--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since evictions go through court, it has…" description: "\"Since evictions go through court, it has a record that comes with it, and many landlords that I spend time with use that as a big screening mechanism. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/matthew-desmond-1529_big_since-evictions-go-through-court-it-has_1112572.jpg" --- # Since evictions go through court, it has a record that… ![“Since evictions go through court, it has a record that comes with it, and many landlords that I spend time with use that as a big screening mechanism. And that's really the reason, we think, families are pushed into worse housing and worse neighborhoods after their evictions.” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/matthew-desmond-1529_big_since-evictions-go-through-court-it-has_1112572.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/matthew-desmond-1529_big_since-evictions-go-through-court-it-has_1112572.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/matthew-desmond-1529_big_since-evictions-go-through-court-it-has_1112572.jpg) > “Since evictions go through court, it has a record that comes with it, and many landlords that I spend time with use that as a big screening mechanism. And that's really the reason, we think, families are pushed into worse housing and worse neighborhoods after their evictions.” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Eviction records become a public filter, leading landlords to reject tenants, which pushes families into poorer housing and neighborhoods. **In simple terms:** Eviction records cause landlords to avoid tenants, worsening housing conditions. Key Takeaway Recognize and address the systemic bias of eviction screening. Themes housing inequality screening practices urban poverty landlord-tenant relations Mood concerned determined hopeful Type analytical advocacy policy When to use this quote - tenant screening - policy reform - community advocacy - legal aid - housing assistance Key Concepts structural discrimination social stigma economic mobility Questions to Reflect On - How can policies reduce reliance on eviction records? - What alternative screening methods could be fairer? A Different Perspective Screening based on evictions can overlook individuals' circumstances and potential for stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Big screen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-screen/) [Comes Landlords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-landlords-2969853/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [End time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-time/) [Evictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evictions-1600500/) [Evictions Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evictions-court-2969854/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing/) [Housing Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing-worse-2969855/) [Neighborhoods Evictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighborhoods-evictions-2969852/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Spend time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spend-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Evictions used to be rare in this country. They used to draw crowds. There are scenes in literature where you can come upon an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/evictions-used-to-be-rare-in-this-country-they-used-to-draw-crowds/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [These days, there are sheriff squads whose full-time job is to carry out eviction and foreclosure orders. There are moving companies specializing in evictions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/these-days-there-are-sheriff-squads-whose-full-time-job-is-to-carry-2/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Trailer park residents rarely raised a fuss about a neighbor’s eviction, whether that person was a known drug addict or not. Evictions were deserved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/trailer-park-residents-rarely-raised-a-fuss-about-a-neighbor-s/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“These days, there are sheriff squads whose full-time job is to carry out eviction and foreclosure orders. There are moving companies specializing in evictions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/these-days-there-are-sheriff-squads-whose-full-time-job-is-to-carry/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [There were evictions that I saw that I know I'll never forget. In one case, the sheriff and the movers came up on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/there-were-evictions-that-i-saw-that-i-know-i-ll-never-forget-in-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [There are moving companies specializing in evictions, their crews working all day, every weekday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/there-are-moving-companies-specializing-in-evictions-their-crews/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“In Milwaukee, a city of fewer than 105,000 renter households, landlords evict roughly 16,000 adults and children each year. That's sixteen families evicted through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/in-milwaukee-a-city-of-fewer-than-105-000-renter-households-landlords/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Evictions cause job loss. Because it's such a destabilizing, stressful event, they lose their footing in the labor market. It has big impacts on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/evictions-cause-job-loss-because-it-s-such-a-destabilizing-stressful/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Often, evicted families also lose the opportunity to benefit from public housing because Housing Authorities count evictions and unpaid debt as strikes when reviewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/often-evicted-families-also-lose-the-opportunity-to-benefit-from/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Most cities don't have a just cause eviction law. Most allow no cause evictions, as well as evictions for nonpayment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/most-cities-don-t-have-a-just-cause-eviction-law-most-allow-no-cause/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Just strictly from a business standpoint, kids are a liability to landlords, and they actually provoke evictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/just-strictly-from-a-business-standpoint-kids-are-a-liability-to/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Child Protection Services can get all up in your business if you have kids. Just strictly from a business standpoint, kids are a liability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/child-protection-services-can-get-all-up-in-your-business-if-you-have/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we care about family stability, if we care about community stability, then we need fewer evictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-care-about-family-stability-if-we-care-about-community/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Evictions should be the absolute last resort for landlords and not the first-choice, nuclear option. Evicting people is mostly an unnecessary exercise in power-tripping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/evictions-should-be-the-absolute-last-resort-for-landlords-and-not/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Rent-stabilized tenants face harassment. They face illegal evictions. 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