ABOUT US

Struggle for Miami’s Affordable and Sustainable Housing (SMASH)

Smash Miami Board

HISTORY

SMASH began in 2015 when Adrian Madriz and Berlinda Dixon, residents of Overtown, got together with Porgie “Gigi” Town, Sharice Taylor, Trenise Bryant and other residents of Liberty City to do something about slumlords that were taking advantage of the neighborhoods. Forming the group was not easy, and in Gigi’s case, she was reluctant to be involved in the campaign for fear of repercussions from her slumlord. But with time, and many conversations that focused on the collective need, even residents like Gigi came to be part of the campaign, and through our efforts, in partnership with other grassroots organizations, we were able to take legal action against the slumlord and have their property placed under the City’s control. Now SMASH is dedicated to creating a new future for our residents, where they control the land and their destiny.

In addition to the legal action, SMASH has successfully formed a Community Land Trust non-profit organization using residents from the affected community, and has garnered the support of the Mayor and the Director of Community Development to create the CLT on public land.

The Liberty City Committee on Slum and Gentrification, a campaign under SMASH, is an initiative of residents from this historically Black, working-class community organizing against gentrification and slumlords. Residents meet with Community Benefit Organizations (CBOs) working on housing and displacement issues. This ensures that residents are meeting with the right stakeholders to make the most informed decisions about their community’s future.

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Board-Picture

LEADERSHIP

SMASH is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of grassroots leaders from Liberty City, Overtown and Little Havana. In addition, there are professionals in residence who have experience managing non-profits and developing affordable housing that guide the work of the community leaders. Adrian Madriz is currently the Project Lead, equivalent to Executive Director, and reports to the Board for all of the actions taken by the organization.

In 2014, low-income residents forced to live in slum-like conditions due to lack of resources began to organize for their rights to affordable, dignified housing and formed the “Smash the Slumlords” campaign. The women organized community meetings, educated other residents about their rights, garnered support from the city mayor and sought out legal action against slumlords. Conversations focused on the collective need and partnership with other grassroots organizations recruited allies from outside their community and helped bring the campaign into public light. Legal action against one slumlord led to his prosecution and the City of Miami placed his property under their control.

Afterwards, the residents of Liberty City rightfully demanded that the slumlord face greater consequences and that the buildings be repaired. However, when it became apparent that the buildings were so woefully neglected that they could only be condemned and destroyed, the City faced a new challenge: where to relocate the families in a city where there is a chronic shortage of affordable housing stock? In response to this dilemma, SMASH has tasked itself with developing expedited affordable housing units for these families on a Community Land Trust (CLT). Unlike other affordable housing projects, this one would be unique for its prioritization of extremely low-income families, and the community driven design and management process through the CLT model. This would not only provide the slum affected families of these buildings with the transitional housing units they need, but it could also be re-used for every set of families that find themselves in similar circumstances. Once they are relocated, their original buildings can be condemned, destroyed and rebuilt into permanent affordable housing where the families have a right to return.

David Peery

(He/Him )

Vice President

Executive Director, Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity

Leaseholder Representative

2022-2024

Mary Lisbon

(Anything but "Ms.")

Treasurer

Advisor, Barry University

General Representative

2022-2024

Eroamias Vall

(They/Them)

Secretary

Teacher, YMCA of Allapattah

Leaseholder Representative

2022-2024

Destini Smith

(She/Her)

Director

Leadership Program Manager, Catalyst Miami

General Representative

Ivory Johnson-Parker

(She/Her)

President

CEO, Sweet Treats

General Representative

2023-2025

Andrea Copeland

(She/Her )

Director

Aide, City of Miami District 5

General Representative

2023-2025

Debora Carter-Rolle

(Queen)

Director

Organizer, Florida Rising

Leaseholder Representative

2023-2025

Rosalie Whiley

(She/Her)

Director

Board Member, Miami Workers Center

General Representative

2022-2024

Porgie Town

(She/Her)

Director

CEO, Gigi's Candles, Baskets and Gifts

General Representative

2022-2024

Christopher Piña

(He/Him )

Director

Co-op Program Director, Catalyst Miami

Public Representative

2023-2025

Allie Klionsky

(She/Her )

Director

Instructor, Nature Links

Public Representative

2022-2024

Abigail Diaz

(She/Her)

Interim-Secretary

Administrative Secretary, RER, Miami-Dade County

General Representative

2023-2025

OUR ADVISORY BOARD

Niklaus_Marcellus_Salvator

Niklaus Marcellus Salvator

Chair, LGBTQ Committee
Sonya_Brown-Wilson

Sonya Brown-Wilson

Organizer, Scott Carver at North Park
Asa_Shaw

Asa Shaw

Co-Director, Black Men Build
Patrice_Smith

Patrice Smith

Organizer, Power U
Emmanuel_Perez

Emmanuel Perez

Architect, Nelson MGE
DIana_Marie_Lee

Diana Marie Lee

CEO, Sweet Livity
Lauren_Fernandez

Lauren Fernandez

Writer at Grants, Ink.
Ahmed_Mori

Ahmed Mori

Land Use Attorney, Program Director at Catalyst Miami
Samantha_Scalzo

Samantha Scalzo

Realtor, Founder at S&S Global
Dwight_Bullard

Dwight Bullard

Political Director at Florida New Majority
Aaron_McKinney

Aaron McKinney

Assistant Project Manager, Liberty Square Rising
Kevin_Wilkins

Kevin Wilkins

Managing Director at Trepwise
Brett_McNaught

Brett McNaught

CEO, Educate Tomorrow
Myesha_Pugh

Myesha Pugh

Allegany Common Good Table Member
Lennox_Griffith

Lennox Griffith

University of Miami Division of Community Development and Chief Consultant at Business Assistance Center
Armando_Carranza_Ventura

Armando Carranza Ventura

CEO, 1ofDem

MEET THE TEAM

Trenise Bryant Headshot 2022.

Trenise L. Bryant (She/Her/Hers)

Co-Executive Director of Organizing and Communications

Trenise Bryant was raised in the Liberty City neighborhood in Miami, FL. Growing up, Trenise loved to play basketball and run track. Like many young girls, basketball and track wasn’t just a sport. As a survivor, sports helped Trenise during this time because it allowed her to be out of the house and be around her friends where she felt safe. Trenise went on to graduate from Miami Northwestern Senior high school and later started a decade of community activism and volunteering. She started volunteering at the Miami Workers Center in 2009 when she saw the need to give back to the community regarding gender and worker justice, even on a national level.

Trenise is proud to serve her community as a board member of the Miami Workers Center (MWC) nonprofit, whose mission is to build the power and self-determination of south Florida’s most oppressed communities. Trenise is also part of the Dignity Coalition Steering member, advocating for incarcerated women to get feminine hygiene products in jail. Trenise is passionate about volunteering in the community where she grew up, especially for the Liberty Square public housing complex. Trenise strongly believes that housing is a human right and is fighting to make that right a reality. In her role as the CSSJ Miami, FL Chapter Coordinator Trenise has helped grow the Miami chapter, hosted dozens of healing activities, and played a crucial role in helping to bring the first Trauma Recovery Network to Miami Dade County. Through her advocacy with CSSJ and other community organizations, she has helped to pass several criminal justice and crime survivor-related legislative bills.

Trenise is one of the co-founders of Struggle for Miami's Affordable and Sustainable Housing (SMASH), the first community land trust and affordable housing co-operative in Liberty City. SMASH provides sustainable and preserved land that the community controls and is building power to make housing a human right in Miami. Trenise has been an instrumental board member and volunteer for SMASH, training organizers, raising funds and bringing the Community Land Trust model to Miami. In 2022, after 7 years of hard development work in the start-up phase of the organization, she applied to become part of the SMASH staff, going through a long and exhaustive international search with many qualified candidates and organizers. SMASH is now proud to call her the official Co-Executive Director of Organizing and Communications.

Contact her by emailing trenise (at) smash (dot) miami.

Headshot - Mercedes Cabrera

Mercedes Cabrera, (She/Her/Ella)

Co-Executive Director of Operations

Born and raised in the 305 into a family devoted to public service, Mercedes has spent her life advocating for her community. As a small child she recalls being involved in marches, protests, political campaigns, and helping anyone that needed her or her family's help. Passionate, resourceful, and resilient Mercedes has never let her disability stop her from accomplishing her missions in life! She graduated top of her class from Miami Dade College and Florida International University. She continued her education by pursuing a master's degree.
 
As an advocate and organizer, Mercedes has campaigned for the Right to Counsel; collecting pledge cards with her family and a friend in support of the initiative which provides free legal representation for those facing an eviction. For years as an advocate and Section 8 participant, Mercedes has advocated for a 60 days voucher extension for Section 8 voucher holders who are unable to find housing due to such circumstances as illness and/or source of income discrimination. Thanks to her tireless effort, Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD) implemented the extension. Most recently, she facilitated meetings with PHCD where she advocated on behalf of Section 8 voucher holders for the reinstatement of wrongfully terminated voucher participants, fought against the discrimination of Section 8 holders because of their source of income, and presented a list of demands to improve the voucher program for Section 8 voucher holders. 
 
You can find Mercedes in the community organizing or testifying before the Miami-Dade Board of Commissioners about issues close to her heart: affordable housing, the rights of the disabled, women, and queer community as well as public transit.
2022 Adrian Headshot

Adrian Alberto Madriz (He/Him/El)

Co-Executive Director of Development and Infrastructure

Born in New Orleans to Nicaraguan and Venezuelan immigrants, and raised in South Florida, Adrian is a community organizer by trade, with transformative organizing and development experience. His past causes include both of Barack Obama's Presidential campaigns in Florida, student organizing at the Episcopal Chapel at the University of New Orleans and Housing Organizing in Liberty City through the Miami Workers Center.

In addition to organizing, Adrian has an accomplished administrative and development background, having won large federal grants for his organizations, like the $768,000 Affordable Care Act Patient Navigator Grant for the Epilepsy Foundation in 2013. Through his housing organizing, he has become a local leader on the issues of gentrification, slumlords, climate change, queer advocacy, racial equity and on the technical aspects of affordable housing development for extremely low-income residents in Miami.

Adrian is very active on local housing and resilience issues and has sat on the boards of the Urban Environment League, the Miami Beach Community Development Corporation, the Community Reinvestment Alliance of South Florida, the Steering Committee of the Miami Climate Alliance, the Housing Committee of the South Florida Community Development Coalition and he chairs the Housing Policy Sub-Committee of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee as well as the Transitional Housing Strategy Committee of the HOMY Youth Homelessness Collective. Adrian also participated in the Overtown Cohort of the Allegany Fellowship for the Common Good, and the Miami cohort of the Maven Leadership Collective for Queer and Trans People of Color working on community development projects. He is also an alumni of the University of Miami Community Scholars in Affordable Housing. 

Adrian's life changed when he learned of the terrible conditions that Miamians face every day in buildings run by slumlords like Abraham Vaknin. He is inspired by the stories of brave tenants fighting for housing justice like Porgie Town, Sharice Taylor, Jemeena Grimes, Gaynisha Williams and other black women who accomplish the daily feat of survival. After being taught about the Community Land Trust concept by veteran community leader Trenise Bryant, he became a vocal advocate of the model. He serves as Executive Director of SMASH at the pleasure of the majority-black and grassroots Board of Directors.

Adrian has a BA in Political Science and in Screen Arts from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He lives with his husband, Armando Carranza Ventura in Overtown, Miami, FL.

Contact him by emailing adrian (at) smash (dot) miami.