Chicago tenants rally for first major renters' rights update in 40 years

A rally was held in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood to push for the passage of the Protecting Renters Ordinance (PRO), a proposed comprehensive modernization of the city's renter laws that have remained unchanged since 1986. The event brought together tenant organizers, progressive members of the City Council, and the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to advocate for the ordinance, which was first introduced to the City Council by Mayor Brandon Johnson on June 29.

During the rally, attendees shared personal stories of landlord neglect and rental housing woes, including accounts of lights out, no running water, broken air conditioning, and bug infestations. 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez, who chairs the City Council's Committee on Housing, opened the rally by criticizing corporations and big developers for not paying their fair share. The PRO would require landlords to provide a "just cause" for eviction or non-renewal and would codify legal representation for people facing eviction. Sigcho-Lopez described evictions as violent and declared housing a human right. Organizers from the Chaney Braggs Apartments tenant union, Belden Tenants Association, and One Northside all spoke in support of PRO, detailing their own personal issues with renting. One tenant, Collins, who helped form the Chaney Braggs tenant union, described how tenants had to purchase lights, plug in lamps, and leave battery-operated lights in hallways due to inadequate lighting.

The PRO faces direct opposition from a counter ordinance called FAIR, the Fair and Accountable Illinois Rental Ordinance. Some landlords have argued that the city cannot make housing more affordable by making it more expensive to provide housing. Alderman Quezada pushed back on this idea, stating that protecting tenants and building more housing are not competing goals. The rally participants did not shy away from pointing fingers at City Council, and organizers framed the battle as part of a larger struggle being waged across the city and country, characterizing it as the working class against the bosses. The rally emphasized that displacement should not be accepted as the price of living in Chicago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who also spoke at the rally, stated that the ordinance builds on decades of tireless advocacy by tenant organizers for housing justice. The PRO represents a significant potential shift in Chicago's housing policy, aiming to update protections that have been in place for four decades. The ordinance seeks to address modern rental challenges and provide stronger safeguards for tenants against eviction and substandard living conditions, while facing resistance from landlord groups who argue it could increase housing costs.