FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 11, 2019 Contact: Jake Marshall | Tenant Organizer | housing.atu@gmail.com
PRESS CONFERENCE: Albany Park Family Protests Unjust Eviction Outside Daley Center Hearing WHEN: Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 8:30am WHERE: Daley Plaza, 50 W Washington St, Chicago IL WHAT: Eva Jaramillo and Abdon Benitez of the Sunnyside-Kedzie Tenants Union (SKTU), will appear in court to defend their family against unjust eviction at the hands of Triff Enterprises, owned by George Triff, a mega-landlord and Trump donor with a history of targeting Latinx tenants for eviction. With the assistance of the Autonomous Tenants Union (ATU) and Beyond Legal Aid, they will hold a press conference before the hearing to highlight their struggle against Triff’s mistreatment and call for community support. Eva and Abdon have paid rent on time for 16 years. For the last several years, many of the building’s residents have suffered from unsafe units, and a lack of necessary repairs, resulting in stolen possessions and assault. After landlord George Triff refused to supply sufficient heat last year, Eva and Abdon’s infant daughter was hospitalized with respiratory issues. They called 311 to report lack of heat and other code violations in March 2019; rather than fixing them, Triff served them and another tenant who called 311 with eviction notices. The tenants formed the SKTU to protest the building’s dangerous conditions and Triff’s decision to evict them. In July, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez attended a press conference in support of SKTU, which was covered by the Chicago Tribune, and Univision. Since then, Triff has continued to treat his tenants’ needs with disdain, refusing to work toward a fair resolution of the eviction case. Now, rather than treat Eva and Abdon with respect and offer them a fair settlement, Triff has filed a motion for Use and Occupancy, which would force them to pay rent for the remainder of their eviction case. Generally, landlords pursuing eviction cannot collect rent without the eviction being nullified and tenancy resumed. Eva and Abdon would be happy to pay rent, as they have every month for the last 16 years. They only ask that they are provided in return with a safe, well-maintained, and stable home, free from the fear of eviction. They will argue in court that as long as Triff is unwilling to work with them on a fair solution, the rent they are forced to pay must be lowered to reflect the ongoing maintenance issues in the unit. 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 | facebook.com/AutonomousTenantsUnion | autonomoustenantsunion.org
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