Why was a Harvey apartment building in Illinois boarded up? City officials respond after being accused of trapping tenants inside units

On Friday, January 5, a Harvey apartment building in Illinois was boarded up by third-party workers in collaboration with the Harvey City Police. The story gained significant attention and went viral due to a troubling detail: some of the tenants were inside their apartments when they were boarded up and door handles knocked out, effectively and helplessly trapping them inside.

According to a social media statement released by the City of Harvey, the buildings at 14445 and 14437 S. Halsted at Harvey were deemed to be an "imminent safety risk." The owners were notified that tenants had to evacuate the buildings by December 29. It was written in a letter given to a tenant that it was the landlord's responsibility to notify the tenants of the situation.

---

The city had detailed the structural issues of the Harvey apartment to the owners

On Friday, a group of third-party workers and the Harvey City Police boarded up a Harvey apartment while some of the tenants were still inside. The incident gained attention after TikTok videos explaining the situation, posted by a TikTok user who went by the name Bella, went viral, drawing a plethora of outrage.

Bella's TikTok videos revealed that a mother with two kids, a 73-year-old man, an old woman with severe mobility issues, and a few pets were among those trapped inside. The third-party workers allegedly sealed their apartments by knocking off the door handle and posting non-occupancy notices on their doors.

According to Bella, the workers claimed that the apartment was sealed off due to an unsafe stairwell. The next day, the doors were reopened, and the people trapped inside were finally freed. Subsequently, the City of Harvey issued a statement on social media regarding the sealing of the Harvey apartments, 14445 and 14437, on S. Halsted Street. The statement shared on Facebook read:

"Contrary to recent claims, the city did not evict anyone from these properties but has communicated with the property owners regarding the unsafe conditions of the buildings and need to immediately rectify the dangerous living conditions."

It was revealed that the city had discussed the structural issues, specifically addressing a collapsed stairwell and multiple 911 calls alleging illegal activity in the Harvey apartment premises, with property owners Mr. Jay Patel and Mr. Henry Cho back on October 17, 2023.

This was after an August 22, 2023, meeting regarding the hiring of a structural engineer to assess the damages in the building. The contractors were all set to be engaged for repairs following a two-week assessment period. The statement further elaborated:

"The city emphasized the need to vacate the buildings for safety during construction, allowing an extension until October 28, 2023, for residents to make housing arrangements."

A screenshot of a City of Harvey letter given to an elderly bedridden Harvey apartment tenant (Image via X/TikTok/@bigbootybella52)

After approving two units 14437 to be made available for the security and property management company, the owners of the property were reportedly notified in writing that the building's structural integrity had "surpassed its life expectancy." This made for a mandatory evacuation by October 28, 2023. The statement read:

"The responsibility to communicate this information to tenants was also emphasized."

It added:

"On December 14, 2023, after further assessments, the Building Department determined that both 14445 and 14437 S. Halsted pose an imminent safety risk, particularly due to extensive deterioration of balconies and stair risers."

This led to the boarding of the properties by the property owners on Friday, along with the City of Harvey Police Department, after conducting several wellness checks and inspections.