EDGEWATER—The city is moving forward with its final steps in vacating and transferring property ownership of the troubled home at 6319 N. Lakewood Ave., where last month a party ended in a SWAT team standoff resulting in the detainment of more than 30 people.
The party was held by slain rapper Shaquon Thomas, or Young Pappy, whose father has been known to live on the second floor, where the party occurred. On May 29, Thomas, 20, was fatally struck by gunfire after avoiding two missed attempts on his life that left two other bystanders dead.
According to the city, the property went into foreclosure in September 2014. Clerical issues regarding ownership have slowed the vacating process, according to a representative of Reverse Mortgage Solutions, who is working to prove it holds the deed to the house. The home was inspected by the city in October 2014 and failed to pass.
On Thursday, the residential two-flat's first-floor tenant Mitchell Moss, son of the deceased owner of the property, appeared before Assistant Judge Pamela Hughes Gillespie to say that since the SWAT raid, all tenants except himself have moved out of the building.
Gillespie warned Moss that he had little time left in the house himself, saying that once ownership was established by Reverse Mortgage Solutions, Moss would have to leave the property — as early as June 25, when the next hearing is scheduled.
Neighbors present at the hearing said they believed the building was still housing tenants, and reported seeing lights on in second-floor rooms in the middle of the night.
Marko Zaric, assistant to Ald. Harry Osterman (48th), was also present at the hearing. He said his office has received numerous reports of people still going in and out of the property.
On June 10, city building inspectors visited the home and said they were able to get inside the first floor and basement, but couldn't gain access to the second floor.
Moss said he was sure no one had entered the second floor unit because he had "rigged" a way to keep doors at the top of a staircase locked, but did acknowledge that a door leading to a second story back porch and balcony remained open and unsecured.
In addition to the back door, residents and city officials also pointed to a broken window on the building's second floor.
Gillespie ordered the back porch door boarded up and the window to be replaced and repaired by Moss as soon as possible.
"We just want to get back to normal life on that street," Zaric said. Gillespie said she felt that was a "very reasonable request."
Once property ownership is transferred, Gillespie ordered another full home inspection, telling neighbors that the house would be tightly monitored by the city.
On Wednesday, June 17, Osterman said he planned to meet with neighbors and officers from the Chicago Police Department at 6 p.m. in the 6300 block of North Lakewood for a safety meeting regarding the home and nearby area.
Then on Friday, June 19, representatives from the 19th and 20th police districts—which cover parts of Wrigleyville, Uptown and Edgewater — will convene for a "Night of Faith and Action" at the Pedersen-McCormick Boys and Girls Club, 4835 N. Sheridan, as a demonstration of unity amidst recent incidents of violence in the community.
In the weeks since Shaquon Thomas' death, neighbor Maureen Ryan said although she's seen some activity at the rapper's former home, a sense of normalcy has somewhat returned to the block.
However, she said she and other neighbors "fear retaliation," saying that until the city takes control of the home, she will remain guarded.
"My hope is that the block will continue to be a safe block to live on and there's no more SWAT teams on my street," Ryan said at Thursday's hearing.
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