Lorenzo Jones

“It’s like housing organizing is tenant organizing. And tenant organizing is no different than labor organizing or health care organizing or criminal justice organizing. That’s the same as being African-American or Latino, American or Irish-American, you’re either American, or you ain’t either organized or you aren’t.”

– Lorenzo Jones

Background

Lorenzo’s journey into community organizing in Hartford, Connecticut began through their involvement with the Association of Hartford Organizing Projects (AHOP). This initial engagement paved the way for a role within United Connecticut Action for Neighborhoods (UCAN) led by Jack Mellow. Lorenzo’s dedication to addressing issues in Hartford’s neighborhoods was evident throughout their path in community activism and organizing.

Involvement in Organizing and Activism

Within UCAN Lorenzo took on an apprentice organizing fellowship, which was a departure from traditional roles like activism, pastoring or politics. An interesting aspect of their training involved spending six weeks at City Hall conducting title searches—an intensive process that laid the groundwork for his understanding of housing organizing. As Lorenzo progressed in his career he played a role in supervising and training organizers significantly contributing to the community’s ability to organize effectively.

Issues

A significant part of the interview revolved around discussing challenges encountered during community organizing particularly related to housing issues. Concerns such as landlords unexpectedly raising rents and substandard living conditions emerged as issues. Lorenzo shed light on their approach to tackling these problems—conducting title searches to identify landlords and collaborating with City Hall to hold them accountable.

The Strategic Housing and Redevelopment Plan (SHARP) played a role in the years 1993 to 1995 leading to the redevelopment of, than 500 housing units. This transformative project effectively addressed the needs of our community reshaping the area where Sigourney and Collins Street intersect.

Other Organizations and Movements

In addition the interview discussed the challenges arising from changes in demographics in the South End, where tensions emerged due to an increase in Latino communities. We explored how the Catholic Church interacted with Puerto Spanish speaking households highlighting the racial dynamics that were prevalent during that time in Hartford. Lorenzo emphasized how housing organizing was intricately connected to community demands placed on property owners positioning it within a framework of community organizing alongside efforts related to labor rights, healthcare and criminal justice.

Towards the end of the interview names like Marie Kirkley Bey, Kevin Kelly and Charlene St. Clair was mentioned as potential sources for insights into Hartford’s community organizing landscape during the 1990s. The interviewees extensive experience and strategic approaches provided an understanding of both challenges faced and achievements made within Hartford’s community development scene.