Current subsidized housing security in an Illinois multifamily apartment complex made residents question their safety. The residential community did not have updated video surveillance to keep a check on the residents or the security guard company. The multifamily apartment complex was located in the Riverdale neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The property manager hired a third-party security guard service. Residents said the guards harassed them.
The apartment complex’s management company and the owner of the third-party guard service were served with 26 different federal lawsuits for excessive force and conducting illegal searches and seizures. The residents also allege the security guards showed racial discriminatory behavior and violated their civil rights.
According to the Chicago Reporter, the onsite subsidized housing security guards patrolled the multifamily apartment complex with guard dogs. The guards wore bulletproof vests while carrying hand guns, tasers and military-style assault rifles. The security guard service was paid with taxpayer dollars from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The president of the security service company said his firm was needed to protect residents from gangs and drugs. Surveillance cameras were shot out before the third-party security guard firm was hired.
The tenants of this Chicago-area multifamily apartment complex had a different opinion. One resident’s experience with the subsidized housing security guards and owner landed him in the hospital. The resident and his friend attempted to drive out of the complex. The owner of the security firm jumped out of a company SUV with his gun out. The resident was pulled out of the passenger seat and handcuffed to a pole.
The owner of the security firm returned with a guard dog. The resident who was handcuffed to the pole said that the guard dog charged at him while being urged on by the security guard and owner. After the owner and the security guards left, the resident called paramedics. When the paramedics arrived at the Illinois multifamily apartment complex, the resident was still handcuffed to the pole. The resident had blood spurting from multiple wounds on his foot.
This was just one of the many incidents residents had with the subsidized housing security company. Residents were not allowed to record the security guards. If the residents tried to record the security guards or their activities, they would be evicted.
The multifamily apartment community manager terminated the contract with the subsidized housing security company after the Chicago Reporter’s investigative article was published.
This multifamily apartment complex is not a client of ECAM.
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