Newsletter | March 2020
On Sunday, March 1, ATU visited the home of Fred Parker, the landlord who tried to evict Karen and Adrian after they reported conditions issues in their apartment. Karen and Adrian moved into a unit last September that Parker had advertised as allowing small pets and having access to a backyard and laundry room. After moving in, they notified Parker of several issues: no locks on windows, broken head shower, broken light fixture, non-functional stove and no fire alarm.
Then the retaliation began. Less than 24 hours after moving in, his response was “find another apartment.” Next, he gave them a 10-day notice alleging, despite the advertisement, that they did not have permission to keep their two small dogs, which they were forced to relocate in order to avoid eviction proceedings. Parker also denied Karen and Adrian access to the backyard and laundry room (which is hooked up to their utilities!). Not long after, Karen and Adrian connected with ATU.
After Karen and Adrian presented Parker with a letter detailing the conditions issues, only to have the problems ignored, they exercised their right under Chicago’s Residential Landlord-Tenant Ordinance to withhold a portion of their February rent reflecting the diminished value of their apartment. Parker responded by issuing a 5-day eviction notice. Though they paid the remainder of Parker’s demanded rent to avoid court proceedings, they were not done fighting.
And so, supported by fellow ATU members, Karen and Adrian made a house call to Parker with a letter again detailing the conditions issues, and to exercise their legal right to pay a reduced amount of rent for March. Although people were clearly home, Parker himself would not come to the door and face the tenants he has tried to exploit. With the letter mailed, emailed, and hand-delivered to his door, Parker knows that these tenants know their rights, will not be bullied, and have a community behind them.
Domestic Violence and Housing Workshop
Albany Park community members and neighbors from across the city came together on February 22 for ATU’s Housing and Domestic Violence (DV) workshop. First we established common groupd by coming together for consensus at what are some warning signs and traits of potential intimate partner violence (IPV) in reviewing the Power and Control Wheel, as well as reviewing the current legislation (ie. Violence Against Women’s Act- VAWA).
We reviewed case studies based on actual situations and circumstances from residents here in Chicago and brainstormed on what approaches can be taken to reduce or eliminate further harm for the survivor and all affected parties. Our groups consistently found institutional and systemic barriers, such as law enforcement and the legal systems often further harming survivors, as well as discussing the artificial shortage in housing that is both dignified and affordable, which limits the the ability of many survivors to leave a harmful situation sooner.
There was a unanimous interest in further discussing how we can support each other through mutual aid and solidarity groups and intentional community building to support and empower our own neighbors and ultimately ourselves. Keep a lookout for upcoming workshops!
Thank you to all who participated in this workshop. We will keep you informed for the next part of the workshop series!
