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The trouble with evicting people from their homes (even if they don't own them)
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Chicago Tribune reporters Azam Ahmed and Ofelia Castillas wrote in a front-page story on October 9, 2008 that the Cook County Sheriff's office "is on pace to evict more people than ever from foreclosed homes." In response, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced that his office would no longer do any foreclosure-related evictions, hoping "that banks will change their policies." In part, Dart did this to protect tenants who were paying their rents regularly.
Evictions have been a contentious issue across Chicago history. In part, this is because evictions require the police to protect property holder rights against tenants and squatters who are do not appear to be disturbing the peace. Despite the law, sometimes, like Tom Dart, they have been reluctant to follow through with evictions. One of the earliest examples of this reluctance is found during the 1850s, when many impoverished residents of Chicago constructed shanties on land they did not own or rent. Shanties sprang up on undeveloped tracts around the city, particularly around major construction projects, which attracted unskilled workers who needed places to live. Shanties sprang up where land owners either had not the time or inclination to keep their property clear. Only when they were ready for development, did the existence of shanties prove troublesome.
For instance, a group of landowners holding property just north of the Chicago River near what is today the Michigan Avenue Bridge, decided to develop their properties by laying out and paving streets, alleys, and sidewalks in late spring 1857. However, the area was cluttered with "houses, shanties, cabins or other obstructions." The Chicago City Council directed the City Marshall to begin eviction proceedings. While the City Council may have sided with the property owners, the City Marshall apparently didn't have the quite the same sensibilities. In November 1857, the property owners complained that months after eviction notices were ordered, "that humane functionary [the City Marshall] has yet done nothing to abate the nuisance and I fear will not unless further reminded by the council of his duty." Just before Christmas 1857, the City Council Committee on Streets and Alleys noted that "in consideration of the advanced state of the season they would recommend that all further proceedings in the matter be stayed until the spring." Moving shanties once in place was obviously not a simple procedure, nor a popular one with those who claimed them as homes. In this way, 2008 is not unlike 1857. It is not easy for the City Marshall or the Cook County Sheriff to evict people from their homes.
