Protesters Accuse City Of Shooing Homeless Out Of Uptown
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Protesters took to the streets of the Uptown neighborhood Monday night to show their anger over the city's treatment of the homeless in the area, accusing police of removing the homeless from the neighborhood.
Protest organizer Andy Thayer said the city has been making up excuses to ticket and remove homeless people from Uptown.
"Police have been illegally citing people, falsely citing people with violations of the city of Chicago ordinances," he said.
One woman said police have been moving homeless people out of the area on a regular basis since August.
"Second shift usually comes around 11 o'clock, after we're asleep, waking us up, and shining lights into the tents," she said.
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Uptown activist Ryne Polker said if the city is going to bother homeless people while they sleep on sidewalks and under viaducts, protesters would bother Ald. James Cappleman (46th) where he sleeps.
"You do not get to do this without a response," he said.
A small group of protesters chanted "hands off the homeless" as they marched to Cappleman's home. Cappleman was not home, but that didn't save him from criticism.
"In this ward alone, we have lost over 1,000 units of private low-income housing; more than the rest of the city's wards combined," Thayer said.
The alderman's office said he has helped save more than 100 units of affordable housing in the 46th Ward, and Cappleman is working on a plan to keep people from becoming homeless.
