FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 21, 2020 Contacts: Antonio Gutierrez, Co-founder ATU Jesse Connor, ATU Media Committee Evan Stahr, Beyond Legal Aid Attorney
Beyond Legal Aid, Autonomous Tenants Union, and hundreds of Cook County residents demand Circuit Court honor Governor’s order to close eviction filings CHICAGO -- In a letter addressed to Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Dorothy Brown and Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, Beyond Legal Aid has joined the Autonomous Tenants Union (ATU) and renters across the county in requesting that the Court comply with Governor Pritzker’s orders to close eviction filings for non-payment. Hundreds of evictions have been filed since Illinois’ first stay-at-home order was placed, and filings have continued even after Governor J.B. Pritzker ordered a halt to commencement of eviction actions. After Gov. Pritzker initiated the state’s first COVD-19 stay-at-home executive order in late March, the ATU joined dozens of other community organizations, legal aid groups, and elected officials to publish a petition which now has over 17,400 signatures calling for bold tenant protections during the public health crisis. In addition to a primary demand for complete rent cancelation, the petition called for a complete closure of eviction filings in the Circuit Court of Cook County. On April 23, the Governor finally heeded this demand in Illinois Executive Order 2020-30, which states that “a person or entity may not commence a residential eviction action” unless a tenant poses a threat to other tenants or property or violates a building code or similar regulation. According to Beyond Legal Aid attorney Evan Stahr, this executive order means that “evictions for non-payment cannot be filed in Illinois for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis.” And yet over 200 evictions have been filed in Cook County alone since the April 23 executive order was placed. This lack of enforcement of eviction regulations appears to represent a pattern at the Circuit Court, as earlier this month TLC Management was forced to cancel and dismiss two eviction lawsuits filed in violations of the federal CARES Act - but only after tenants and advocates pointed out the violations! Hundreds of Cook County residents have now written to Circuit Court Clerk Brown and Chief Judge Evans to ask them to comply with the state executive order and close eviction filings. Beyond Legal Aid has affirmed their request, noting that the Court “hold[s] the tool” to enforce this order by rejecting eviction filings. Due to the massive surge in unemployment caused by the coronavirus crisis, the strain this has put on renters in making ends meet, and the Court’s reluctance to enforce eviction regulations, the Autonomous Tenants Union also calls on the Circuit Court to dismiss and seal all evictions filed since the original Illinois stay-at-home order issued on March 20, 2020. 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. Beyond Legal Aid unites lawyers and activists in a collaborative pursuit for justice by leveraging legal services to benefit the most marginalized communities and individuals. BEYOND is changing legal aid. We are changing how lawyers and communities work together. Our lawyers work with activists to help their communities access justice and pursue social change. housing.atu@gmail.com | facebook.com/AutonomousTenantsUnion | autonomoustenantsunion.org
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