[ad_1]
A tenant union representing 150 residents across four buildings in Rogers Park has approved a rent strike to begin Saturday after a new owner announced a spike of several hundred dollars in monthly fees.
Threatened with eviction, the residents — mostly Hispanic and Latino families that have lived in the North Side buildings for decades — have also joined calls from tenant unions for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to establish a blanket eviction moratorium in the city as immigration enforcement activities ramp up under the Trump administration. The state implemented a similar measure during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to October 2021.
“This fight is happening in a moment of deep crisis,” said Juan Reyes, an organizer with the All-Chicago Tenant Alliance, at a Sunday news conference. “Families are facing the threat of eviction and deportation at the same time.”
In preparation for the gathering, Mexican party bunting in red, green and white decorated the courtyard of one of the buildings. The smell of mole and tamales hung in the air from an impromptu potluck between neighbors.
“These guys have lived here for 40 years, 30 years. Families have grown up here,” said Danny Rosa, also an organizer with the tenant alliance.
Residents of the four buildings formed a union in August under the name Fuerzas Activas de la Damen after the new owner, developer Imran Khan of Ark Management Solutions, announced shortly after acquiring the properties in April that rent increases would kick in at the beginning of September, which some tenants said would double their current rates.
Several tenants have reported their rent is under $1,000. Depending on the unit, monthly costs are between $700 and $900, they said Sunday. But they say they are now being asked to pay an average 60% increase, anywhere between $500 and $800.
In an emailed statement to the Tribune, Khan called the union’s claims “misleading.”
“What we offered was a substantially reduced rent for residents who agreed to provide valid identification and sign written leases,” he said. “For those who chose to remain month-to-month without a lease, the rent rate is higher due to the additional risk and administrative burden of informal tenancy.”
Most tenants said they paid their October rent at their usual rate, after not agreeing to sign the new contract with the spike, only to receive emails alerting them to an outstanding balance in their account. They hope to reach a deal for a smaller monthly hike of $100 before the strike Saturday.
“With these high rent costs, you’re hurting all the honest and hardworking people, who have had to stop buying medicine for their loved ones who are sick at home,” José Rentería, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, said in Spanish at the news conference. “Queremos dignidad y justicia. We want dignity and justice.”
Residents say they have been threatened with eviction if they refuse the new prices.
“We remain open to continued dialogue and collaboration, but progress has been difficult due to the union’s refusal to engage in good-faith discussions,” Khan said.
While some residents have stopped going to work, fearing arrest by federal agents, and others still head outside with dread, organizers said this and other working-class immigrant communities need access to stable housing.
On Sunday, several residents of the Rogers Park buildings expressed hopes for a fair negotiation and contract. They also expressed frustrations about their current living conditions.
Under the new ownership, maintenance needs in the four buildings have also gone unmet, according to residents, who have complained about ceiling leaks, unsealed doors and windows, and pests such as rats, bedbugs and cockroaches. The Tribune reviewed several photos from tenants, including pictures of moldy water damage and traps full of insects.
Khan said the buildings were acquired five months ago in an “extremely distressed condition, both physically and financially,” due to “neglect inherited from prior ownership.”
“Since that time, we have invested over $1.5 million into essential improvements — including new roofs, boilers, and water heaters — and we are currently renovating 18 hallways and common areas to ensure the properties are safe, stable, and well-maintained for all residents,” he said.
Some have chosen to move out due to the rising costs. Analía Miranda, a resident for 23 years, said three of her siblings who lived there have left in recent months.
“He’s going to win,” she recalled them saying. “He has money.”
“OK, but we have dignity,” Miranda said she told her siblings. “If we lose, we’ll lose with dignity.”
According to the All-Chicago Tenant Alliance, another Hispanic tenant union in the city is experiencing a similar challenge: Members of Buena Park’s Fuerzas Inquilinos de Broadway y Cuyler are currently facing off with landlord Drew Millard in eviction court.
In his statement to the Tribune, Khan said he is an immigrant and a self-made entrepreneur who grew up in the community.
“This is home to me. I would never take any action that harms immigrant families; on the contrary, I deeply understand and respect their struggles,” he said. “Our mission is to revitalize and preserve affordable housing, not displace it.”
Outside the building where the news conference was held Sunday, a pair of volunteers with the Protect Rogers Park rapid response team stood watch at the entryway, prepared to alert attendees and residents in case federal immigration agents showed up.
“This fight here today is part of a much bigger struggle. It’s more than just rent,” Reyes said. “It’s a fight for dignity, for justice and for community, for all tenants across the city.”
Originally Published:
[ad_2]
Adriana Pérez
Source link