FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- MONDAY FEB. 18
Dozens of Rogers Park tenants are gathering this morning at 1246 W. Pratt in an effort to save their 12-story apartment building from a developer who is trying to evict them en masse. 

At today's 10:30 a.m. press conference, they will demand better building maintenance, an end to the evictions, and the right to renew their leases at their current rent -- as well as a meeting with the building's management, in hopes of preventing dozens of low-income residents from being made homeless.

The tenants will be joined by supporters from Northside Action for Justice, Metropolitan Tenants Organization and Communities United Against Foreclosure and Eviction. 

Since 1246 Pratt LLC purchased the Astor House building in November, the company has filed at least 27 eviction cases against residents and has forced out at least a third of the building's tenants. For the few who are getting the option to renew their leases, the property manager has announced plans to increase rent up to 57 percent. 

Tenant Daniel Pfeiffer hopes standing up for his rights will inspire residents elsewhere in the city fight for fair, affordable housing and bring attention to the growing housing crisis in the Chicago area. "Low-income people are being pushed away. Where is left for us to go? Because it is happening all over."

As the building's owners turn their attention to renters who can afford to pay more for rehabbed units, current tenants suffer plagues of bedbugs, mice and roaches. 

Security is woefully inadequate; units in the building lack working fire and carbon monoxide detectors, and fire hoses are inaccessible. Some tenants are even without working plumbing and utilities. Frequent elevator outages make it impossible for tenants with limited mobility to leave the building, sometimes for days at a time.

"It's a growing problem throughout the city. From South Shore to Howard Street, from the Lawrence House building in Uptown to the Château Hotel in Lakeview, the issue is money, and the developers want more. So they are trying to get rid of us," says Laurence Williams, a tenant in the building.

Press Contacts:

Daniel Pfeiffer, 312-576-3819

Marc Kaplan, Northside Action for Justice, 773-407-2001

Public Schools Update

NA4J members joined several hundred parents, students, teachers, and community members at the CPS Hearing on School Closings at Truman College. We passed out over 250 "solidarity badges" to attendees for a moratorium on school closings, a moratorium on the opening of new charter schools, and action to strengthen our public schools.

Karen Zaccor, NA4J member and Uplift teacher, spoke at the hearing and echoed the message of unity expressed citywide: "Don't close our schools, don't close ANY Schools!" Click below to view her speech:

John Taylor and his grandson, Gabe, a second grader at Stockton Elementary in Uptown, also spoke.
Gabe said "Stockton is a great school. Don't close my school, don't close any school!" in front of CPS Chief of Schools Craig Benes and other CPS officials and consultants.

Four elementary schools in our community are still being targeted for closure: Breneman, Stewart, Stockton, and Trumbull. Join NA4J in the fight to strengthen our public schools and keep all schools open!


More updates coming soon, but please email us at education@actionforjustice.org if you would like to get involved in the struggle for public schools on the Northside and all around Chicago.

NA4J members were among the crowd of parents and community groups at Gale Math & Science Academy in Rogers Park.  Gale had just been taken off the 'could be closed' list, a list based on faulty "underutilization" criteria, so part of the night's theme was some relief that Gale would remain open.

But by far the loudest cheers came in response to comments against closing any schools, and against adding any charter schools and against any of the other actions the unelected Board of Education takes to dismantle community schools.  The CPS rep said he could not promise anything about other actions that could be taken on Rogers Park schools.

Concerned about school closings and educational quality?
Stand Up, Speak Out
 Sat, Feb 16, CPS Public Hearing
11:00am - 1:00pm
Truman College

Against Medicaid Cuts & Privatization

NA4J members Virginia Hester and Maryon Banks

NA4J members leafleted the crowd at an appearance by Gov. Quinn and US HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, calling for an end to the privatized contract with Maximus corp, whose aim is to knock at lat 40,000 people off of Illinois Medicaid.

NA4J has heard reports of people losing Medical cards, from Springfield to Chicago, because of the Maximus contract. Maximus is mailing notices to beneficiaries in a nondescript envelope that can easily be confused with junk mail (we're told this will be changed). If they do not respond with requested documentation within 10 days, they are deemed ineligible for the program. Non-response, whether it's because of mental illness, or missing the letter or simply because of postal delivery problems and - poof! - they can claim to have rooted out fraud, thus justifying the $85 million contract.

Under the Affordable Care Act, states that get extra federal money to add people to their Medicaid programs are not allowed to simply cut people from the state-funded rolls then add them back later on the federally-funded program. NA4J was not able to ask Secretary Sebelius how Quinn's Maximus project squares with that requirement.