"Federal Investigation into South Shore Immigration Raid Reaches South Side Landlord"
The Illinois Department of Human Rights has launched an investigation into allegations that a landlord and property manager orchestrated a massive federal immigration raid at their South Shore building, a development that many former residents had long suspected. The alleged tipping off of federal officials about the Venezuelan immigrants living in the building without leases has sparked outrage among current and former tenants.
For years, tenants have reported squalid conditions, including unsecured units that felt like they could be open to the public and squatters. Resident Darren Hightower said he had seen stickers with an "X" placed over doors to units occupied by either migrants or squatters just before the raid, hinting at a coordinated effort. Many were forced to leave on short notice after the raid, including Hightower himself who was ordered to vacate the building in December without a place to live.
The Illinois Department of Human Rights filed a formal housing discrimination charge against Wisconsin-based real estate investor Trinity Flood and her company, as well as Strength in Management LLC. The allegations include claims that Flood blamed Venezuelan tenants for her own failure to provide needed maintenance and repairs, perpetuating stereotypes about Venezuelan gang members, and discriminating against longtime tenants who refused to make necessary repairs.
The investigation comes after a map was found in the building that detailed each unit, suggesting federal agents had inside information before the raid. Tenants have accused Flood of failing to address their complaints, leading them to believe she tipped off federal officials as part of a plan to clear the building.
If substantial evidence is found, the property owner and manager could be held liable and ordered to make tenants whole, including compensation for lost housing and fines starting at $16,000. The state's human rights department will gather evidence and seek interviews with former residents and other witnesses, including Flood and her company's CEO Corey Oliver.
The Illinois Department of Human Rights has launched an investigation into allegations that a landlord and property manager orchestrated a massive federal immigration raid at their South Shore building, a development that many former residents had long suspected. The alleged tipping off of federal officials about the Venezuelan immigrants living in the building without leases has sparked outrage among current and former tenants.
For years, tenants have reported squalid conditions, including unsecured units that felt like they could be open to the public and squatters. Resident Darren Hightower said he had seen stickers with an "X" placed over doors to units occupied by either migrants or squatters just before the raid, hinting at a coordinated effort. Many were forced to leave on short notice after the raid, including Hightower himself who was ordered to vacate the building in December without a place to live.
The Illinois Department of Human Rights filed a formal housing discrimination charge against Wisconsin-based real estate investor Trinity Flood and her company, as well as Strength in Management LLC. The allegations include claims that Flood blamed Venezuelan tenants for her own failure to provide needed maintenance and repairs, perpetuating stereotypes about Venezuelan gang members, and discriminating against longtime tenants who refused to make necessary repairs.
The investigation comes after a map was found in the building that detailed each unit, suggesting federal agents had inside information before the raid. Tenants have accused Flood of failing to address their complaints, leading them to believe she tipped off federal officials as part of a plan to clear the building.
If substantial evidence is found, the property owner and manager could be held liable and ordered to make tenants whole, including compensation for lost housing and fines starting at $16,000. The state's human rights department will gather evidence and seek interviews with former residents and other witnesses, including Flood and her company's CEO Corey Oliver.
This is just heartbreaking... I can only imagine how those tenants felt being forced to leave their homes without notice. And the fact that they were already living in squalid conditions makes it even more egregious. The landlord's actions are a perfect example of exploiting vulnerable people for her own gain. It's just not right, and I'm glad that the Illinois Department of Human Rights is taking action.
Like, who would do that to innocent people? The fact that they just kicked everyone out without a place to go is just terrible. I'm so angry on behalf of Darren Hightower, poor dude. 
And the part about blaming Venezuelan tenants for her own failures? That's just racist and classist at the same time. 
What kind of person does that? Trinity Flood should be held accountable for this mess. I hope the investigation finds out all the deets and she has to pay up. 
The whole thing just reeks of predatory behavior, if you ask me. And what's with the sticker thing? Was that some kind of inside job? So many questions! 
I mean, who does that? She's got the nerve to blame those Venezuelan tenants for her own failures and discriminate against loyal tenants who just want some basic repairs done! 
I'm not surprised there are complaints about squalid conditions in her building, it sounds like she only cares about making a buck 
The Illinois Department of Human Rights should totally give her and her company a hard time. I hope they get the compensation those tenants deserve, including lost housing and fines. 
Trinity Flood has been playing tenants like a fiddle 
and now she's getting investigated for some shady stuff 
. It's wild that she was blaming Venezuelan immigrants for her own maintenance failings, it's just racist 
. I'm not surprised though, this kinda thing has been going on for years in South Shore 
. It's gonna be interesting to see what happens if they find substantial evidence against her 
, hopefully the state gets her to compensate some tenants who got screwed 
.
. I'm all for holding landlords accountable for any wrongdoing, but we need to make sure we're not jumping to conclusions based on unverified info. The fact that there was a map found in the building with unit numbers suggests someone might've been trying to help out the feds instead of trying to harm tenants.
. We need to address the systemic issues here instead of just singling out individual landlords.
... but we gotta make sure this landlord gets held accountable for her actions.
. i'm all for getting to the bottom of this, but if flood and her company are found guilty, she needs to be held accountable 
. Like what even is going on here? You're telling me that someone tipped off the feds about ppl living without leases and now they're being kicked out without anywhere to go? That's just messed up 
. And the fact that they were making excuses about the tenants for their own failure to maintain the building is just low 
. I'm so glad the state is taking action tho 
.
And the fact that they're blaming the tenants for their own failures is just low. The state should definitely be looking into this and holding them accountable. 
I'm glad the state is taking this seriously though, it's about time someone held people in power accountable for their actions. 
It's not just about the immigrants, it's about all the tenants who have been living in subpar conditions and being pushed out on short notice. 
. If someone was gonna tip off federal agents, wouldn't it've been sooner rather than later? And what about all the other building owners in the area who are supposed to be monitoring these things? It's a big job to keep track of everyone and I'm sure there were plenty of opportunities for people to mess up 
. And from what I've heard, the allegations about Trinity Flood being racist are pretty serious... 