Author This essay was authored by members of the LA Tenants Union Media Committee. All photos courtesy of LA Tenants Union. In 2017, tenants living around the corner from the famous Mariachi Plaza in Los Angeles received a sudden, massive and legally-permitted rent increase. The landlord was attempting to rebrand their building as a hot destination for newcomers, displacing long-term community members — some of the very musicians for whom the plaza is named. With the help of organizers from the Los Angeles Tenants Union / El Sindicato de Inquilinxs de Los Ángeles (LATU), these residents formed the Mariachi Tenants Association and decided to withhold their rent.