The Eviction Industrial Complex

Eviction -- it used to be a rare occurrence, a last resort for the worst tenants. Now it’s more common than many people may realize. Harvard social science professor Matthew Desmond set out to capture the reality of what he calls “The Eviction Economy” by embedding for several months with low-income tenants in the city of Milwaukee -- and also spending time with their landlords. The result is his book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. It’s a meticulous ethnography -- but his message is also simple: that addressing poverty in America should be refocused to the simple challenge of keeping a roof over people’s heads.