During lockdown, the landlord who evicted an elderly couple, who could not pay the rent, from their home
The extremely difficult situation that the whole world is going through because of Coronavirus is leaving behind many positive stories, but also a lot of pain, as well as situations in which people truly risk not having the strength to go on. For sure, the emergency and the crisis are showing the best and the worst of many people: some sacrifice themselves to help those in need; others unfortunately act selfishly.
In many countries, staying at home has become a necessity to protect ourselves and to protect others, but there are those who do not have the right conditions to do so, or are even deprived of their homes. This is what happened to an elderly couple in Colombia after the owner of their home decided to evict them during the lockdown.
via Santiago Osorio M./Twitter
You have undestood correctly: Patricia Higuera and José Roberto Perez were literally left on the street by their landlord. They had to make do and camped for a while in a public park in the city of Bogota, with their personal belongings. Fortunately for them, someone had the altruism and good heart to help them, offering to lend a hand.
There are many landlords, all over the world, who are helping their tenants in difficulty, canceling monthly rent or even buying basic necessities for them. The owner of the house where José and Patricia lived, however, despite the quarantine, decided that they had to leave their home.
To define this gesture as reckless would be an understatement, but fortunately it has not gone unnoticed. Some neighbors, seeing what had happened, immediately alerted the authorities. Claudia Lopez, Mayor of the Colombian capital, personally intervened to help the evicted tenants.
Patricia and Pedro have been transferred to a reception facility, and the first citizen has reported that she intends to sanction the home owner for the grave gesture, carried out at a time when it is absolutely unthinkable to evict people who cannot pay their rent.
Like many other people, in fact, this elderly couple are paying the price for the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic. Fortunately, these two seniors were able to count on the neighbors and institutions that took care of them. All that remains is to hope that selfish people like their landlord will receive the sanctions they deserve: no one, in such a terrible time, can act only thinking about his personal gain.
