By Jerry Ginsberg
Members of the Bowen Tower Tenant Union in Raytown, MO, report that they are preparing to intensify their efforts after their landlord retaliated against them for a rent strike that began in October. In August, union leaders announced that the owner agreed to meet to negotiate tenants’ demands. However, he continued to refuse engagement and instead filed retaliatory evictions in October.
The Bowen Tower Tenant Union noted that members have been on a rent strike since October 1st, demanding safer living conditions. On October 22, 2025, 11 additional evictions were filed, bringing the total to 26.
Amid these developments, residents agreed that the tenant union took the initiative to begin negotiations to improve conditions at the apartment complex. Dennis, a longtime tenant, said that the tenant union brought tension and began a conversation with the landlord.
Warren is a senior citizen who has been a resident of Bowen Tower for over a year. He said that since the tenant union initiated a rent strike, maintenance has begun to address issues, but that dangerous mold still persists in tenants’ apartments.
Kansas City Tenant Union helped form the union in May, following a period when residents were forced to go without hot water or gas for over a week. Since then, the residents said, they have endured the loss of heat and air conditioning, broken elevators, bed bugs, inoperable appliances, and frequent flooding—all while rent continues to increase by up to 15%.
From what was observed, the apartment complex was infested with wasps. The front door of the building, which was supposed to be fixed, still would not lock—a demand that tenants have been asking to be addressed for security concerns. Security officers were deployed after concerns arose about non-residents trespassing into the apartment, but according to another tenant, they were only there for a day and did not return.
The Peoples Housing Council supports the tenants of Bowen Tower in their effort for affordable and safe living conditions.
