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Rally & press conference.

ROGERS PARK, CHICAGO - Landlord Imran Khan is escalating his retaliation campaign against Rogers Park tenants, suing both tenants and organizers. The tenants of Fuerzas Activas de la Damen, a Rogers Park tenant union, have been fighting to stay in their homes after Imran Khan bought the buildings and hiked rents by up to $800 a month. The tenants have been on rent strike since November supported by the All-Chicago Tenant Alliance (ACTA). Now Khan is suing both residents and ACTA organizers to court for defamation and tortious interference. This lawsuit is a blatant attempt to stifle organizing in the building and send a message to those thinking about unionizing across Chicago. The tenants are holding a press conference on Sunday, February 15th at 2:00pm to speak out against the ongoing threats and retaliation. The press conference will be held at 1545 W. Morse Ave.

In January, following three months on strike, representatives of the building owners agreed to meet with the union in order to negotiate. At the meeting, management revealed that they had no intentions to negotiate at all. In fact, they had been planning to throw all of the tenants out in order to renovate the buildings and raise rents. Imran Khan was nowhere to be seen. Since the negotiations did not result in a contract, the leaders of Fuerzas Activas de la Damen vowed to continue the strike. In response management threatened to begin evictions against all 60 of the striking tenants.

Many of these tenants have lived in these buildings for 20-30 years. Khan and the other owners would be not only forcing the evictions of families from their long-standing homes but kicking out Latin American tenants in the middle of an ICE crackdown in Chicago, putting them in incredible danger.