Eviction by ‘Rent-a-Cop’

[marmar]

from In These Times:


Eviction by ‘Rent-a-Cop’
An Illinois bill could ‘privatize’ evictions and pave the way for Wall Street abuses.

BY REBECCA BURNS


Housing activists in Chicago are sounding the alarm over a proposed state law that they say would effectively privatize the city’s eviction process and erase decades of gains surrounding tenants’ rights. Introduced by Rep. Monique D. Davis (D), who is both a legislator and small-time Chicago landlord, the bill could also prove to be a boon for the Wall Street investors currently making a foray into the rental market.

Though the proposed legislation is before the Illinois General Assembly, it is written only to apply to counties with populations of 3 million or more people; in other words, it would only impact Cook County, Illinois, which encompasses the greater Chicago area.

At present, evictions in Cook County are a civil matter carried out by a specially trained unit within the Sheriff’s office. During the past three decades, largely at the urging of advocates, this unit has begun training deputies in the nuances of tenant law and employing a social worker to consult with elderly or disabled tenants and those with young children. Police typically do not become involved in the process.

By contrast, HB 5395, which passed out of committee this month and is now before the Illinois House of Representatives, would change eviction laws to allow any “peace officer,” including off-duty police in the employ of private security companies or landlords, to remove tenants from their homes. Critics have denounced the idea of “rent-a-cops” unfamiliar with the nuances of tenant law carrying out this procedure. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/article/16753/eviction_by_rent-a-cop

[xchrom]

1. du rec.

[hobbit709]

2. Monique's self interest is showing.

[surrealAmerican]

3. From the article:

The sponsor of the bill, a legislator named Davis, was frustrated because a tenant in a building she owned could not be evicted right away in February - we have a law in Illinois that forbids evictions when temperatures are very cold - so she introduced this bill.

It should also be noted that this landlord is also a tenant herself, and one who hasn't payed her rent for 11 years and is currently in the process of being sued and evicted from her offices. Naturally, she wrote the bill to only apply to residential buildings.