Evicting Chicago Gangs Near School to Improve Community

[David Rogers]

Hello BiggerPockets!

I am a high school teacher on the South Side of Chicago and students have brought my attention to two gang/drug houses on streets adjacent to our school building. 6 of our students have been robbed in the past couple of weeks by individuals affiliated with these houses and they are afraid to speak up for fear of being labeled a snitch and possible retribution by the gang members who robbed them. My students say the people who robbed them live in or frequent the gang houses mentioned above.

I've found the landlords through the county assessor's website and am wondering what my next steps are. My plan is to write a letter to the landlords and ask if they've viewed the property recently to see what's been going on. If not, watching their house from 8-10pm on any given night will give them a good idea of gang activity that could be grounds for eviction. If this doesn't work, I'm ready to mail the alderman to put community pressure on the landlords to get rid of the gang members. Does anybody have suggestions for how I can proceed quickly but diplomatically to persuade the landlords to monitor the property more closely or evict?

Additionally, I would like to improve the block by somehow purchasing properties near the school, rehabbing them, and filling them with reputable family-oriented tenants that would serve as a deterrent to any possible gang activity in the future. I cannot do this myself, however. I'm looking for ways to partner with investors who have extra $$ and a good heart who would be willing to put one of these properties in their portfolio for the greater good, or, by setting up some sort of nonprofit partnership with the school through which it would be worth the investor's time and money to hold one of these properties in order to improve the neighborhood. Again, I have no expertise in these matters and am looking for suggestions for community partnerships that can and will benefit my school as well as the investors.

Please respond with any advice. Also, if you are in Chicago, specifically the south side, and would be interested in working together on this idea, send me a PM and I would love to talk.