Posted inStatewide Investigations

Under ‘Crime-Free Housing’ Laws, Families May Be Evicted for Minor Offenses

In some Illinois cities, shoplifting, calling 911 too many times or even being a victim of a crime can get you kicked out of your home.

by Sidnee King Pineda May 13, 2025May 12, 2025

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Under ‘Crime-Free Housing’ Laws, Families May Be Evicted for Minor Offenses

by Sidnee King Pineda, Illinois Answers Project
May 13, 2025

<h1>Under ‘Crime-Free Housing’ Laws, Families May Be Evicted for Minor Offenses</h1>
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Gail Diop, a former resident of Palatine, a suburban community northwest of Chicago, tried for weeks to convince the police that her family had not violated the city's crime-free housing laws in 2016. (Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis/For The New York Times)

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Tagged: crime-free housing ordinance, Housing

Sidnee King Pineda

sking@illinoisanswers.org

Sidnee King Pineda joined the Illinois Answers Project (BGA) in late 2020 as an investigative reporter covering the impacts of Chicago, Cook County and Illinois government action on communities of color. Sidnee is a metro Detroit native who received her master's degree from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism just before joining the BGA. She is also a proud graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. She joined The New York Times’s Local Investigations Fellowship last year. You can find some of Sidnee's previous work published in outlets like The Washington Post, Vox.com, and the Michigan Chronicle.

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