Victory! Unjust eviction blocked.

In another major victory for the tenants of Northpoint Apartments, on May 11 a jury threw out the unjust eviction case against Carol Vialdores, so she and her family can stay in their Rogers Park home of 15 years.

A combined campaign of grassroots organizing and legal advocacy overcame yet another unfair eviction attempt. Ms. Vialdores, who is also a tenant activist and Northside Action for Justice member ,was targeted for eviction because she demanded respect as a tenant and was active in organizing other tenants.. She was able to get legal help from Northwestern University Law School Legal Clinic and a legal team led by John Elson. A coalition of organizations and Northpoint tenants gathered hundreds of petitions opposing the eviction. There was a press conference at the HUD building on Monday, May 3rd, and a meeting with Ed Hinsberger (the head of the HUD family housing program). At that time he said they would talk to Northpoint/Aimco about the case, but no commitment was made to stop the eviction.

Carol and her supporters continued to mobilize support and packed the courtroom for the trial. Many potential jurors said they could not, in good conscience, evict a family, so Northpoint’s lawyers kept them off the jury. On Tuesday in the late afternoon, after hearing the case and receiving clear instructions from the judge, the jury came back and decided in Carol Vialdores favor and threw the eviction out.

This case had a happy ending, thanks to the work and support of the people, the courage of Carol in standing up for her rights and a dedicated legal team. However, there is a continued pattern of abuse and mismanagement on the part of Northpoint/AIMCO that needs to be addressed and this victory (like the victory in the Bledsoe case six months ago) is part of the continued tenant organizing campaign to win respect and justice at Northpoint and for low and moderate income residents around the city.