Evicted Blue Island tenants sue management

BLUE ISLAND -- Freddie Funches can't afford to move out of his dilapidated Blue Island apartment deemed unfit for occupancy in late March by city inspectors.

The first check he got returning his security deposit bounced; the second one just landed in his hands, he said Friday, a day after he and four neighbors filed a lawsuit against Chuk Okwuje, their landlord, and Teresa Onwueme, owner of the building at 12105 S. Vincennes Road.

"I haven't been able to move yet because I don't have much money," he said. "It's pretty stressful. Some tenants have problems sleeping because you don't know when Chuk or police are going to come break down the door and throw your stuff into the streets."

The 16-unit building had roach infestations, sewage problems, black mold growing on walls and crumbling infrastructure, said Elliot Richardson, the residents' attorney.

Building inspectors from Blue Island declared the building unfit for occupancy March 27 after checking out mostly plumbing complaints. Okwuje began posting letters to residents telling them to get out immediately or their belongings would be thrown out. He also said he'd have occupants arrested for trespassing, and he gave April 6 as a final deadline, according to the lawsuit filed late Thursday afternoon in Cook County Circuit Court. Since then, he threatened to deadbolt doors and shut off utilities, the lawsuit said.

Okwuje's attorney, Zoe Biel, will not return messages for comment.

Funches, Charita Banks, Kenny Wilkins, Angela Kirby and Lavard Lee still occupy their units, Richardson said. One of them also couldn't cash a returned security deposit check, the lawsuit alleges.

"These are low-income residents who cannot just pick up on a moment's notice and find alternate housing," he said. "You can't throw people out of their apartments because you've let them get completely deteriorated and dilapidated."

Onwueme, a Nigerian-born playwright, has owned the building for about a year. The lawsuit also names Okwuje's companies, One OMDProperties and Studio OMD.