The Berlin housing crisis has been an issue for over a decade, a struggle now compounded by the Corona pandemic that has left many renters suffering. Many of these landlords are huge corporations like Deutsche Wohnen, Vonovia, Akelius etc, with thousands of apartments but little to no empathy for the people they rent to - enter; DW & Co Enteignen (DWE).

The DWE campaign looks to bring about a referendum to reclaim thousands of apartments and make them available to the public. They are pushing for a decline in the power of these large organizations that will hopefully turn the tide on housing in Berlin. We speak to Miriam and Berta, two activists who work with DWE to mobilize the community. They share how the community has come together, why the campaign matters to everyone and the importance of their sub-group Right To the City, which fights for the rights of migrants and people with migration backgrounds in Berlin.

This episode is brought to you by Bear Radio. Special thanks to Berta, Miriam and the Kiez Teams for chatting with us. Thank you to RØDE, Shure and seElectronics for making our home recordings possible.

Featuring music from Epidemic Sound and audio from DW and Co Enteignen, France 24, Deutsche Welle English & Deutsche Welle, on YouTube. Our cover photo is by Gregor Fischer.

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