Radio QGLLU: How Activism and Community Drive Change in Housing Justice with Elias Naranjo

A current exploration of housing rights and activism led by Elias Naranjo highlights urgent issues in community organizing. We discuss the complexities of gentrification, the struggles within the LGBTQIA community, and the importance of prioritizing self-care amidst activism.

• Introduction to Radio Q GLLU and Elias Naranjo
• Discussing the challenges of affordable housing in LA
• The impact of gentrification on marginalized communities
• Coalition-building in the fight for housing rights
• The importance of self-care for activists
• Closing thoughts on collective responsibility and future actions

Are housing injustices widening the gap between communities? In this gripping episode, we sit down with Elias Naranjo, a dedicated community organizer making waves in the fight against housing inequity in Los Angeles. He shares his personal story as a first-generation Latine, illuminating the challenges that many face in today's housing climate. From navigating gentrification in neighborhoods like Boyle Heights to advocating for vulnerable populations, Elias discusses how intersecting identities shape the struggle for stable housing.

As conversations about gentrification heat up, Elias helps us unpack critical issues, highlighting the urgency for rent control and tenant protections. You'll hear how collective actions via coalitions are making a difference, along with the grassroots movements challenging systemic barriers in the housing landscape. These topics resonate far beyond LA, echoing the realities in urban centers nationwide.

We also explore self-care and community resilience, emphasizing the joy found in activism and the necessity for mental well-being when fighting for others’ rights. Elias’s insights as a passionate advocate shine through, inspiring listeners to reflect on their roles in their communities and encouraging proactive participation in the pursuit of justice.

Join us for this enlightening discourse that not only seeks to raise awareness but also ignites meaningful conversations about the future of housing as a human right. 

***Share your thoughts on how we can galvanize change in our communities. Engage with us on social media and leave a review!***

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Radio Q Glue
• 6:59 Meet Elias Naranjo, Community Organizer
• 42:00 The Battle Against Gentrification in LA
• 1:44:00 Conclusion and Reflections
• 4:50:00 The Intersection of Housing and LGBTQIA Rights
• 9:56:00 Self

Transcript

Rita Gonzales: 0:04

Welcome to the Out Agenda. Coming to you on archivekpfkorg, I'm Rita Gonzalez. Well, we have another monthly segment of Radio Q Glue. Welcome to Radio Q Glue Podcast, the show that takes a deep dive into what the queer, gay and lesbian Latin community is talking about. I'm Rita Gonzalez.

Mario J. Novoa: 0:34

I'm Mario Novoa.

Rita Gonzales: 0:36

I'm Lydia Otero

Eduardo Archuleta: 0:38

Eduardo Archuleta.

Mario J. Novoa: 0:42

In today's episode we're talking with Elias Naranjo. Elias Naranjo, he him el is a transgender first-generation Latinx, born and raised in Southern California. He is a community organizer and housing activist in Los Angeles. Elias is passionate about nature, cooking, photography and working out Welcome. Can you share with our listeners a bit about your personal background and what initially inspired you to become a community organizer and a housing activist?

Elias Naranjo: 1:14

Yeah, thank you Mario. Thank you so much y'all for having me on here. It's amazing and lovely to see you know, or see y'all you know, virtually at least. Yeah, so I guess, like my background, you know, I'm I'm first generation Peruvian, mexican. Like I don't have much connection or ancestry to this land. Most of my family, you know, is from Mexico or from Peru.

Elias Naranjo: 1:41

So I feel like I'm always at this constant like different thoughts of what it is to be, like a part of this being American and not having generational wealth and how that kind of also ties into like owning property, owning land and what that looks like. So for me I feel like it's been I don't know. I think I think growing up, my family and I we've always like rented and we've always like my, my grandma like owns a house now in Orange County, but it's it's, it's not paid off or anything, because that is like I don't know. I think it's been like a very big, like privileged thing to be able to do that stuff and considering, like my grandma, my grandma's only been in the US for 30 years. It's not easy to do that and you know, a lot of folks are working class and I think this is like a subject that touches like a lot of different populations, whether it's like first generation Latinos, queer and trans people, like owning property, people like owning property, owning housing, is like so, so important.

Elias Naranjo: 2:45

And I really got involved and like, over the last like two years, I was working for another nonprofit where we did anti gentrification work and displacement work in Los Angeles with young people. So I've been working with youth for a while and that job was specifically like kind of like an intro to what that is Like. I'm not like a professor of any means, like I was just an instructor doing research but trying to teach these youth what is gentrification, what is like displacement and how we're seeing it in real time, especially in the neighborhoods they live in. Because I was teaching in Boyle Heights area, which is a place that's becoming gentrified, has been gentrified now for the last several years. So it was really important to give these youth the knowledge and the power to really understand what's happening in their community and take back.

Elias Naranjo: 3:43

And now I'm working at a new nonprofit. They're connected Like a lot of the coalitions like work together, because it's a really big, it's just a really big landscape and we can't do it by ourselves, like. We have tons of orgs that we work with, but I work for an organization now called Eastside Leads and they specifically focus in East LA, boyle Heights, lincoln Heights area regarding housing disparity, anything that has to do with housing policies or affordable housing, social housing. That's essentially what we do, and I've been with them now for a few months, but I've really been working with them for over a year lately, so it's just, it's just been. It's been this whole process of trying to learn this landscape and how Los Angeles does their housing policies and how really unfair it is, because in a lot of other metropolitan cities they, they actually really care about their, their, the people that live there, and don't give so much money and power to landlords.

Lydia Otero: 4:49

Hi, Elias, it's good to see you. This is Lydia. Okay, so the fires happened and the fires just everything that was already what you described, I bet intensified in terms of the housing crisis in Los Angeles. So what are the biggest challenges now that that you're facing in Los Angeles because of the fires?

Elias Naranjo: 5:14

Yeah, that's a good, that's a good question and it's something that, like our team we're a small team but, like I said, we have connections to other coalitions, like we're part of a greater coalition called stay housed la and keep la housed, which are city started um campaigns that uh mobilize tenants and create workshops and try to get legal and help for anything defense like it is at like capacity, completely at capacity, like it's really hard to recommend people that but it is an option.

Elias Naranjo: 5:48

But that coalition came together, like immediately right after the fires happened, to try to pass a rent control, like a rent freeze, after everything happened happen and unfortunately it didn't pass, which was really really unfortunate because we really wanted to protect folks that were possibly going to be facing either evictions because of everything that's happened or at least, like not have tenants worry about the rent going up while this tragedies happen.

Elias Naranjo: 6:22

And LA didn't pass it and we tried really hard to get it passed and it was really unfortunate because this would have not only been great for all the folks affected but it would have gone all LA County, which would have been really incredible for everybody because, as of February of this year, folks can begin to raise the rent, you know, and that's something that we've been trying to fight against, because I, we feel like it just keeps going up every single year and when do we get to like a cap of okay, you need to stop raising the rent as much.

Elias Naranjo: 6:56

So I think that's something that's really relevant right now to us and the work that my, my job, has been doing and it's and it's been hard. I think um, the stay house la team has been really great on mobilizing and I, I know in the once I um it's. It's not set in stone at the moment, but we're going to be having some sort of um kind of like a resource fair regarding housing um in altadena in a few weeks, hopefully in march. Um, it's still being mobilized at the moment, but it is something that where we want to host some tenant workshops, having some legal aid there, being able to offer support for folks that don't know where to turn or where to go to.

Lydia Otero: 7:37

Wow, thank you.

Eduardo Archuleta: 7:39

Hi Elias. This is Eduardo and I want to ask has there been a particular experience that you've had that impacts your organizing work?

Elias Naranjo: 8:06

Yeah, it's a good question. I feel like I mentioned, from like housing to housing, just you know, not having a really set place, like I grew up in Orange County and like different cities and then just kind of I don't know realizing that feeling like having housing or stable housing feels so unattainable at times in California. And it is something that I think about like in my experience just living in LA, like I've like moved three times already and so it's like a strange feeling to just feel like you don't like have a home in a sense, because you're constantly like moving places. And I think that always, um, I feel like that always like sticks with me because like I want, like I love California, like I'm born and raised in California and I want to stay here as much as I can. But then there's also things in the back of my head where I'm like, oh, it's so not affordable. Like am I ever going to find, am I ever going to be like a homeowner here? Like is that even a smart idea, given you know the landscape and everything.

Elias Naranjo: 9:01

And I think that's something that always moves my work, because I really want everybody else to be able to feel stable and I also for myself. I think a lot of organizers like come from organizing because of their own experiences and they want to help other people. So, for me, I feel like I would love that as a reality of myself, like I would love not to pay as much as I do in rent, of course, and I also would love to see, you know, the market or at least like Los Angeles and hopefully California takes suit in being able to really like limit the power that landlords have and the people that are like grabbing land, that we see that it's become a market and housing is, you know, like it is a human right and it should not be on the market like so capitalistic, like that. And I think that's something that continues to inspire and move me because I want it to be a reality one day.

Rita Gonzales: 9:56

This is Rita. You talked about gentrification and trying to fight that, which is very difficult to do. I love Los Angeles, but unfortunately I had to leave Los Angeles because of that. I could not afford it. So, I moved to a place that I thought would help, and now gentrification is happening where I'm at. It just seems unavoidable. Now you talk about some of the older. Well, you talked about coalitions working together. Are there new coalitions happening, or are they any of them geared to the LGBTQIA community?

Elias Naranjo: 10:32

Right, yeah, no, that's a great question. I think there I don't know specifically of like ones that are LGBT, like centered, but I do know there are there is a lot of intersexuality within these organizations because, as we know, trans and queer people are actually a really vulnerable population in not having stable housing and actually right now too, we're seeing folks that are really vulnerable as well, are ages 50 and up and up, have become displaced, have become homeless because of that, and also right now I've heard many stories of folks that are like undocumented and they're actually like losing housing because of landlords threatening to like expose their status, and that's also a very vulnerable population and there's an intersexuality between that, because there's a lot of undocumented folks that are queer, are trans. So I don't know of a specific org I'd have to get back to you on that but I know LA tenant unions. There area lot of queer activists in that area. They're more of a really grassroots organization. They do incredible work. They are in different parts of LA, like it's kind of like city based, like there's a Koreatown one and then there's like a whole, a big, a bigger one, the LA tenant unions.

Elias Naranjo: 11:52

But I've seen and I personally have met like a lot of queer and trans activists that are really big in that LA tenant unions, because I feel like they're more they're not really guided by a nonprofit. Because I feel like they're more they're not really guided by a non-profit, so I feel like they're more radical in that sense. And some of the loudest folks like I've seen on in those orgs are, uh, younger, like trans and queer folks, just really trying to advocate and take up space for for literally everybody. And it's always really incredible to me seeing trans and queer people at the forefront of all these movements all the time, even when it's not just like for queer and trans people, but for everybody. And and I think that's really incredible, so I I would shout them out because I think they're really visible when it comes to that.

Mario J. Novoa: 12:38

Elias, this is Mario again. I can hear your passion about community building and being involved in these organizations and I know it's specifically with Stay Housed LA. You talked a little bit about it. Stay Housed LA is a partnership with LA County and the city of Los Angeles and it provides legal services, legal assistance, educational workshops and people can find other support services. I know you kind of shared with us your way into this activism and organizing. How do you, what type of advice would you give to others who would like to following your first footsteps?

Elias Naranjo: 13:23

yeah, I think you know I really think it's important like and speaking to like the gentrification, displacement, like if you happen to move to a community, I think the best way is to get involved in any way you can, especially in housing related stuff. Like you know, I'm not from Los Angeles and I and I take like and I'm very like aware of that, you know, and I always talk about that. So, in ways like, I also feel like, oh, am I like a displacer, like, am I this? But I feel like I have been really involved in like the the community here in Boyle Heights and I would recommend that for anybody where, wherever you end up moving, if you go to K-Town, if you're in other areas, like just really get involved in any grassroots organization, because there are like tons of like tenant unions in every single city and you can easily access them and find them and get involved and ask around, start going to workshops, volunteering your time for that, and also it is like a really big, like such a big landscape at times like there's so much information out there. But just even starting like like for us personally, like if people are in the east side, so like East LA, boyle Heights, like I'm in City Terrace area there's like already like there's already like tenant unions already set up for folks and Eastside Leads like we're we're one of. We're kind of one of them too, because we offer workshops. Sometimes we do like one-on-one kind of like tenant, tenant, client type of help when we have like capacity to do so. But we also just try to build these members and other other activists and other organizers. Like our whole goal is to like organize other people so they can organize for themselves and then get other people involved. So we're not doing everything for them but we're giving them those tools and powers to be able to fight, you know, a legal, an illegal eviction or fight like their landlord that's harassing them.

Elias Naranjo: 15:29

So I think getting involved like that it's kind of it's kind of how I got thrown into it as well and, unfortunately, like a lot of people get involved when they're facing an eviction or when they're facing like some harassment, and it's unfortunate that it has to happen that way. But it does radicalize them and it does want them to be, want them to be in the space more. But if you can get into these spaces before you're facing something like that, it would be way more beneficial for yourself and for the other folks around you, because you have so much more knowledge. Because a lot of folks come to these tenant unions when they don't know what to do and they're scared and they're worried they're going to lose their housing. So getting there before that is really really helpful and incredible Like for me, like I feel really prepared if something happens, if something were to happen to me, like I feel like OK, like I know how to defend myself and I think I think getting involved with any small local tenant union would be really helpful.

Lydia Otero: 16:30

Elias, allow me to turn the spotlight back on you. I can see from your bio you're emphasizing self-care for yourself, like working out photography, cooking your own food. Tell us a little bit more about those aspects of your life food.

Elias Naranjo: 16:45

Tell us a little bit more about those aspects of your life. Yeah, I feel like you know I, you know, as you guys are, you know, longtime organizers like how, how important it is to take care of yourself when you're fighting these like really big, big battles, and they seem to kind of take over a lot of aspects of your life, like for me, I I feel like I need those like times of like being in my body, especially someone that's trans like. I really need to feel like connected in some way and I feel like, for me, working out has been like such a way for me to like really feel at home in my body and, I guess, really masculine, like when I work out and lift weights I'm like, oh, muscles, you know. So I feel like that's that's really helpful. But I, I feel like organizing now for a while. I I think it's it's so important to have those like your own like sort of identities and goals, like, and I'm I I do a lot of this housing stuff and I still do a lot of different um either, um, organizing work in some like trans orgs as well.

Elias Naranjo: 17:49

So I feel like it's kind of hard to like take yourself out of it because you know, I am trans and I'm queer, so I'm constantly like in it.

Elias Naranjo: 17:57

But I I still like to have a lot of joy and fun, like I'll go to like queer events and dance and have a good time and have those moments of joy where it's not constant, like like I know right now, given the administration it's, there's a lot of sadness and a lot of fear, and I feel like it's it's what they like thrive off of and for us like queer and trans people to be like around.

Elias Naranjo: 18:21

For me, like being around other trans folks and queer folks like that just brings me so much more joy and I think they're like people are afraid trans folks and queer folks like that just brings me so much more joy and I think they're like people are afraid of that and so I'm like I just need to be in those spaces more and I feel like that. That's like a self-care aspect for me, like being around, like my trans community dancing. I'm sure you guys did a lot of dancing too, so that's a good way to do a lot of self-care dancing and, yeah, I think those moments are really really important, especially given, like, the state that the world is in right now.

Eduardo Archuleta: 18:53

It's Eduardo again, and I too believe in self-care and want to know what you think. Or do you think that most Latinx queer folk are prioritizing taking care of themselves and self-care? Ooh, that's a good question.

Elias Naranjo: 19:12

I feel like Latino folk know how to have a good time for sure. My friend through last night. It was really sweet to see it was a very kind of personal thing Through a little house gathering at someone's house in Boyle Heights. It was just queer and trans folks. It was kind of related to Valentine's Day but the amistad and whatnot. It was really sweet to see everybody take a load off and enjoy company, even though we don't all know each other, but like they all bring us together and it's really incredible.

Elias Naranjo: 19:48

But I feel like I think I could see like folks doing that more because we're such a I don't know that a lot of people like that I see here, like the community I work with, like they are.

Elias Naranjo: 19:58

I feel like sometimes they don't have the privilege to to take a day off to take care of themselves and they're just in a survival mode.

Elias Naranjo: 20:07

A lot of folks are in survival mode where they're like I need to work, I need to do this, I need to take care of my kid and unfortunately maybe don't have that privilege too.

Elias Naranjo: 20:15

And I think something we do with our members that we work with here in Boyle Heights, like we try to like give them those moments of just relax, whether it's like bringing them a really good meal or like trying to do something different outside of just like a workshop. I think that's something really important. I've seen a lot of organizations I worked with like take like a spa day or do something like that, to like really like have these people relax, because we know, unfortunately, it can be seen as a privilege to to do those things, and I really think it is, and I would really want more Latino folks to I don't know do do some more self care for themselves. I think we can be so lost in like taking care of others all the time, like we don't know how to like take care of ourselves, and I think that's that's super important for our own mental health.

Rita Gonzales: 21:11

This is Rita again. I just want to say that, listening to you talk a lot of times older people, we did party a lot when we were younger, but some of us didn't prepare for the future because some people felt, some of us felt we didn't have a future. But here we are, and so you had some great advice about how to in case there is a crisis, how to. You should go to these workshops, and it's great that the younger generation now is here and putting the two together. Maybe we can learn from each other, which is very, very important. So what advice would you give us older folks here, as career folks, on how we can communicate with the younger generation?

Elias Naranjo: 21:49

Yeah, I think that's something that I've thought about too, especially in like being in community spaces, because it's either like a lot of young folk in the space or a lot of like older folk, and it's sometimes it doesn't like mesh as much as I'd like it to, and sometimes it doesn't like mesh as much as I'd like it to. I honestly feel like in a lot of these spaces I've seen more like older generation be in those spaces and I kind of like like I think the older generation like they're really like I've seen some really passionate people that are like there, they're at City Hall, they're giving public comment, and I kind of want to see like more younger folk actually go into those spaces where a lot of like the older generation are have been there like really like taking up the space, talking, and I and I think I, I don't know. I think that's a good question, because I we try to wonder that ourselves like how do we get more like kind of a intergenerational thing going on here and I don't think it's all on like the older folks Like I feel like a lot of the younger folk are too, maybe like busy. Uh, you know, in your 20s you're very like all about me, like all figuring out my life.

Elias Naranjo: 23:01

So I feel like some of them like are kind of there where they haven't some of them haven't stepped into like an or like an organizing space, and I would encourage them to go to these spaces because there are like a lot of old, like a lot of the folks I work with, a lot of my um uh, what's it called like compañeros and stuff.

Elias Naranjo: 23:18

Like they're all like older than me and some of them are like in their like 50s or 60s like doing this work, and I really respect them because they've been doing it for a long time, so, and I think they're very open to like teaching people and having community. So I don't know, I think it's nice to be around folks, especially that are older than me and have like the years and organizing, like be really open and and just so communicative regarding like anything like I've never had like an issue. I feel like I've learned so much from, from like older organizers and they always make me feel so welcome, so I feel like they're doing great. Honestly, I think the young people need to step up a little bit more actually, in my opinion, especially being in these spaces a lot, but, um, yeah, y'all are great.

Lydia Otero: 24:10

I think the way we organized back then was way different than you are already doing it. So you have social media, but still at the core it is about showing up right, and I think that's really important. I'm taking the opportunity to speak up and make yourself heard. That's still the key. But the logistical stuff about how you organize people, that's way different, I think. Because, we had to be more stealth about it. You all have to be more public about it. You all have to be more public about it.

Elias Naranjo: 24:42

Absolutely yeah, and I think social media has changed, organizing a lot, but I feel like it shouldn't just stop there.

Elias Naranjo: 24:49

Like I really think people like lose the connection when they don't do the in-person stuff Like as much as like some folks might not like door knocking, might not like canvassing, it's really how to get to the folks that aren't on social media. And there's a whole bunch of people, especially like maybe like some Latino folk or like working class folk, older generation, like they're not as much on social media. So like you really have to do that groundwork of like door knocking, going into these neighborhoods, posting up, doing like tabling events, and I feel like that's where you find like that real genuine connection. And I've seen it on social media. I think it helps mobilize a lot of people. But then you know there's a difference in mobilizing and in like keeping them engaged for like a longer campaign, a longer win, and I think that's the harder part, that I feel like social media can kind of like dip off on that. But I agree, I'm sure I'm sure it's really different, given everything now.

Lydia Otero: 25:44

Thank you, Elias, for being with us today. I mean it's so great to to touch base with you because you've been on a previous Radio Q glue episode with touch base with you and see you blossom in this way. It's really heartfelt from us to see you grow and be so active in our community. So thank you, Thank you for being here with us today.

Elias Naranjo: 26:12

Thank you so much, everybody. It's always great to be around y'all and I'm like we got to hang out you know like this. That'd be amazing, but I appreciate your words and I'm like we got to hang out. You know, like, like this. That'd be amazing, but I appreciate your words and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on speak on this. I guess it's it's really important and I hope folks can learn something from it too.

Lydia Otero: 26:32

We've been speaking to Elias Naranjo. Thank you for listening to Radio QGLLU. This is Lydia Otero.

Eduardo Archuleta: 26:40

I'm Eduardo Archuleta. I'm Mario Novoa.

Rita Gonzales: 26:44

And we want to hear from you. Tell us what you think of the Out Agenda and Radio Q Glue. Like us on our Facebook page or email us at theoutagenda at gmailcom. I'm Rita Gonzalez. Thanks for listening, and have a wonderful week, and remember that being out is the first step to being equal. Now stay tuned for this Way Out.