A Chicago woman says she is frustrated and angry after police declined to remove an alleged squatter from her Chatham condo, even though Illinois’ new squatter law went into effect last week.
There is growing confusion around the new law, which allows law enforcement to remove squatters from a home by treating them as trespassers rather than tenants.
Mary Welch, who has owned a condo unit in a Chatham building for more than a decade, said she believed the law would finally help her regain control of her property. She has been renovating the unit with plans to rent or sell it.
Last month, Welch said she discovered a stranger living inside the condo.
“I knock. Then, all of a sudden, the door opened. Then, all of a sudden, a woman with a gun pointing at me appeared and began screaming that she was going to begin shooting if I didn’t leave because I had no authority to be on the premises,” Welch said.
According to Welch, the woman inside claimed her mother had signed a lease, giving her the right to stay. Welch disputed that claim, saying she is the rightful owner.
“I said, ‘you couldn’t possibly have a lease because I’m the owner,’” Welch said.
Welch said Chicago police initially responded, but she did not have her deed with her at the time. After retrieving it and calling police again, she said officers ultimately told her there was nothing they could do.
That is when Welch learned about the new squatter law, which took effect Jan. 1.
“I’m helpless now. I put all of my faith in the new law,” Welch said.
On Friday, police returned to the property along with State Rep. La Shawn Ford and Alderman Michelle Harris to try to resolve the situation. After several hours, police said they could not remove the occupants and their dogs because they had been living in the unit before the new law went into effect.
Ford said the situation highlights the need for improvements and better understanding of the law.
“Talking to Chicago PD and the alderman, we know there’s work that needs to be done to improve this law,” Ford said. “Today is an example of us needing to do more with law enforcement to educate them on what the intent of the law is.”
Welch said she is devastated by the outcome and fears a lengthy legal process lies ahead.
“I am angry beyond words. Because despite the new law, they are not going to remove my squatters. I will have to go through another process that will take God knows how much time,” she said.
The Chicago Police Department stated that it does not carry out evictions but does enforce criminal trespass laws when officers can verify that someone is illegally on a property. CPD said officers must establish whether a person is trespassing or has a legal right to be there.
Welch said she showed officers her deed, but the occupants still were not removed.
The woman living in the unit told ABC7 Chicago she is not a squatter and claims to have a lease. She did not immediately provide a copy of that lease.
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