#tenantmarch

Today, Medill reporters covered a national tenant march protesting the Trump administration’s decision to cut nearly $7 billion in funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Reporters Lauren Baker, Jane Bodmer, Angel Idowu, Fatemeh Jamalpour, Yarilet Perez and Beixi “Bessie” Xu share their reporting experiences in a Q&A with web producer Katherine Lee.

What is the Tenant March?

Fatemeh Jamalpour: Many housing organizations from all over the U.S. organized the Tenants March to protest Trump’s housing plans and ask Congress to stop cutting over $7 billion in funding to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

What made you pursue this story?

Yarilet Perez: This is a story about people. It's about an issue that affects families, communities and their livelihoods.

(Photo: Yarilet Perez / MEDILL)

What were some of the things you first noticed when you arrived at the scene of the march?

Angel Idowu: There were so many people. Just when you thought all who were planning to attend were there, another 5 buses would pull up. It was beyond  crowded, it was packed. 

Jane Bodmer:  I noticed there were all kinds of people, and everyone was very friendly and relaxed. People were all sitting around eating and sharing food, having just gotten off the buses from New York.

Who did you meet or interview while you were reporting the story?

Beixi “Bessie” Xu: I interviewed Dianne Enriquez, one of the organizers of this event. I also spoke to three people who were each visiting from three different states.

(Photo: Beixi “Bessie” Xu / MEDILL)

What did you learn about the story that you hadn’t realized before? 

Beixi “Bessie” Xu: I talked to people who are homeless and disabled, and I was surprised by the huge numbers of homeless people. It's meaningful to do this story and give them a chance to speak out.

Angel Idowu: This housing issues impacts children in particular. Of course there are parents and other family members. But no one, in my opinion, is really thinking about the number of small children who would be put out of their homes. You think of the families they're apart of. But never just the children themselves. Once I realized that, I saw the issue in a completely different light. 

(Photo: Angel Idowu / MEDILL)

What were some challenges you encountered as you were reporting on the Tenant March, and how did you overcome them?

Jane Bodmer: THE HEAT. It was so hot and sweaty. We just had to push through it. On a more serious note, one thing we were concerned about was fairly representing all the different demographics who attended and who would be effected by the budget cuts to HUD. We tried to get people of different races, ages, able-bodied vs. not, etc. One thing we paid special attention to was asking about people's jobs and professional lives to combat the assumption that people only face housing issues because of unemployment (not true!).

Fatemeh Jamalpour: It was hard to find organizers and people from different cities.

Lauren Baker: One of the biggest challenges I encountered today was people's lack of awareness of my shooting. Many people bumped me, asked my questions while I was filming and even stood directly in my shot while filming. I also dealt with a lot of other reporters who were not as willing to share their space with me. Some reporters are not as welcoming as others and it is difficult to shoot the same shot in a tight space with large cameras. 

(Photo: Jane Bodmer / MEDILL)

What medium are you using to tell this story? What about that particular medium helps this story?

Lauren Baker: I am using a broadcast camera and broadcast television style to tell this story. I think what makes these mediums important to telling this story is because broadcast television is a focused on the people. People aren't watching the news because of some cool technical video. They are watching to see not only how other people are impacted by the news, but more importantly how they personally will be impacted by the news.

Yarilet Perez: I covered this story for Spanish broadcasting stations in New York. I interviewed people in Spanish, and many of the groups that showed up to the march for tenants were from my Bronx (which is my home in New York), so it was easy to connect with them, and ask the questions that mattered to them. Visual storytelling helps people relate because they can actually the impact of why is being done in the first place.