If you've ever dealt with a corrupt landlord or any housing-related emergency, you've probably sought out a tenants' rights handbook. These are generally helpful resources, but they can be difficult to find if you don't know where to look, and they're occasionally stuffed with legalese to the point of uselessness. Enter Know Your City (KYC), the new-ish incarnation of the local arts and history nonprofit the Dill Pickle Club*. In partnership with Oregon's Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT), KYC's produced a new comic called Know Your Rights: Don't Get Evicted, which sounds like the best tenants' rights handbook available. In a press release sent earlier this week, organizers from KYC explained that part of the thinking behind Know Your Rights is to make sure Portland residents know how to advocate for themselves as more and more people move to the city and property values—and rents—increase:

Oregon continues to top the lists of desirable destinations across the country. More and more people are moving to Portland every day to enjoy our walkable neighborhoods and DIY culture. This national popularity has created a construction boom in the city, but at the risk of increased gentrification in areas home to low-income renters. Renters of all incomes face evictions and rent increases in Portland everyday, and housing justice issues are becoming increasingly pressing. Neighborhood demographics are changing as newcomers and long-time residents alike compete for scarce rental housing. Low-income renters, people with disabilities, and communities of color are facing evictions and are being pushed out of their communities at alarming rates.

The comic, which focuses on eviction in particular, will serve as a resource to help renters "understand the process of eviction, how to identify an unfair eviction, and what to do if it happens to them." The scenarios it includes come from the real-life stories of CAT members. Becky Hawkins of French Toast Comix provides illustrations. Know Your Rights has its official release on Monday, March 30 at an event hosted by its parent organizations at Oregon Public House. Hawkins and KYC and CAT staff will give presentations on the comic, and a portion of the proceeds from food and drink purchases will go towards KYC and CAT.

*Sidebar: Were you wondering why it seems every city has a Dill Pickle Club? It's NOT your imagination. At least Portland's Dill Pickle Club was always spelled correctly. Dil Pickle? Nice try, Chicago!