Harvey residents demand answers after tenants allege they were trapped in apartments

Residents at an apartment building in south suburban Harvey made a plea for answers on Sunday following allegations multiple units were boarded up, trapping residents inside.

Genevieve Tyler, who resides at the building near 145th and South Halsted, said she heard workers outside on Friday and quickly realized they were nailing pieces of wood to windows and doors.

Tyler, along with multiple other residents, said she received no notice.

"I’m very upset," she said. "’ve never gone through this in my life. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. Never."

Several peopled posted videos on social media, claiming residents were trapped inside boarded-up apartments and demanded help.

"My nephew called me... and said, 'You’re boarded up here?' I said, 'What?' I opened the door and that’s when I saw there was a board right there. I looked at the window, same thing," resident Rudolph Williams explained.

At least four people were inside their apartments at the time, including a mother and her two children, according to community activist Andrew Holmes.

One resident told NBC Chicago said she received a letter, which stated it was in residents' best interests to evacuate, but didn't believe it was real.

"I said well I can’t move, I only have a monthly income," Mary Brooks said. "And this is the letter… that doesn’t appear to be a legitimate letter."

The city of Harvey reported it has experienced issues regarding unsafe conditions at two buildings, 14445 and 14437 Halsted, since last fall. In a statement, city officials explained the buildings' owners were told that evacuations were mandatory by Oct. 28

Then, in mid-December, the city's Building Department determined both buildings posed an imminent safety risk due to the "extensive deterioration of balconies and stair risers."

City leaders said it was the property owners' responsibility to tell tenants that they needed to evaculate. A city of Harvey spokesperson said the “city did not evict anyone nor participate in the board ups.”

On Friday, crews arrived and started boarding up apartments.

"It’s getting cold out here," Tyler said. "Where we supposed to go? You can’t do this to us. We don’t want anybody to do that to yall."

NBC Chicago attempted to reach the property owners for comment on Saturday night. The property owners Tuesday responded with the following statement:

Prior to the initial purchase of the property in February of 2023, we were given the “all-clear” to move forward, following multiple inspections, including one from the city of Harvey, with only a few minor issues needing to be addressed.

After several months of operation, we were surprised by the city’s notice to immediately have the building vacated to begin structural repairs to the staircases, but we were committed to following their guidance and promptly rectifying any issues for the safety of the residents.

We aimed to treat the tenants with as much respect and consideration as possible, given the difficult and unexpected circumstances they were facing - including negotiating with the city to prolong the evacuation time, swiftly notifying the residents through various channels, as well as offering concessions to try to aid in this challenging transition.

Our property management firm coordinated the shutdown of the building with the city of Harvey, and onsite vendors reported that on Friday, January 5th, the viral allegations regarding tenants being boarded into their apartments are categorically false.

While we cannot control the actions of our tenants, we try to enforce policies that provide a safe environment to those who call the building home and once we are notified of any issues, we act quickly to ensure that the situation is resolved.

We place our tenant's safety at the forefront of all our decisions and we hope to reopen our building to the city’s standards around March, as we continue to cooperate and begin quality repairs and follow the appropriate guidelines.