Tenants of South Shore building plagued by CBP raid, financial issues demand repairs and stipends

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There are new calls for help for the families living in a troubled building on Chicago's South Side.

That building at 75th and South Shore has long faced financial problems, and it made national headlines after an early morning raid by Border Patrol agents earlier this year.

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ABC7 is told that 36 people still live in the building. Many of them say they are living with no heat, no electricity and even standing water. They also described damage to walls and ceilings, along with broken elevators.

"We need help in this building. It's not just me; it's a group of us. There's still a lot of us left in this building. This has nothing to do with the ICE situation. This building has been deteriorating over the last year," said tenant Darren Hightower.

Tenants stood outside on Monday, demanding that repairs be made and that they be given stipends to move elsewhere.

This comes after federal agents raided the building in September as part of the Department of Homeland Security's immigration operation "Midway Blitz," sharing a highly produced video of the raid. Separately, residents shared with ABC7 that they were separated and that children were zip-tied in the raid.

"We stay on the fifth floor. We heard the helicopters. They came down. We heard the helicopters," said tenant Margaret Nicholson.

The group of tenants have now formed a tenant union.

"It really got worse after ICE did their raid," said tenant Mashawnda Price. "They have not fixed the lights in the hallway. It is dark, very dark. It's scary. It's dangerous."

They told ABC7 that they have reached out to the mayor and governor's offices for help.

"It started with ICE, and now, it needs to center on the tenants who are here, these tenants who are having to experience these horrible conditions," said Infiniti Gant with Southside Together.

ABC7 reached out to the receivership now in control of the building. They say they have only taken over in the past week or so.

In the meantime, it is cold in this lakefront community and getting colder.