About The Book
“A powerful and relevant account of greed, gentrification, housing insecurity, and collective action.”—Kirkus Reviews
A Story of Courage, Sacrifice, and Fighting for What's Right
The Battle of Lincoln Place is a stirring account of the courage and perseverance shown by the tenants of a large, historic apartment complex who stand up to the greed and heartlessness of their corporate landlords, whose quest for profit threatens to destroy their long-time homes. It follows four women who lead the hundreds of working class and elderly tenants in a desperate struggle on the streets, in the halls of government, and in the courts of law and public opinion, along with a fifth woman who fights for recognition of the forgotten Black architect whose innovative ideas about community and social interaction were featured in the apartment complex’s design. It is a story of heartache and joy, of despair and hope, and finally, of the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of indifference and disdain faced by some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
“The Battle of Lincoln Place brilliantly documents a battle unfortunately being waged by more and more tenants across Los Angeles and throughout the nation.”― Larry Gross, Executive Director, Coalition for Economic Survival
“The Battle of Lincoln Place tells a story that should interest all those concerned with how to boost tenant power and how to make California more affordable.”― Randy Shaw, Director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic in San Francisco and author of Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America
“Dennis Hathaway’s style of writing is many things, but simply not ordinary. Enthusiasts of nonfiction books about real estate, finance, and politics will love this. It a great piece of work.”―Readers’ Favorite Reviews
“As Hathaway delves into political and social issues alike, he uses case histories of those involved in the struggle for Lincoln Place to bring to life the myriad issues raised in urban planning and development projects. The result is a powerful story that uses the microcosm of the Lincoln Place experience as a blueprint for better understanding the social and political forces at work in community makeup and development.”—Midwest Book Review
From the book...
A crescent moon hung over Lincoln Place, which was almost totally dark—only a few scattered windows showing rectangles of light, hardly any cars parked along the curbs, long stretches of time without any signs of life like traffic on the streets or pedestrians on the sidewalks other than security guards making their rounds. Although evening had settled over the surrounding neighborhoods, there were lights in the houses and cars on the streets and a drone of traffic from Lincoln Boulevard that never entirely died, no matter the hour. From the eastbound airliners that took off west from Los Angeles International Airport and turned back over Venice on their way to Denver or Chicago or Miami or New York, Lincoln Place must have looked like a park or golf course, a dark vacancy in the midst of a sparkling urban grid.
