Community members in Rogers Park are rallying to stop the eviction of the Calvillo-Ortiz family and preserve what has become known as the neighborhood’s “community house.” On Thursday, September 18 at 9 a.m., members of several neighborhood and housing-rights organizations will hold a press conference in front of the Daley Center, where the family is scheduled to attend eviction court.
WHY: The Calvillo-Ortiz family is fighting eviction from their home at 7245 N Ridge, where they’ve resided for two years. During that time, Maria Dolores-Calvillo and her brother Gerardo Calvillo, who run a neighborhood daycare, have also turned the home into a focal point of community life, hosting a community garden, Spanish and English-language film screenings, clothing donation-drives, and health fairs. The family is asking CitiBank, which owns the home, to donate it to a 501(c)3 community land trust in Chicago, which advocates say is a promising strategy for neighborhood revitalization.
WHEN: 9 a.m. Thursday, September 18
WHERE: Richard J. Daley Center
Press Contacts:
Gerardo Calvillo, resident, 979-575-6640
Antonio Gutierrez, Casas del Pueblo, 773-803-0810
Kate Morgan-Olsen, Communities United Against Foreclosure and Eviction, 773-412-9148