's been five years since Grenfell Tower in London burned down, after polyethylene cladding installed to make the building look more attractive acted as an accelerant and rapidly spread the fire along the length of the building. In the years since, many of those affected by the fire have had their lives uprooted, and there has been no real accountability. Many people whose homes still have the cladding are being forced to bear the cost of removing the expensive material from their buildings (sometimes as much as £50,000), despite having no say in its installation.
Leilani and Fredrik are joined by Kareem Dennis, also known as Lowkey, a London-based activist, writer, and rapper for a history lesson on the Kensington neighborhood around Grenfell, and the attritional violence that came to a head that night in June when the building caught fire. What can be done when the corporations responsible have no body to punish and no soul to condemn?

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