Tenants of a Chicago apartment building have formed a union over possible rent hikes as the nearby Obama Presidential Center remains under construction and an investor is hoping to buy the building those residents call home.
The news surrounds the Chaney Braggs Apartments at 65th Street and Stony Island Avenue, Fox 32 reported March 5.
The outlet said an investor from California has offered $2,000 in cash to each family that decides to move elsewhere, but many of them have been living in that building for decades and pay around $700 to $800 per month in rent.
The residents also held a rally to protest the possible rent increases and contacted city and state officials to address the matter.
According to The Triibe, the apartment’s tenants have for a long time maintained the building because its owner vanished.
An organizer named Infiniti Gant with the housing advocacy group Southside Together said prospective buyers could increase rent to $1,400 for a one-bedroom unit.
The report continued:
The Woodlawn Housing Ordinance was passed in 2020 as part of the Obama Community Benefits Agreement to provide residents with housing protections with the development of the Obama Presidential Center. The Jackson Park Ordinance was passed this past September.
“We have been talking about how there is a danger that the center will displace community members if we do not act to have provisions to make sure that people can stay,” Gant said. “We have started, but it’s still not enough.”
The Triibe article also noted, “The Obama Foundation has hosted information sessions promoting the conversion of properties into Airbnbs, which was criticized by residents and organizers.”
Former President Barack Obama announced March 7 the center will be open to the public on June 19:
Obama’s presidential center has reportedly been costing taxpayers more and more money, and its leadership recently put out a call for unpaid volunteers although CEO of the Obama Foundation Valerie Jarrett would be paid a $740,000 salary, per Breitbart News.
