Community fights to annihilate heroin den, buildings face demolition

Initial cleanup crew said, 'Worst place' they had ever seen

City of Chicago departments, neighbors and the 1st Ward Alderman's office have been fighting for more than a year to get  2719 and 2723 W. Haddon's  property owner Anna Shoykhet of Northbrook to secure and clean up the sites.  A heroin den and haven for the homeless, the Dept. of Streets and Sanitation is required to go out regularly to clean it up.

Proco "Joe" Moreno, 1st Ward Alderman;  Jerry Gabrielatos, Director of the Alderman's Constituent Services; and neighbors were in Buildings (Demolition) Court on July 21 to emphasize the necessity for court action on these properties. The judge set both buildings for trail on Aug. 10.

Piles of needles and garbage continue to accumulate despite city and community involvement

"When we receive complaints on properties from neighbors, our first approach is to meet with the building owners. Tell them what they need to do. They do it. We go out and inspect it. Generally they have done what they need to do and the situation is resolved," explained Moreno. "In this case, repeated attempts to contact the owner brought no response.  I have been at the properties myself, working with the neighbors to clean up the needles and filth. "

Outside of the court room a building inspector  told the Alderman that he has been at the sites so often that the local gang members and neighbors greet him when he goes to check out the property. "They let me do what I need to do. Every time I've gone over there, there are needles galore. I've talked to quite a few of the neighbors, they've offered to let me into the property because they keep it padlocked. "

Maggie Rizzo, Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, has experienced shell game techniques by the owner who has repeatedly claimed that there are different owners of the properties.  The dereliction of these properties has cost everyone a lot of money and distress.

According to one of the neighbors, he another neighbor further boarded up the sites and put padlocks on chains who three months ago, "The crew that originally did the clean up and board up said that it was one of the worst places they had seen. There were dead animals, human fecies over everything, needles, garbage, you name it.

It started more than a year ago when we began calling 311, 911 then finally the alderman's office.  We even called the owner.  She comes and goes, depending on how much heat has been put on her.  The heroin junkies broke into garages and cars, dragged stuff into the garages behind the buildings and sold the stuff.  Police would come in the back, the junkies would go out the front and vice versa.

Real estate sign in front of 2719 and 2723 - "Unique Development Opportunity"

There are kids that play back there where there are piles of needles. The gang bangers then hung out on the streets.  That is not good for the neighborhood.

The area has come a long way in the last three years. We have more families, artists, musicians. It's more reasonable to live here."

This situation has been experienced by "pioneers" in many neighborhoods such as Wicker Park, Bucktown and even Lincoln Park decades ago. The neighbors working with the aldermen and other city departments is what turns bad areas to good. This block of west Haddon appears to be a nice quiet residential street. On a near by corner, a former synagogue is home to a Community Center.  Neighbors come and go by foot and in cars. Kids play. It is just one block south of Division St. and a few blocks west of Western Ave.

For more info: Problems of vacant homes