Neighbors say Rogers Park apartment complex has been plagued with crime and overdoses, and nothing is changing
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A murder inside a Rogers Park apartment complex last month is renewing concerns from neighbors - who say the complex has been plagued by domestic violence, drug overdoses, gun violence, and a large fire.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey has been digging into the issues in the midcentury courtyard apartment complex at 7650-7654 N. Sheridan Rd. She learned the Chicago Police and Fire departments called to the property at least 300 times last year.
The two-building apartment complex is located just north of the intersection of Sheridan Road with Rogers Avenue – and right next to the old and now-vacant Biddy Mulligan's blues and rock club. The Loyola University Lake Shore Campus is less than a mile down the road, and the lake just is two blocks away.
From the outside, the complex looks like many other Rogers Park properties. But while the office of Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) told us they have done everything they can to try to keep residents safe, it might not be enough.
Residents who live next to the complex at 7650 and 7654 N. Sheridan Rd. have come home to overdose victims lying unresponsive next to the property line. Two of those victims died.
The residents have also witnessed countless domestic violence issues, and they found a baby in a stroller - unattended.
In August of last year, they came home to a raging fire.
Most recently, gunshots rang out when a man was shot and killed in one of the units .On Tuesday, March 21, 45-year-old Quentin Pruett was visiting family and friends in Chicago from Wisconsin when he was shot and killed in what his family says might have been a case of mistaken identity.
This makes three deaths in less than two years.
"That's the most important thing," said a neighbor, who asked that we not identify him for his own safety.
But the neighbor and other members of his condo association say the issues have escalated.
"Tired of hearing people get killed, and seeing people pass away from drug-related issues," he said.
Freedom of Information Act records show at least 1,293 calls for service to police at the complex between February 2011 and November 2021. The calls have ramped up in recent years.
Again, last year alone, there were more than 300 calls to police and fire.
"We did the math, and it was a police officer every three days," the neighbor said.
When we reached out to the 49th Ward office, Ald. Hadden was well aware of the problems - telling us the property is currently going through its second round of enforcement procedures against drug and gang houses. That involves court-ordered security measures - like installing security cameras and eliminating month-to-month leases.
"Nothing has really changed," the neighbor said. "Nothing has gotten better."
And there doesn't seem to be any quick fix.
Hickey asked the neighbor if he thinks the system is broken.
"I do," he said. "The fact that this has been going on for over 20 years?"
Attorney Sheryl Weikal represents tenants in Evanston who live in a different property owned by the same landlords – father and son Sargon and Peter Isaac.
"It's not a new problem, and it's not isolated to that building," Weikal said.
One public class-action complaint filed in 2021 describes the Isaacs as "slumlords with an empire of crumbling properties across Chicago and Evanston."
"The question isn't, does a landlord have any responsibility to keep to take care of their tenants? The question is, what are the minimums that a landlord has the obligation to provide to a tenant, so that they can feel secure in their homes?" Weikal said. "Because the reality is, if the building is well-maintained - if it's a place that is affordable, but also safe; that is secure, where there are utilities, where a person can call it a home - crime is less likely to occur there.
So far, attempts to reach that landlord for comment have gone unreturned.
We did reach out to the city's Law Department for a status update on this particular case, and received this response:
"This property was referred to the Law Department 4/20/2022 for nuisance activity. The City has been in negotiation with the owners to reach a resolution agreement that includes crime abatement measures. At this time, most of the building code violations have been complied with. The next status hearing is May 25th."
