October 20, 2026
(ST. LOUIS, MO)–Ahead of tonight’s County Council meeting, Northern Village tenants, joined by housing advocates and public officials, held a press conference demanding immediate relocation assistance and accountability from their landlord, following years of severe, unlivable conditions.
The organized renters, supported by Tenants Transforming Greater St. Louis and We the Tenants (Action St. Louis and ArchCity Defenders), presented three immediate demands:
- Immediate Relocation Assistance: That St. Louis County Council approve at least $450,000 in direct cash relocation assistance delivered to affected renter-households so they can move into new, safe homes.
- Landlord Accountability: That landlord Mendel Fischer, an executive of Mazal in St. Louis, LLC and TGBG Management, meets directly with organized tenants to negotiate fair financial compensation for the harms and hazardous conditions inflicted on residents.
- Impacted Tenants Fund: That St. Louis County Council establish an Impacted Tenants Fund that would deliver one-time payments to renters who are displaced when their homes are condemned.
“Despite paying almost a thousand dollars of our hard-earned money in rent each month, the problems in our apartment complex are severe and dangerous. We’ve gone through multiple ceiling cave-ins in our bedroom and bathroom. Water pours from the ceiling every time it rains. We’ve lost all the food in our fridge multiple times and gone through summers with no air conditioning because the electric is constantly shutting off. The rodent and pest problems are not just a nuisance, they are dangerous: recently our two year old son was bit by a mouse here. We had to take him to the hospital and he was on antibiotics for a week,” said Destany Constable, a resident of Northern Village Apartments.
“Can you imagine the stress and pain it caused our family when our two year old was bitten by a mouse because of the landlord’s neglect? The landlord didn’t cover a dime of our medical bills.”
“We and the rest of our neighbors are fed up, and now we’re fighting back. We know that housing is a human right, and that we all deserve a home that is safe and affordable,” said Corey McRoberts, a Northern Village resident. “The tenants here are organized and we must have a seat at the table. Nothing about us without us,” he added.
“We wouldn’t be in this crisis if the County enforced its building and safety codes. That’s why we have demands for the County Council, too. The organized tenants of Northern Village demand the County Council fund $450,000 for emergency relocation assistance, and create an Impacted Tenants Fund to support other tenants who get kicked out of their homes because of the landlord’s neglect,” said DaMon Watson, a Northern Village resident and tenant leader.
“These dangerous conditions are Mendel Fischer’s fault, and he needs to meet with us and then cut us a check. He needs to get off his rusty, dusty behind, come out of his three-million dollar Miami mansion, and negotiate with the people who pay his bills. We demand that he meet with us, the organized tenants at Northern Village, by October 27th to negotiate the fair payment we deserve for the hell we are going through,” added Marcellene Essex, a Northern Village tenant leader.
Speakers emphasized that residents are not responsible for the dangerous living conditions at Northern Village. While Mendel Fischer and his companies Mazal in St. Louis, LLC, and TGBG Management continue to profit from the property, they consistently fail to maintain basic living standards. Tenants also criticized St. Louis County officials for failing to proactively enforce property codes and hold negligent landlords like Mendel Fischer accountable.
This fight builds on a track record of tenant-led victories across the region. Through the We the Tenants campaign, local renters previously mobilized to win the creation of the “Impacted Tenants Fund” in the City of St. Louis—a fund that pays direct assistance to tenants when they are forced to relocate due to building condemnations and environmental disasters. Today’s press conference echoed support for St. Louis County to follow suit and take direct action to protect and compensate residents displaced by severe landlord neglect.
Several St. Louis County officials and department representatives were present including Danielle Spradley (Regional Policy Strategist for County Executive Dr. Sam Page), Dr. Kanika Cunningham (Director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health), Dr. Sam Page (County Executive), and Jordan Blase (Deputy Chief of Staff of Congressman Wesley Bell’s Office).
Organized tenants plan to take their demands directly to the County Council meeting this evening to ensure their voices are heard and immediate financial relief is granted. The organized tenants will also voice their demands at the County Council’s Committee of the Whole concerning the Northern Village crisis on Weds. Oct. 28 at 3:00pm.
###
We the Tenants is a collective housing justice campaign anchored by Action St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders, and Tenants Transforming Greater St. Louis which organizes renters, builds their collective power, and holds predatory landlords and neglectful local governments accountable across the St. Louis region.
Media Contact:
Z Gorley, Director of Communications, ArchCity Defenders
(314) 898-8185 | zgorley@archcitydefenders.org