Diasha White (on the mic) was one of several speakers at the KC Tenants rally outside of Independence Towers on Oct. 1. The tenant union is demanding a national rent cap, a collectively bargained lease and maintenance updates (Mili Mansaray/The Beacon).
When you walk into the back entrance of Independence Towers, you’re met with a foyer filled with dust, debris and cobwebs.
Two rust-coated elevators loom against the back wall. Peeling paint and caution tape line the dirt-ridden hallways on either side.
Diasha White said it wasn’t always like this. She’s lived in the building for six years and described the first three as “beautiful.”
But she said everything changed when a new owner purchased the building and a company owned by FTW Investments LLC took over management.
“You knew he was a different type of landlord who did not take care of the property,” she said. “We’ve got holes in our walls with rusted pipes exposed, vermin falling out of those holes, water creating soft spots in the ceilings and mold.”