Guadalajara Citizens Unite Against Gentrification: “They’re Taking Our City Away,” They Say

Faced with this, more than ten civil organizations, student groups, youth associations, and affected citizens decided to unite under the name of the United Front for Decent Housing and Territory, which is calling for a peaceful march against the phenomenon this Saturday.

Luciana is part of this group, born out of exhaustion: “I think that when the water level rises, indignation begins to reach different places where, unfortunately, it touches a certain exhaustion. I began to socialize my conflict and realized I wasn’t alone. My neighbors were also experiencing the same thing: unaffordable rents, houses falling due to flooding, businesses disappearing. We approached the authorities, but the response was simply to take a photo, and what followed.”

The need to organize arose from that helplessness. What began as conversations between neighbors and isolated posts on social media led to open assemblies where, little by little, they found a common voice.

“This front arose from the indignation of the impossibility of living in the city,” says Fernando, another member. “We wouldn’t like to have to meet, but given the lack of responses and the complicity of the authorities with the real estate developers, we organized and decided to channel that anger into the United Front. We don’t accept political parties, companies, or institutions that don’t promote human rights. It’s a spontaneous, citizen movement that responds to a real need.”

The United Front has defined the march as a broad, peaceful, and family-oriented event. “From the beginning, we said that our response couldn’t be violent; in the face of the violence we experience in the city, the response must be collective, intelligent, and peaceful,” explains Fernando.

The march will begin in Morelos Park and conclude with the reading of a statement and testimonies from affected residents. “We believe it is very important that not only slogans be heard, but also the stories of those who have lost their homes, businesses, or neighborhoods,” he adds. Among their main demands are access to decent housing, a halt to hosting platforms that drive up rents, and an urban policy that prioritizes city residents over real estate interests.