For eight months Richard Spencer has vexed residents of Alexandria, Va., who despite writing “hate has no home here” on his sidewalk have found there’s no way to force the white nationalist to leave.
The far-right organizer played a key role in last weekend’s violent events in Charlottesville, Va., reviving his national profile and leading to another rally outside his rented northern Virginia home.
But finding a way to force Spencer out of a rented two-floor space serving as both residence and political hub has been fruitless.
“We can’t just read his tweets and arrest him and remove him, which has been suggested by some people,” said Craig Fifer, a city spokesman.
Fifer said there’s been an influx of requests for government action following a woman’s murder Saturday after Spencer’s supporters and allies clashed with anti-racism advocates.
“The only suggestions I’ve heard are not constitutional or legal,” Fifer said. “Most people who have asked us to ‘do something’ have not actually cited a basis on which we could.”
“Cities cannot deport people,” he added. “He could be put in jail if that is the appropriate outcome of an offense, but that would not change his lease.”
Faced with that dead end earlier this year, residents opposed to Spencer researched the landlord and the company through which the apartment appears to have been leased.
The building thrust into the news, 1001 King St., is owned by Mahwash Wasiq, according to property records. She did not respond to a voicemail on her work phone or an email.
“She’s not at home,” said a woman who answered another phone number listed online for Wasiq. Asked if she could take a message, the woman said “sorry, no speak English” and hung up.
A downstairs chocolate shop in Spencer’s four-floor building opened more than two years before his arrival in April 2015. The shop owners have been the subject of sympathetic news coverage. Upstairs, Spencer occupies a two-story unit, The Atlantic reported on Jan. 12 as he moved in.
There are two listings on the real estate website Zillow for the property. One appears to show photos inside Spencer’s unit, including a jacuzzi and hardwood floors. The other says the top two levels of the building are residential space and the bottom two levels commercial. The second listing featured an active for-rent listing that was removed on Jan. 8.
The company named on Zillow as handling the most recent rental ad is Samson Properties. An Alexandria employee of the business referred an inquiry to the company’s main offices, the phone number for which had a busy signal Monday and Tuesday.
“I’m not aware of any relationship we have [with] this unit,” said Donny Samson, the business’ chief operating officer, in an email. “I haven’t researched whether he is or isn’t a tenant because we only focus on what a tenant is doing within our lease obligations.”
Samson said the company would like not to be in the spotlight or even named in press coverage, and declined to provide any further information, citing respect for tenant privacy.
Paul Maloof, an Alexandria attorney who specializes in landlord-tenant issues, said it’s difficult to know if the landlord is able to do anything that would force Spencer to relocate.
“There is no way to know unless the landlord provides you with a copy of the lease,” he said.
Spencer did not respond to attempts to contact him by email or text message. It’s unclear if he intends to relocate voluntarily, perhaps to a building where crowds of protesters cannot so easily reach his front door, as they did Sunday.
Although the city has continued to receive requests for his removal, well-organized efforts to force his relocation appear to have subsided.
“We went and looked into who the landlord was. From what I remember that campaign essentially got dropped because nobody could find that person or figure out a way to pressure them,” said Dylan Raycroft, a local business owner who took an early role leading anti-Spencer efforts before largely handing it off to others.
Raycroft said pressuring the landlord was discussed at an organizing meeting of about 10 people, but that there was no natural path to do so, as they could not locate other business interests of the owner. Also, he recalled, “everyone was against doing something that was seen as bullying.”
“As far as I know, it has died down,” added Jonathan Krall, who has helped organize opposition to Spencer as Grassroots Alexandria Anti-Fascism Team leader. The group asks residents to focus on objectives such as reforming policing and seeking progressive political change that Spencer would presumably dislike.
“As reprehensible as he is, he has the right to rent housing,” Krall said.
Still, Dennis Maloney, an Alexandria consultant who has been involved with efforts to oppose Spencer, said “I believe there’s a movement afoot to talk to the landlord to see if he can be expelled.” He said he heard that from a reliable source but has not been directly involved.
Fifer, the city spokesman, said there is no indication the landlord will break the lease with Spencer, whose national profile soared last year after an audience offered Nazi salutes as he said “hail Trump!” at a rally.
“My understanding is that the city has been in touch with the landlord, but that the landlord has not decided to take any action related to the lease, and to my knowledge has not expressed concern,” he said.
“Most leases can be broken by either party with notice,” Fifer said. “I’ve not heard any comment from the landlord that ‘It was a mistake, and if only I could undo it.’ It seems to be a lease voluntarily entered into knowing who this individual was.”
