Newsletter | December 2019
Report Back: NW Side Town Hall on Rent Control
On November 9th, ATU participated in a town hall held by the Lift the Ban coalition, United Neighbors of the 35th Ward and Neighbors for Affordable Housing, hosted by State Rep. Will Guzzardi. ATU Member Leticia spoke on the panel as someone with firsthand experience with Chicago's housing crisis. Listen to her speech and others on our livestream of the event.
At the event, myths the real estate industry perpetuates about rent control were debunked and attendees shared ideas about affordable housing. Ald. Daniel La Spata also announced that he plans to introduce Just Cause Eviction legislation in the coming months.
Several small-time landlords from the area attended the event to argue that rent control would make being a landlord more difficult. A conversation ensued about what's at stake for tenants and landlords, respectively: many rent-burdened tenants may be facing homelessness. Tax-burdened landlords and homeowners may need to become renters.
ACTION ALERT: Support Eva and Abdon against unjust eviction
WHEN: Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 8:30am
WHERE: Daley Plaza, 50 W Washington St, Chicago IL
Eva and Abdon have paid rent on time for 16 years. After their landlord, George Triff, refused to supply sufficient heat last year, their infant daughter was hospitalized with respiratory problems. They called 311 in March and rather than fix the issues, Triff served eviction notices to tenants who reported them.
Now Trump donor Triff is filing a motion to force the family to pay full rent for the rest of their case. Generally, landlords pursuing eviction cannot legally collect rent without the eviction being nullified. Considering the unit's ongoing conditions issues, this is an outrageous request!
Join us at a press conference outside the Daley Center before Eva and Abdon head into court, or share the event!
Tenant Law 101: Just Cause
Something we often talk about in ATU is the sword and the shield: when fighting for dignified housing, renters need both the sword (direct action) and the shield (legal protections) to win. One law that tenant unions around the country are fighting for is called “just cause” eviction. It is also sometimes referred to as “good cause” eviction. These laws make it so that a landlord cannot evict a tenant for any old reason: only certain reasons are allowable, and vary state to state, but usually include nonpayment of rent or intentional damage to the unit.
Currently, Seattle, Oakland, Berkeley, Washington D.C. and the state of New Jersey have just cause eviction laws. In Chicago, a landlord is not required to give any reason for evicting a tenant without a current lease. Enacting just cause laws could reduce the no cause evictions common in gentrifying neighborhoods like Albany Park.
Check out this article featuring ATU's Antonio Gutiérrez to learn about how Just Cause could benefit our undocumented neighbors.
SKTU Update: Eva and her family’s fight
Eva and her family, founding members of SKTU, continue to be in eviction proceedings with their George Triff. In November, they launched a mailer campaign, alerting Trump Donor George Triffs’ neighbors to the horrible conditions his properties are in and the way he treats his working-class, immigrant tenants.
We did not stop with the mailers. On November 26th, the community flooded Triff's phone lines for a call-in campaign. Thank you to everyone who called and to everyone fighting in solidarity with SKTU!
December Convivio
The last asamblea of the decade is upon us! And the last asamblea will take on a different format--it's our December convivo.
Convivo is Spanish for “to coexist, to live together." We all share common struggles given the different power structures, systems, and institutions we live in and fight against. A convivo is an opportunity for all of our members in ATU and in our community to come together and celebrate our strength, our perseverance, our solidarity, our stories from the past year, and our dreams for the year and decade to come.
We'll meet on Saturday, December 14th from 4-6pm at 3253 W Wilson Ave. As always, snacks and childcare will be provided--feel free to bring food to share, too. See you there!
