Praise the (land)Lord

In the state of Illinois, it is illegal to institute rent control but recently Chicago voters have repeatedly expressed their support for lifting that ban.

On this week’s episode of the podcast we spoke to Simone, a landlord and lifelong Chicagoan, who supports lifting the ban. We also talked to Heather McClaren about Chicago DSA’s work as a member of the Lift the Ban Coalition.

We touch on the history of powerful real estate interests in Chicago, recent trends in gentrification, how the coalition hopes to move forward and the arguments that are often made against rent control.

The “Lift the Ban” coalition is led by the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Northside Action for Justice, and Pilsen Alliance. Current membership includes: Action Now Institute, American Indian Center, Autonomous Tenants Union, Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, Coalition for Equitable Community Development, The Community Law Project, Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, Little Village Community Development Corporation, Metropolitan Tenants Organization, Northwest Side Housing Center, ONE Northside, People for Community Recovery, SEIU HCII, Somos Logan Square, 33rdWard IPO, 25th Ward IPO, United Working Families, and Westside Health Authority.