Politics

The tenants just wanted to talk to their landlord.

Dozens of residents from across the country gathered Monday at the Capital Realty Group offices in Spring Valley, New York, hoping to set up a meeting with the real estate company’s president, Moshe Eichler.

These individuals were part of a first-of-its-kind nationwide tenants union, representing residents of more than 1,500 affordable housing units across nine properties in six states, including Colorado. But the landlord, they say, won’t recognize their union or negotiate.

As the group of 70 began a news conference outside the office, they were met by a strange sight: Dozens of people arrived to counter their protest, video provided by union organizers shows. These men, most of whom appeared to be Hispanic, carried Israeli flags and signs about combating antisemitism. They admitted to an interpreter that they didn’t know why they were there, the translator told The Denver Post.