Don’t Vote for Michael Zink
Autonomous Tenants Union (ATU) urges you not to vote for Michael Zink for Cook County’s 20th Subcircuit. We have been fighting against Zink since early 2023 in one of our largest housing justice campaigns and want you to know what he really stands for. Zink is the lawyer of one of the largest slumlords in this area, Gary Carlson (1), and has been representing him through Carlson’s 72 active City lawsuits (2) for building violations.
Zink uses his skills to shield Carlson from the legal consequences of operating as a slumlord who exploits his 1,000+ tenants, mostly low income people of color. It is infuriating to us that Zink is billing himself as a “progressive” who is “wielding the power of the law to protect the least amongst us” (3) when in reality he is wielding his power against us, against ATU, against tenants, against low income people, and against Black and Brown folks.
On his campaign page, he states that: “His understanding of the disproportionate impact of the judicial system on people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those facing poverty, addiction, and mental health issues sets him apart.” And we agree. He is set apart by harnessing his unique understanding to continue to oppress those exact communities. It’s unclear when he has time for all of the progressive championing he claims to do when he is fighting the city and a bunch of vulnerable tenants in 72 court cases on behalf of a slumlord. Injustice Watch reviewed Cook County Court records and found that “Zink almost exclusively represents landlords in eviction cases, and his clients include large corporate investors and property owners with records of housing code violations and accusations of unfair treatment of renters.” (4)
Carlson is a Northwest Chicago landlord who liberally exploits and abuses his tenants, forcing them to live in substandard and unsafe buildings and subjecting them to harassment and intimidation. You may have heard his name in the news because of the deaths (5) in his buildings or his multiple buildings that burned down. (6)
ATU has been working for over a year with the Fair Tenants Union (FTU) (7), a collective of Carlson tenants, along with the Albany Park Organizing Committee and the Metropolitan Tenants Organization, to get justice for Carlson tenants. These tenants are asking for basic necessities, such as a staffed maintenance hotline that runs longer than the current 30 minutes four days a week. They filed a petition to intervene (8) in the City’s lawsuits so that their voices and demands could be heard and Zink objected to tenants’ inclusion in the legal process. (9)
(1) There are dozens of documents in the Cook County records where either Zink personally or his law firm, the Law Offices of Starr, Bejgiert, Zink & Rowells, filed appearances representing Carlson. A random sampling include case numbers: 20211401124, 20211400608, 20211400966, 20211400904. See footnote 8 for a letter personally signed by Zink objecting to tenants’ testimonies being heard in court.
(3) zinkforjudge.com
(4) Cook County March 2024 Judicial Voting Guide | Injustice Watch | Michael J. Zink
(5) Woman Shot Dead by Armed Intruder in Ravenswood Manor; Shooting of Firefighter The Last Straw for Albany Park Neighbors. It Didn’t Used to Be Like This
(7) Protesters demand action from Chicago Housing Authority
(8) Residents blast Chicago landlord who they say ignored calls to address bugs, other problems
(9) Defendant’s Response to Emergency Petition to Intervene
