As Illinois officials investigate whether a landlord and property manager prompted a massive federal immigration raid on their South Shore building, former residents and organizers say that’s what they’ve long suspected.
Tenants had faced squalid conditions for years, long before the arrival of Venezuelan migrants in the building, and they said the property could be so unsecured at times that it felt open to the public and to squatters. Residents have accused the manager of failing to address complaints of disturbing conditions, and some suspected the owner and manager of calling the feds as a back door way of clearing the building.
The Illinois Department of Human Rights announced late Wednesday that it would investigate the claims when it filed a formal housing discrimination charge against Wisconsin-based real estate investor Trinity Flood, her company 7500 Shore A LLC, and Strength in Management LLC, the property management company she hired at the South Shore building…