FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Friday May 19, 2020 Contacts: Michael Robin, Media Committee Jesse Connor, Media Committee
JOIN AUTONOMOUS TENANTS UNION ON THE VIRTUAL RED CARPET FOR THE COVID-19 LANDLORD WALL OF SHAME AWARDS Hosted by comedian Arish Singh, the primetime ceremony will see Shamey Awards given to members of the Chicagoland real estate scene for their violations of federal law, state executive order, and basic human decency. WHEN: Tuesday, May 18th at 7:00 PM (CDT) WHERE: Event will be broadcast live on the Autonomous Tenants Union Facebook page, with a simulcast in Spanish. WHO: Hosted by comedian Arish Singh (Monkey Wrench, Netflix’s Easy) and presented by members of Autonomous Tenants Union and Chicago Democratic Socialists of America/Lift the Ban Coalition. WHAT: The COVID-19 Wall of Shame (or Shamey) Awards will be presented to those deemed the worst of the worst of those landlords and attorneys continuing to file evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Categories will include: Most Overall Evictions, Most CARES Act Violations, The Gaggy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Forced Non-Disclosure Agreements, the Lori Lightfoot Award for Gracelessness and Inflexibility, and the Superspreader Award. WHY: On April 23, 2020, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued an updated and expanded version of the emergency COVID-19 Executive Order, which declared that “a person or entity may not commence a residential eviction action pursuant to or arising under 735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq., unless a tenant poses a direct threat to the health and safety of other tenants, an immediate and severe risk to property, or a violation of any applicable building code, health ordinance, or similar regulation.” In spite of this, eviction filings have not stopped in Chicago. Additionally, many of these eviction filings have violated federal law by targeting tenants in housing with federal mortgage backing, despite the moratorium included in the CARES Act. Because the burden of proof often falls on tenants, and because landlords have money and the legal system on their side, you can be assured that people will be displaced by these nominally illegal evictions. Until tenants are guaranteed the Right to Counsel, housing court will always be stacked in favor of landlords, who can afford to spend big on lawyers who specialize in forcing working class people from their homes. Until a Just Cause law is passed, landlords will still find loopholes and ways to retaliate against tenants who defend themselves. Until we Lift the Ban and pass rent control in Illinois, our neighborhoods will continue to be torn apart by profiteering developers. Until we cancel rent for the duration of the pandemic, working class people will continue to be at increased risk. And until Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans and Clerk Dorothy Brown shut down filings, landlords and their lawyers will continue filing these illegal evictions.
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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