Somerville residents show ‘coraje’ for tenant facing eviction. — Photos by Mina Rose Morales

By Mina Rose Morales

On a cold, windy St. Patrick’s Day, Somerville residents rallied in Union Square on Tuesday to support Gary Rogers, a week before his eviction trial begins on Monday, March 30.

“The people united will never be defeated,” chanted Maria Lora, a community organizer with the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), an organization helping residents fight poverty.

Neighbors turned out to show Rogers he isn’t facing the fight alone. “I think [that’s] really important,” said Danny McLaughlin, CAAS’s director of community organizing and advocacy. “So many times, people feel alone in these situations. They can feel really isolated. We had elected officials come out to support Gary. We had volunteers come out, we had students come out, we had renters come out,” McLaughlin added.

Rogers, a Somerville tenant, has lived on Sargent Ave. for about seven years. In February 2024, shortly after his home was purchased by Ryan Pinto, a California-based investor, Rogers received a rent increase of more than a 90%, jumping from $1,050 to $2,200 per month. The landlord issued a notice requiring him to either sign a new lease at the higher rate or move out. Rogers had been on a self-extending lease, which continued even without his signature. Since then, he has continued paying the original $1,050 per month. It has been 746 days—two years, one month, and four days – since he refused to sign the new lease. He remains in the same apartment.

“Gracias a Gary por demostrarnos la palabra coraje,” said Juan Carlos Canales, a tenant organizer at CAAS.

Juan Carlos Canales and rent control activists at rally for Gary Rogers and rent control.

That pattern has played out across Somerville, where tenants have faced rent increases ranging from more than 50% to over 100%.  Over the past year, residents have also rallied against rising rents and evictions, including in cases involving the same investor, Ryan Pinto.

As Canales said, those experiences have left many feeling “coraje.”

McLaughlin, who grew up in Somerville, has spent years helping neighbors channel their “coraje.” Over the past 30 years, he has seen friends and families pushed out of the city, many arriving in search of the American dream, only to be displaced. That’s why he feels Roger’s case is significant.

“It’s symbolic of what’s happening all across Somerville, except people just don’t know they can fight, or don’t have the energy. We want to encourage people that you don’t have to walk away and you can fight,” he said.

Rogers said he is continuing the fight, driven by moments that remind him why it matters. He recalled what a woman told him at a CAAS meeting and how it has stayed with him.

“Gary, you’ve really helped me,” she told him. “When I first came here, I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed to be here. Now that I’ve heard your story, I’m not embarrassed.”

Danny McLaughlin, Sussen Miller, and another community activist rallying for Gary Rogers and rent control.