They filed eviction on purpose—so a nonprofit would foot the bill.
✉️ THE MORNING TRAP – APRIL 15, 2025
KinFam, wassup yo! Welcome Home—
It’s April 15th—Tax Day. The day America demands its dues. And while the state is tallying what we owe, landlords like Beacon Property Management are cashing in on a system where eviction is a business model, not a last resort.
Today, we bring you the front line from Columbus, Ohio, where one Black family—with receipts, resources, and rent in hand—has been pushed toward court not because they couldn’t pay, but because the landlord wanted public assistance to do the collecting.
You read that right: they filed eviction to trigger nonprofit help—then blocked every other path forward.
In a city that says “Housing for All,” Beacon showed us who housing is really for—and who the law leaves behind.
This ain’t an anecdote. It’s an algorithm.
And as we finish paying the government today, ask yourself:
Who’s paying the price for a system designed to displace us?
The full Kin+ investigation in partnership with The Columbus Free Press drops later this week. But we’re starting right here, right now.
Let’s trap in.
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🎯 TOP TRAP – They filed eviction on purpose—so a nonprofit would foot the bill.
📌 Quick Recap:
The Taylors had the rent. What they didn’t have was a landlord willing to work with them. So Beacon Property Management filed eviction on purpose to trigger public aid.
Columbus passed “Housing for All,” but loopholes let landlords lock tenant accounts, deny repairs, and evict for strategy, not survival.
This ain’t bad business. It’s the business model. Eviction isn't failure—it's the plan.
🗣️ Trap Quote of the Day:
“We didn’t fail. The system did. We asked for a plan. They gave us court dates.” — Zakee Taylor
🎛️ THE TRAP BREAKDOWN – Eviction Ain’t the End. It’s the Point.
🎤 Today’s Relevance:
This ain’t your average tenant horror story. This is Central Ohio, where landlords aren’t just exploiting the system—they are the system. And Black families like the Taylors are catching the eviction smoke even when they’ve got the rent in hand. This week, Kin+ and The Columbus Free Press drop a full investigation that should have every Columbus City Councilmember and Franklin County Commissioner sweating.
📚 Backstory:
Ohio’s landlord-tenant laws ain’t neutral. They’re engineered. Under Ohio Revised Code 5321, a landlord can serve a 3-day eviction notice, skip mediation, skip repairs, and lock your account—legally. Meanwhile, Franklin County stacked over 25,000 eviction filings last year alone.
💸 The Players:
Beacon Property Management: Filed eviction to make the family eligible for emergency aid they didn’t qualify for.
Brand Realty: The ghost owner pulling strings in silence.
IMPACT Community Action: The nonprofit forced to clean up the mess.
City of Columbus: Passed Housing for All but left the back door wide open.
🔁 The Pattern:
This isn’t Beacon’s playbook alone. VineBrook Homes pulled the same tactics in Dayton and Cincinnati. High evictions. No repairs. Zero accountability. Same blueprint, different zip codes.
📣 Kinfolk Need to Know:
Eviction isn’t failure—it’s strategy. And it’s subsidized by us.
🔁 TRAP TALK – Clip This, Post That
📸 Viral Quote:
"We filed because eviction might help them get assistance."
— Beacon Property Mgmt. email correspondance with The Taylors’
📊 Stat That Hits:
25,329 eviction cases filed in Franklin County in 2024
That’s up 6%—and the majority are corporate filings.
🧾 Receipt That Flips It:
Ohio law does not require landlords to:
Accept payment plans
Complete repairs
Offer mediation
Even unlock your account to pay
🔨 DO SOMETHING – Today’s Move
✅Demand Pre-Filing Mediation in Columbus
If you live in the Central Ohio region you should contact your local elected officials and demand pre-filing mediation becomes law in Columbus.
💬 Caption This:
Post this in your fam group right now:
“Post this in your fam group right now: "Landlords in Columbus can file eviction without offering a plan. Let’s change that."
✊🏽 CULTURE REWIND – Don’t Just Inform. Inspire.
🖼️ Moment:
“Housing is a human right.” — Then Columbus Councilwoman, now-Franklin County Prosector Shayla Favor, at the launch of Housing for All.
But rights ain’t real without enforcement.
💼 Spotlight:
Taylor Branding Co.
20+ years mentoring Black youth, training creatives, and building Columbus culture. Now facing eviction from the house that doubled as HQ.
🎤 Pull-Out Line:
“The basement flooded. They documented it. The rent was ready. Beacon filed anyway.”
