Photos of blockade

Taking our Human Right to housing into our own hands

Taking our Human Right to housing into our own hands:

Chicago forms an Anti-Eviction Campaign

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It is a cold November morning in Chicago. People crowd around the front door and inside the living room of Lenise Forrest's apartment in the row-houses of Chicago's Cabrini Green public housing development. Banner's taped to the wall outside read, “We are all Lenise Forrest – No more evictions!” “Housing is a human right, we won't go without a fight!” and “The rich got bailed out, we will not be put out!” News cameras set up, waiting to see what will happen if the sheriff arrives. A week ago, the sheriff kicked in the door to announce an eviction but then decided to give Lenise a week to pack up before evicting her for back rent. Lenise tells the story to the news media, standing amidst the human blockade in front of her apartment.

“I was upstairs when they came, I heard a lot of banging, at least four or five times. After that I heard the breaking of the door and them screaming ‘Don’t move, don’t move, this is an eviction!’and a lady came upstairs saying, ‘put some pants on cause this is an eviction!'”

“I don’t have any money saved,” she adds.

“So you’re literally gonna be out here out the street?” asks a reporter.

“That’s what they say.”

“Not if we can help it,” interjects Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign co-founder Willie J.R. Flemming. “This is a real community. One thing about Cabrini, we are one Cabrini, we are one community. We’re not gonna let our residents go homeless over here. We’ll do whatever it takes, whatever it takes.”