A crop of beleaguered citizens of the community met with County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and County Sheriff Thomas Dart, irritated by the ever–looming threats of foreclosure. Furthermore, the homeowners called on county leaders to put in place a one year-stay on evictions, or a “one-year moratorium,” according to Steven Ross Johnson’s article.
This past Thursday night, Preckwinkle and Dart received over a hundred individuals at the community meeting. The county officials wished to give such homeowners an opportunity to voice their own experiences and troubles regarding foreclosure. As many of us know, the Chicago area has blighted with abhorring foreclosure difficulties for the past several months. Moreover, the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign, organizers of the event, intended to help explain how delaying the eviction process could provide some with much needed—albeit temporary—relief. In addition to the one-year moratorium, the group called on Preckwinkle and other government officials to undertake a tour of local communities that have been heavily affected by the foreclosure crisis.
"We don't come here on our knees begging for a handout," said Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an organizer. "We come here as fighters for the human right to housing."
Yet, county officials didn’t seem interested in fulfilling the demands. Although sympathetically hearing each individual’s concerns, both Preckwinkle and Dart were hesitant to commit to any pleas of the audence.
"The main business of the county is not housing, unlike when I was alderman for 20 years," Preckwinkle said. "The main business of the county is health care and the criminal justice system." Along with this statement is a video from the County Board President, as well as the Sheriff remarking on the night.
Should the main business of the county be healthcare and criminal justice? Chicago ranks #1 as the worst foreclosure city in the nation. That means: On average, the foreclosure rate per household is higher than in any other municipality of the entire United States. Cook County is starving for some sort of foreclosure relief. Yet, as the community, the county, and the city are riddled with this foreclosure conundrum, Ms. Preckwinkle says it’s not her or the county’s “business” to deal with foreclosure issues. This seems quite disturbing.
Although, on two separate occasions, Thomas Dart has ordered a moratorium on evictions. Both times, he was acting Sheriff. These moratoriums lasted over a year and a half; therefore, Sheriff Dart is clearly not unfamiliar with such policies.
As many of us know in our area, this foreclosure crisis is a complicated and convoluted issue. The Oak Park foreclosure attorneys at our firm aid multitudes of individuals with troubles such as foreclosure. If you are dealing with foreclosure, please consider giving our firm a call in order to help you traverse this difficult process.
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