“Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.” ~Abraham Lincoln.
Today, fundamental rights taken for granted by most Americans are routinely denied to public housing residents.Nowhere is this more evident than with the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) residents living in the so-called mixed income areas that used to be Cabrini Green.
Here condos and public housing exist in buildings under the same roof in dwellings right next door to each other, and yet are treated quite differently. Until very recently, only people living in condos could use storage space in the buildings, even though every apartment had its own storage cage with the apartment number labeled over it. Condo dwellers simply put their extra belongings in CHA storage units. This went on at a time when some public housing tenants were being harassed for having ‘clutter’ in their apartments that could have been stored. Around the same time, condo owners had keys to enter the gym on the first floor while CHA occupants had to walk outside the building even in the cold of winter to buzz into the facility. Residents embarrassed the CHA in front of news reporters and cameras,and these abuses were removed.
Further, people in condos can own pets, people inCHA cannot. The former can belong to a condo association, the latter cannot. CHA tenants cannot even organize into unions to defend themselves. All those over the age of 18 in CHA units must submit to a mandatory drug test yearly, while those in condo units do not. The rationale is because CHA is a federally funded program. However building construction, management by private corporations, and maintenance, all receive federal funds. Then shouldn’t everyone benefitting from those funds be drug tested as well?
Various “Acts To Amend” the original “National Housing Act” passed by both houses of Congress have put public housing families in a position of real legal second-class citizenship. By law any arrest of anyone, even false arrest, is enough to evict these families, no matter how remote or minor the offense. In a town as corrupt as Chicago, this can be a dangerous thing. A judge describing the conduct of officers in his courtroom said that most people come to testify, but the officers come to test a lie.
Due process, innocence until proven guilty, and equal protection under the law, are all thrown out the window.The saying, “today it’s us but tomorrow it could be you,” has real meaning here. The unskilled industrial manufacturing jobs once worked by CHA residents for more than half a century are all gone. And with them, our right to keep a roof over our heads seems to have gone too. Buying a condo is a thirty-year process. Will your job last that long?
You have got to be referring to the stupid”one strike” clause in their contract. I have successfully in some situations fought and managed to keep my tenants in housing on some of these cases. Our situation , may not be unique., but we had off duty officers as security after hours at several of the low income housing projects. They would write reports on tenants, tenants friends, or alleged friends on the property , around the corner, at the store and the pizza parlor.
In some situations the tenants did not even know the people. In other situations we argued the police are not police on duty at the complex. They are only security.. They cannot label something a crime and report it to Housing authority as a violation. Really tricky.. the housing authority was treating it as police reports, the police department were taking no responsiblity as they were not police,off duty. The tenant was suffering. It’s a hard fight but doable.. You have to stay focused and don’t give up check the regs it looks easy but make them show proof that there was a legal violation. One strike is very serious and messes up families lives…. It’s also used to pit tenant against tenant.. Do not let them evict your tenants without a fight. Take as many people as allowable to your hearing , they can be your representatives to help u understand. YOu are allowed to have someone with you if you want. I have even had some with false arrest.. Have to work really fast, got report, tenant not even named although security said so and housing said so, neither had a copy. Document everything. attitudes you experience with condo board members, keep a log of everything. The minute you don’t it can crash down.. I think it is one of the worst ideals of a Regulation I have ever had to work with for my tenants .. Keep fighting , protest the complex, protest the condo board. Do whatever you need to do to get some satisfaction and realistic housing expectations from all the parties that may think they have the given right to treat you any way they want. Determine if they only go after tenants, we have seen that, then send a demand letter, telling them you see it , you know it is happening and you plan to file a legitimate complaint with the proper authorities. By all means stick together with your neighbors,tenants and your advocates… You are your advocate.. Don’t settle for “one strike u are out”!!
Again if we want JUstice.. To get it it’s going to take JUST US!!