A tenant union representing 150 residents across four buildings in Rogers Park has approved a rent strike to begin Saturday after a new owner announced a spike of several hundred dollars in monthly fees.
Threatened with eviction, the residents—mostly Hispanic and Latino families who have lived in the North Side buildings for decades—have also joined calls from tenant unions for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to establish a blanket eviction moratorium in the city. This comes as immigration enforcement activities ramp up under the Trump administration. The state had implemented a similar measure during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to October 2021.
“This fight is happening in a moment of deep crisis,” said Juan Reyes, an organizer with the All-Chicago Tenant Alliance, at a Sunday news conference. “Families are facing the threat of eviction and deportation at the same time.”
In preparation for the gathering, Mexican party bunting in red, green, and white decorated the courtyard of one of the buildings. The smell of mole and tamales hung in the air from an impromptu potluck between neighbors.
“These guys have lived here for 40 years, 30 years. Families have grown up here,” said Danny Rosa, also an organizer with the tenant alliance.
Residents of the four buildings formed a union in August under the name Fuerzas Activas de la Damen after the new owner, developer Imran Khan of Ark Management Solutions, announced shortly after acquiring the properties in April that rent increases would kick in at the beginning of September. Some tenants said these increases would double their current rates.
Khan could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday.
Several tenants have reported their rent is under $1,000. Depending on the unit, monthly costs range between $700 and $900, they said Sunday. But they are now being asked to pay an average 60% increase—anywhere between $500 and $800 more.
Most tenants have paid their October rent at their usual rate without agreeing to sign the new contract with the spike, only to receive emails alerting them to an outstanding balance in their accounts. They hope to reach a deal for a smaller monthly hike of $100 before the strike begins Saturday.
“With these high rent costs, you’re hurting all the honest and hardworking people, who have had to stop buying medicine for their loved ones who are sick at home,” said José Rentería, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, speaking in Spanish at the news conference. “Queremos dignidad y justicia. We want dignity and justice.”
Residents say they have been threatened with eviction if they refuse the new prices. While some residents have stopped going to work, fearing arrest, others still head outside with dread. Organizers said this and other working-class immigrant communities need access to stable housing.
On Sunday, several residents of the Rogers Park buildings expressed hopes for a fair negotiation and contract, along with frustrations about their current living conditions.
Under the new ownership, maintenance needs in the four buildings have also gone unmet, according to residents, who have complained about ceiling leaks, unsealed doors and windows, and pests such as rats, bedbugs, and cockroaches. The Tribune reviewed several photos from tenants, including pictures of moldy water damage and traps full of insects.
Some tenants have chosen to move out due to the rising costs. Analía Miranda, a resident for 23 years, said three of her siblings who lived there have left in recent months.
“He’s going to win,” she recalled them saying. “He has money.”
“OK, but we have dignity,” Miranda responded. “If we lose, we’ll lose with dignity.”
According to the All-Chicago Tenant Alliance, another Hispanic tenant union in the city is experiencing a similar challenge. Members of Buena Park’s Fuerzas Inquilinos de Broadway y Cuyler are currently facing off with landlord Drew Millard in eviction court.
Outside the building where the news conference was held Sunday, a pair of volunteers with the Protect Rogers Park rapid response team stood watch at the entryway, prepared to alert attendees and residents in case federal immigration agents showed up.
“This fight here today is part of a much bigger struggle. It’s more than just rent,” Reyes said. “It’s a fight for dignity, for justice and for community, for all tenants across the city.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/26/rogers-park-tenants-union-rent-strike/