In response to a court-ordered evacuation, members of the 7500 South Shore Tenants Union are demanding more time and money for residents to leave the apartment complex and relocate. Members of the union reside in the property where an infamous ICE raid took place in September.
The demands come as a Cook County Circuit Court judge granted an emergency motion from Wells Fargo on Nov. 24 for all residents to vacate the property by Dec. 5 — and no later than Dec. 12. The order was given to residents by Friedman Communities, the court-appointed receiver of the property.
According to the union, a court hearing regarding the order to vacate took place on Nov. 24 at the same time union members gathered outside the 7500 S. South Shore Dr. property for a press conference announcing their newly formed tenants union. Many members found out the news about the order to move just a day before Thanksgiving.
Union members said they were “shocked and blindsided” by the mandate, stating concerns over the ruling without input from tenants, as well as the possibility of tenants having to look for housing during the Chicago winter on short notice.
“We found out the day after our presser that Wells Fargo, the bank that owns this building, worked with Friedman Communities, the receiver of this building, to go to the court and request that people be moved out by Dec. 12. That’s next Friday,” Infiniti Gant, an organizer with Southside Together, said during Tuesday’s press conference outside the building. “It was not announced. It was not made public.”
Tenants and organizers gathered Tuesday in front of the property as windows of the building were being boarded up behind them. During the September ICE raid, militarized immigration agents detained occupants and left the building in despair. The raid highlighted an already unlivable situation present before the building became subject to President Donald Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz.”
The union is demanding that Mayor Brandon Johnson “immediately direct the Corporation Counsel to file an emergency motion with the court requesting additional time for tenants to relocate.”
The union is also demanding that Friedman Communities, Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker “negotiate collectively with tenants for a later move-out date and sufficient money to relocate.”
Gant said the union has been in contact with members of the mayor’s team as recently as yesterday and that the city is currently requesting more information from the tenants. Gant said they are working to gather more tenants to join the union. Many no longer live in the building due to the unlivable conditions there
The mayor’s and governor’s offices did not respond to The TRiiBE’s request for comment on the union’s demands.
Union member and resident Travaris Ivy said he returned home on Thanksgiving night from visiting family to a notice in the hallway alerting tenants that they had to leave the property.
“On Thanksgiving, while I was out spending time with friends and family, I couldn’t help but think of the fact that I had to find out through a note posted on the wall when I first came in the building that they was kicking us out in two weeks,” Ivy said.
According to pictures provided by the union, a paper taped to a wall in the building titled “Notice to Vacate” detailed a short list of options for residents, including a list of nearby housing options, noting that the “locations are offered as suggestions only” and not guaranteeing acceptance or availability.
The list also includes support services such as the Chicago Housing Authority, the Illinois Department of Human Services and organizations such as Renaissance Social Services and Access Living Housing Services.
In addition to the short eviction date, tenants expressed concern for elderly and disabled individuals who would face more difficulties moving out;the elevator in the building is broken.
According to the posted papers, representatives with Friedman Communities are said to be present in the building from Dec.1 to Dec. 5 to answer questions. Union members said the reps with the company have been coming up to them individually, ignoring requests from the union to meet as a group.
Samantha Stamps, a 55-year-old, four-year resident of 7500 S. South Shore Dr., shed tears during the press conference. She expressed sadness that her grandchildren could not come to visit her due to the building’s conditions.”I never been through nothing like this in my life,” Stamps said.
“No elevator, no heat, garbage everywhere.” Stamps said Friedman representatives in the building offered her $5,000, but she told them no because she is part of the union.
“They’re going around and telling different people different things, and that’s exactly why we want to come to them as a union together,” Gant said. “We want to make sure that the people in the building are all protected.”
The full list of union demands is:
- Friedman Communities must take immediate steps to repair the building, including: full restoration of heat, electricity, and elevators
- Removal of standing water, sewage, pests, rodents, and severe mold from the building
- Friedman Communities must immediately hire qualified 24-hour security for the building.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson, Governor JB Pritzker, and Friedman Communities must work to relocate residents to buildings in the South Shore neighborhood.
- Friedman Communities, the City of Chicago, Cook County, and/or the State of Illinois must pay each resident relocation assistance of $7500 no later than 30 days before scheduled move-out.
- The Chicago Housing Authority must expedite the inspection and moving process for Section 8 Voucher Holders in the building.
