ABOUT US
Struggle for Miami’s Affordable and Sustainable Housing (SMASH)
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.
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.
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
Antoinette Carr
(She/Her)
Director
Member, Crime Survivors of Safety and Justice
General Representative
2023-2025
Ivory Johnson-Parker
(She/Her)
President
CEO, Sweet Treats
General Representative
2023-2025
Beyssa Buil
(Stardust)
Director
Executive Director, Society of Flora, Fauna and Friend
Public Representative
2022-2024
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
Chair, LGBTQ Committee
Sonya Brown-Wilson
Organizer, Scott Carver at North Park
Asa Shaw
Co-Director, Black Men Build
Patrice Smith
Organizer, Power U
Emmanuel Perez
Architect, Nelson MGE
Diana Marie Lee
CEO, Sweet Livity
Lauren Fernandez
Writer at Grants, Ink.
Ahmed Mori
Land Use Attorney, Program Director at Catalyst Miami
Samantha Scalzo
Realtor, Founder at S&S Global
Dwight Bullard
Political Director at Florida New Majority
Aaron McKinney
Assistant Project Manager, Liberty Square Rising
Kevin Wilkins
Managing Director at Trepwise
Brett McNaught
CEO, Educate Tomorrow
Myesha Pugh
Allegany Common Good Table Member
Lennox Griffith
University of Miami Division of Community Development and Chief Consultant at Business Assistance Center
Armando Carranza Ventura
CEO, 1ofDem
MEET THE TEAM
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.
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.
