When Marco Velazquez, an owner of Chicago, discovered Squatters living in his South Side property, he did not leave. Instead, he stayed at night.
“I couldn't believe it”, Velazquez Tell ABC 7 NewsAfter finding the house he was preparing for sale was already busy. “It was like a nightmare.”
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What happened
The intruders, a woman named Shermaine Powell-Gillard and her boyfriend, Codarro, said they bought the property and even produced a mortgage document for the police. But when Velazquez checked with cook county managers, no mortgage of this type was recorded.
At his shock, the police could not help.
“The worst thing happened when the police told me that they could do nothing. He had to go to a civil court,” he said, “indicating that the law of Illinois prevented the police from withdrawing the pair without order of the court, despite Velazquez holding the act.
Determined not to abandon his house, Velazquez made an unusual choice.
“I said,” I'm not going to leave. ” Called a few friends, spent the night and I knew they were not going to like it, “he told ABC 7 team I.
He, his wife and friends camped in the living room while the alleged squatters took one of the rooms.
“We spent an entire night with them … looking at the door,” recalls Velazquez.
The next morning, Velazquez received an ultimatum.
“They were like, we want $ 8,000 from what we paid, so that we can leave your property,” he said.
Although reluctant, Velazquez finally negotiated a cash agreement. He paid $ 4,300 to the couple in exchange for their departure and the signing of a release, because he feared what could happen otherwise.
“We did not want to give them money, but we heard very bad stories about squatters taking control of properties for six, eight, 10 months, or even a year,” he said.
A few weeks later, a police detective told Velazquez that Powell-Gillard also had squirt in another house Property of Marcia and Carlton Lee. In this case, Powell-Gillard was arrested and accused of burglary, counterfeiting, identification of identification and criminal residential intrusion.
Powell-Gillard denied all the accusations, declaring that the statements is a squatter are “false and unfounded” and stressed that it is “innocent until guilt is proven,” said ABC 7.
The Chicago Police Service did not confirm if he was investigating the case of Velazquez. No one has been arrested or charged.
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Why the police cannot always act – even when it's your home
The case of Velazquez underlines a broader legal question: why the disputes of property involving squatters often fall under civil law – and non -criminal -.
In Illinois and many other states, once someone establishes the “possession” of a house, even wrongly, it can be difficult to distinguish them from a legal tenant. This means that a legal expulsion process must occur before the police can intervene.
Under the current Illinois law, the police often need clear evidence of criminal behavior, such as a break -in or vandalism, to act. As in the case of Velazquez, if the squatter presents a lease, a mortgage, public service bills or other documents – whether forged or not – the police generally do not have the power to assess authenticity on site.
Instead, the dispute goes to the civil court, where a judge can determine the legitimate property.
But it may not be much longer. ABC 7 Reports that the Senate bill 1563 endeavors to allow the police to withdraw the squatters and skip the expulsion process. The bill must still have passed through the full house of Illinois And would then be sent to the governor's office for final approval.
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This article only provides information and should not be interpreted as advice. It is provided without guarantee of any kind.
