Navajo families evicted from red-tagged downtown Gallup apartments

Posted by Rick Abasta | Aug 3, 2023 | News |

GALLUP
Nine Navajo families had a rude awakening on July 26, when they were informed by officials from the City of Gallup that they had 24 hours to vacate the premises because of substandard living conditions.

Navajo Times | Rick Abasta
The Hill Street Apartments, located at 107 East Hill Ave. near downtown Gallup, was red tagged July 26, and residents were told that they had 24 hours to vacate the premises. Most of the tenants are predominately Navajo.

The families were residents of the Hill Street Apartment complex, located at 107 E. Hill Ave., near downtown Gallup. The property is owned by Gallup attorney David Jordan.

As of press time, numerous calls have been made to Jordan, but he has not answered his cellphone or responded to text messages and voicemails. Calls to his office continuously result in a busy signal.

Ronald Yazzie, 37, is one of the tenants that was forcibly evicted after the property was red tagged by the code enforcement officer from the Gallup Fire Department.

Navajo Times | Rick Abasta
The red tag posted on the front door of the Hill Street Apartments states substandard living conditions and warns that the property is unfit for human occupancy. The date posted was July 26, 2023, by code enforcement officer C. Pinero.

Yazzie is a full-time musician performing under the stage name Frayzie. He previously lived in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment at the complex with his 2-year-old son Nyjah and his spouse, Taylor Sam, before they were forcibly evicted.

“My landlord is David Jordan, he’s a family lawyer. He’s a lawyer fighting for families and children, and he can’t even fight for his own tenants to live happily in peace,” he said July 28.
Yazzie said he’s lived at the apartment complex for a year and a half, initially paying $600 per month. However, his rent increased to $670 per month in January 2023, after he renewed his lease for a year.

Read the full story in the Aug. 3 edition of the Navajo Times.