After a 12-day moratorium on evictions, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart resumed them this morning. But no one was removed from their homes, as Dart's deputies merely served evictees with a new notice, informing them they have 4 months to find new lodging.
Dart suspended evictions due to the large number involving rental properties in foreclosure. It was his contention that many tenants who had been paying their rent were being unfairly removed from their homes, when it was, in fact, their landlords who had not been paying mortgages and were the real culprits.
Dart said he agreed to resume the evictions only after receiving assurances that a new system was in place to give tenants proper notice.
During a morning accompanying deputies on the first day of resumptions, however, NBCChicago saw no one removed. All evictees were given orange forms, informing them of the building's status and giving them 120 days to secure new housing.
Standard evictions involving tenants who have not paid their rent were already running about 1,700 a month, the sheriff said. But the recent increase in foreclosure has added at least 500 more cases that must be processed by the sheriff's office, Dart said.
