When Travaris Ivy came home Thanksgiving evening after spending time with family, he saw a note posted in his building: All residents of 7500 South Shore Dr. were being ordered to vacate the premises on or before Dec. 12.
Ivy, who has lived in the building for two years, has been dealing with the aftermath of the federal immigration raid on Sept. 30. He is one of a few dozen residents still left in the building long after media attention over the raid waned.
“This is my community, and I should not be forced out, especially at a time like this where it’s literally freezing outside,” Ivy said at a news conference on Tuesday morning. Residents protested the move-out date and the lack of support from property managers and elected officials.
As Ivy and others spoke, workers from DAWGS, a “vacant property security company,” unloaded steel window guards with which to board up windows throughout the property.
The Nov. 24 court order, signed by Cook County Circuit Judge Debra Seaton, shows the emergency motion to set the move-out deadline was requested by Wells Fargo, which now owns the building.
Residents also called on elected officials to help – including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. The city itself proposed Dec. 12 as one possible move-out date, a spokesperson confirmed, but is now working with tenants to try to get that pushed back.
Seaton’s order was a surprise to residents, as it came on the same day they held a press conference last week calling for relocation help. Tenants said the emergency hearing was unannounced, making it impossible to give their input, and that they only learned about it more than a week later when they saw a notice taped on the hallway.
The notice provided residents with a list of social service agencies as well as nearby buildings they could consider for relocation. “These locations are offered as suggestions only and do not guarantee availability or acceptance,” according to a photo of the letter. It also said residents with valid leases and photo ID will receive move-out assistance “upon the signing of a lease termination agreement and completion of move-out.”
Friedman Communities is the receiver of the property, ordered by Seaton to clean up the building and assist tenants with relocation, after conditions deteriorated under ownership by an out-of-town investor.
But Infiniti Gant, an organizer with Southside Together, said the company has been absent until now.
“The first time tenants heard from Friedman was … that they’re getting kicked out of the building,” Gant said. “There are elders in the building, there are disabled people in the building. How are they going to move if the elevators don’t work… if there are pools of water on the floor?”
The tenant union is calling for at least 60 days to move out, $7,500 in relocation funds per resident, and help placing them in apartments nearby.
Gant also said the tenant union is demanding that Friedman Communities speak to residents as a group.
“[Friedman representatives] are going around and telling different people different things,” Gant said. One resident said she was offered $5,000 in move-out costs but declined in favor of ensuring all the tenants get fair treatment.
Friedman Communities did not respond to a request for comment.
At a City Hall news conference on Tuesday, Johnson said his administration is “working overtime with the organizers of these tenants” to secure housing relocation, but didn’t provide more details.
Asked whether he thinks tenants should have to move out by Dec. 12 amid snowy conditions, Johnson said, “We’re going to work with expediency to get these families placed…. If there’s an opportunity to work with the court to provide maximum time for comfort and placement, of course, we’ll explore that.”
The emergency motion, filed Nov. 20, states that it was the city that “proposed a vacate date of December 12.”
A Mayor’s Office spokesperson said the city did propose that date as one of several, and had informal input in that timeline because the city may need to help enforce the move-out. But Wells Fargo and the receiver of the property were the ones who ultimately settled on Dec. 12, the spokesperson said, and requested tenants’ removal.
When asked whether the city would file a motion to request more time, a spokesperson said the Law Department does not believe it can file a motion on behalf of tenants, even though the city is a party in the case.
“We do not and cannot represent individual residents in private litigation, like a foreclosure action. Our role is limited to protecting the City’s legal interests, not filing motions on behalf of private parties,” a statement read.
“However, the City is very concerned for the safety of the tenants and occupants due to the conditions in the building,” the statement read.
While the Law Department does not believe it has the ability to file a formal motion for a new move-out date, the Mayor’s Office spokesperson said the city is working with organizers to try to find some avenue for tenants to get relief from the court.