March Newsletter 2018
Postcard Campaign Brings Success, Policing & Gentrification, #NoCopAcademy Visits 33rd Ward’s Deb Mell, Downtown Lift The Ban Action, and more!
Postcard Campaign Gets Repairs Made
Leticia and her family have been pressuring their slumlords since August to make repairs in her home.
Water damage and mold have contributed to the ceiling in her kitchen falling down. Up until a few weeks ago, the owners kept saying that they could not make any repairs until Leticia and her family move out.
In early February, ATU members sent out dozens of postcards with images of the bad conditions she has to see every day. These postcards, along with messages of solidarity for Leticia’s family were sent to the home of Luis Molina and Amelia Espinoza, so they too must see these conditions every day and get a taste of what Leticia’s family has to endure.
Last week, the owner came by and made repairs to her ceiling. This win shows us that direct action can take many forms, and anyone can do it, you just need to try. Never forget, when we fight, we win.
Fundraiser for Guillermo, Detained by ICE
Guillermo has been an organizer with ATU for many years. Passionate and determined, Guille has fought with us to make sure landlords and developers couldn’t displace working class tenants in Albany Park. Now we need to show up for him. He went to Jacksonville, FL late last year, intending to spend a few months working there. He has been jailed since January 29, 2018 and detained by ICE at Baker County Detention Facility since February 8.
Cages and borders exist to control us, to divide us and to break our spirits. Guillermo is a fighter and we have witnessed the depth of strength that he possesses. We must fight this injustice with solidarity, so he can stay strong knowing he has a community behind him.
ATU is asking for funds for legal or other expenditures needed to support Guillermo, as well as to support his family, who typically rely on his income for survival. Please donate to and share our fundraiser to fight with Guille against his detention!
Family Friendly Asamblea
ATU held a family-friendly Asamblea where members made pinatas, sock puppets, posters, and banners. Great fun was had by all! Keep an eye out for puppets like Larry the Landlord and Neighborhood Association Nancy coming to a puppet-show near you! See more pics here.
On Policing and Gentrification
The police are part of the engine that drives gentrification and, ultimately, displacement.
The majority of police departments’ time and resources are spent on “broken windows” policing, or addressing quality of life complaints.
ATU stands with #NoCopAcademy in opposing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed $95 million police training center. Community organizations demand the money be funneled into education and infrastructure for the marginalized communities that over-policing and divestment ravage.
Rather than taking accountability for the 2016 DOJ report revelations about Chicago Police Department human rights violations, Emanuel is putting the city’s money towards a rebrand.
San Francisco’s Anti-Eviction Mapping Project documented a dramatic increase in arrests and citations for petty misdemeanors in gentrifying black and brown neighborhoods. In the Mission neighborhood, a historically Latinx enclave, 311 complaints about minor infractions increased by 291 percent from 2009 to 2014 as wealthy techies moved in. This pattern can be observed all over: Police presence is especially concentrated in areas with an influx of wealthy white residents, and the existing community is invariably criminalized.
The criminalization of low-income communities of color accelerates gentrification by manufacturing financial hardship, making people of color police targets in their own neighborhoods, and by forcibly removing poor community members in the case of cash bond while awaiting trial. And of course, the criminal justice system so often does landlords’ dirty work for them: it is the police, after all, that enforce eviction orders.
#NoCopAcademy visits 33rd Ward Alderman Deb Mell
33rd Ward residents gathered outside Deb Mell’s office on Monday, Feb 26 to let her know that they want her to vote “no” on the cop academy ordinance.
A group including members of 33rd Ward Working Families chanted outside as two constituents waited inside to speak with Mell. After waiting over 30 minutes, Mell finally came outside and greeted the crowd with “Hello, I am not going to answer any questions.”
Mell concentrated more on making sure the folks present were residents of her ward, rather than addressing the reason they were there. After some back and forth, one constituent reminded Mell that they had asked nicely previously, and she still voted to purchase the land for the academy. Mell’s assistant responded “you assume you speak for everyone in this ward.”
After a few minutes, Mell retreated into her office, and the crowd vowed to make her regret it if she votes yes to the ordinance. If you live in the 33rd ward, please reach out to Mell and let her know why you support the “NoCopAcademy campaign, and let her know what you think that money should be used for:
Email: ward33@cityofchicago.org
Phone: 773–478–8040
Rent Control Action at Thompson Center
From 2013–2016, rents on average have INCREASED $500/month in Chicago versus wages of $125/month…we need rent control now! On January 31, ATU joined local community groups downtown as part of the Lift The Ban Coalition, staging an action for lifting the ban on rent control.
Protesters armed with pillows, blankets and a message of “Rent’s too high, can we sleep here?” marched to the Thompson Center and held a press conference about the enormous burden tenants face due to rising rents and the private interest groups that have worked to ban rent control in Illinois. Check out ATU’s coverage of the event on twitter here.
The Autonomous Tenants Union (ATU) is an all-volunteer organization 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 of evictions, and for community control of housing through the building of popular power.
The Autonomous Tenants Union has biweekly meetings the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 4–6 PM at 3253 W Wilson Ave.
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