Need help with this one: How do you deal with classism?

Okay, I need to vent a little.
This week I have been stretched in my ability to remain compassionate in the face of what I see as abject classism. First, thanks to gentrification, we have lost access to our only outdoor area. And today I was asked to leave a small local green-space because it is apparently owned by a billboard company…

First of all, I am a renter. I have lived in my apartment for almost 5 years now (longest I've lived anywhere) and I feel very at home here. I share the space with my roommate and our cat Mr. Pants. Its average size by Toronto standards and the three of us are comfortable but a bit cramped. We have been lucky to enjoy access to a small balcony, our only outdoor area. It had been built in the thrown-together DIY mode typical of our landlords but it was sturdy and has provided us with many nights of friends, food and fresh air.

Recently though, new neighbours bought and moved into a house behind our building. It wasn't a full week before our landlords showed up asking us to clear off our much-loved patio. The new neighbours had called the city and found that there was no permit to have built the balcony and were threatening the landlords with fines if they refused to have it removed.

Hearing this, I immediately delivered the neighbours some baked goods along with my phone number asking them to give me a call and discuss the situation like human beings. To my surprise they did call, but only to to explain that it was between them and the landlords and we were 'unfortunately caught in the middle'. They offered no compromise and said that they had to 'protect the market-value of their new home.'

ARG!

Oh well, lucky to have a roof over my head and there seemed to be nothing I could do so I took a few deep breaths and said goodbye to our balcony.

All was not lost however because there is a great spot across the street – a green-space on a hillside overlooking the lake. The hill can be seen from a major expressway running along the lake and because of this it has been planted with what I guess you would call 'billboard-gardens' – shrubs in the shape of corporate logos.

This morning I decided to grab a coffee and sit hill-side to take in the view and get some fresh air. I was there about ten minutes when a guy in a hard hat and high-vis vest told me I was on private property and that I would have to leave.

Who gets to own the view of a Great Lake?
Who has the power to influence the shape of their neighbourhood?
Who has the right to enjoy space?

I feel powerless today, partly because – at least in legal terms – I am. How do we find the power to make a change when the very problem we face is our own lack of power?

Peace,
A