FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 18th, 2020 Contacts: Antonio Gutierrez, Tenant Organizer
COOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER ALMA ANAYA FILES RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO EVICTION FILINGS IN COOK COUNTY DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC Chicago, IL – Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners will consider a Proposed Resolution #20-2891 introduced by Cook County Commissioner Alma E. Anaya (7th-D) that urges the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois to dismiss and seal eviction filings that have been initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Proposed Resolution was prompted after 400 eviction filings - and counting - have been initiated in Cook County, even after Governor J.B. Pritzker issued Illinois Executive Order 2020-30 on April 23, 2020 which prohibits the commencement of residential evictions pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq. Furthermore, the Proposed Resolution urges the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois to require property owners who commence eviction filings to affirm filings have been initiated based on the exemptions laid out in the Executive Order, as a way to deter property owners from evicting tenants based solely on their inability to pay. “The COVID-19 pandemic has increased housing insecurity for countless residents in Cook County,” states Commissioner Anaya. “Rent already comprises a large proportion of tenants’ financial burdens, and this has become even more pronounced now as people have lost their jobs. It is unjust that our constituents need to be fearful of losing their home, on top of the concerns and uncertainty we are facing as a society due to the pandemic. It is urgent that these eviction filings be dismissed before they are able to proceed in court needlessly.” “The hundreds of evictions filed in Cook County alone demonstrate that landlords are carrying on with ‘business as usual’ in the midst of a pandemic. We need systems of accountability that protect tenants during the pandemic, and sealing these eviction cases will only be the first step. In Cook County, once a tenant is filed against at the start of the eviction process it remains on their credit record, which can prevent them from finding future housing ” says Antonio Gutierrez, Tenant Organizer from the Autonomous Tenants Union, a Chicago-based community organization that worked with Commissioner Anaya to draft the resolution. “We urge the Board to join ATU in asking the courts to fully enforce Illinois’ COVID eviction moratorium, so renters can focus on staying healthy instead of struggling to stay in their homes.” Commissioner Alma E. Anaya worked in collaboration with the Autonomous Tenant’s Union in the development of this proposed resolution. Autonomous Tenants Union (ATU) is committed to organizing for housing justice from below and to the left. As an independent collective based in Chicago, we strategize together to defend and enforce our right to dignified housing. We believe that housing is a human right, not a commodity! We fight for an end to all evictions, and for community control of housing through the building of popular power. housing.atu@gmail.com | f acebook.com/AutonomousTenantsUnion | autonomoustenantsunion.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 18th, 2020 Contacts: Antonio Gutierrez, Tenant Organizer
LA COMISIONADA DEL CONDADO DE COOK ALMA ANAYA PRESENTA UNA RESOLUCIÓN EN OPOSICIÓN A LOS ARCHIVOS DE DESALOJO EN EL CONDADO DE COOK DURANTE LA PANDEMIA DE COVID-19 Chicago, IL - Hoy, la Junta de Comisionados del Condado de Cook considerará una Resolución Propuesta # 20-2891 presentada por la Comisionada del Condado de Cook, Alma E. Anaya (7th-D) que insta a la Corte de Circuito del Condado de Cook y la Corte Suprema del Estado de Illinois para desestimar y sellar las solicitudes de desalojo que se han iniciado durante la pandemia COVID-19. La resolución propuesta se generó luego de que se iniciaron 400 solicitudes de desalojo, y se siguen contando, en el condado de Cook, incluso después de que el gobernador JB Pritzker emitió la Orden ejecutiva de Illinois 2020-30 el 23 de abril del 2020, que prohíbe el inicio de desalojos residenciales de conformidad con 735 ILCS 5 / 9-101 y ss. Además, la Resolución Propuesta incita a la Corte de Circuito del Condado de Cook y a la Corte Suprema del Estado de Illinois exigir a los propietarios que comiencen las solicitudes de desalojo que afirmen que las solicitudes se han iniciado en base a las exenciones establecidas en la Orden Ejecutiva, como una forma de disuadir a los propietarios de desalojar a los inquilinos basándose únicamente en su incapacidad de pago. "La pandemia de COVID-19 ha aumentado la inseguridad de vivienda para innumerables residentes en el condado de Cook", declara la comisionada Anaya. "El alquiler ya comprende una gran proporción de las cargas financieras de los inquilinos, y esto se ha vuelto aún más pronunciado ahora que las personas han perdido sus empleos. Es injusto que nuestros constituyentes tengan que temer perder su hogar, además de las preocupaciones y la incertidumbre que enfrentamos como sociedad debido a la pandemia. Es urgente que estas solicitudes de desalojo sean desestimadas antes de que puedan proceder en la corte innecesariamente ”. “Los cientos de desalojos presentados en el condado de Cook demuestran que los propietarios continúan con 'negocios como siempre' en medio de una pandemia. Necesitamos sistemas de responsabilidad que protejan a los inquilinos durante la pandemia, y sellar estos casos de desalojo solo será el primer paso. En el condado de Cook, una vez que se presenta una demanda contra un inquilino para iniciar el proceso de desalojo, permanece en su registro de crédito, lo que puede evitar que encuentren una vivienda futura ”, dice Antonio Gutiérrez, organizador de inquilinos del Sindicato Autónomo De Inquilinxs (ATU), una organización basada en Chicago que trabajó con la Comisionada Anaya para redactar la resolución. "Instamos a la Junta a unirse a ATU para pedirle a los tribunales que apliquen completamente la moratoria de desalojos en el estado de Illinois durante COVID, para que los inquilinos puedan concentrarse en mantenerse saludables en lugar de luchar por permanecer en sus hogares". La comisionada Alma E. Anaya trabajó en colaboración con el Sindicato Autónomo de Inquilinxs (ATU) en el desarrollo de esta resolución propuesta.
Autonomous Tenants Union (ATU) is committed to organizing for housing justice from below and to the left. As an independent collective based in Chicago, we strategize together to defend and enforce our right to dignified housing. We believe that housing is a human right, not a commodity! We fight for an end to all evictions, and for community control of housing through the building of popular power. housing.atu@gmail.com | f acebook.com/AutonomousTenantsUnion | autonomoustenantsunion.org