Man Moves In With Squatters Refusing to Leave His Chicago Property

Earlier this year, an Illinois man took drastic action after two individuals allegedly tried to squat in his house on Chicago’s South Side. He decided to move in with them temporarily as a way to discourage their stay.

"I said, 'I'm not going to leave.' Called a couple friends, stayed overnight and I knew they were not going to like that," Marco Velazquez, owner of the house, told ABC 7 Chicago.

When Velazquez’s realtor went to inspect the property, they reportedly stumbled upon two people: Shermaine C. Powell and Codarro T. Dorsey, who were subsequently pinpointed by Velazquez.

The realtor captured video of the couple telling police they paid into a mortgage on the property and had a right to be there, according to Velazquez.

After spending the night in the living room observing the supposed squatters conceal themselves in a bedroom, Velazquez realised these people couldn't be easily coerced into leaving. He understood then that obtaining a legal eviction might drag on for several months.

Velázquez states that Powell and Dorsey showed the police a mortgage document which was not recorded in the Cook County records, and adds that he subsequently made a legal arrangement to settle with them for $4,300 to vacate the premises by March 5th.

The property owner said Chicago police are working on the case and told him Powell was the same individual arrested earlier this month and charged with a comparable squatting incident in the Chicago area involving a mortgage document.

"Ideally, we didn’t wish to provide them with funds, yet we came across some quite disturbing tales regarding squatters occupying buildings for periods ranging from six to ten months, sometimes even up to a year," Velazquez explained to the station.

Powell, for her part, told ABC 7 that she remains "innocent until proven guilty."

The Independent Has reached out to the Chicago Police Department for comments but received none. Similarly, attempts to contact Dorsey for remarks were unsuccessful.

Earlier this month, Illinois Senate Bill 1563, known as the Squatter Bill, advanced out of a state House of Representatives committee to head to the full chamber for approval.

"As we've never been before, we are significantly nearer," asserts State Representative La Shawn Ford. told local media coverage of the initiative.

Estate agents have frequently cautioned about squatting scams in the Chicago region.

"The sign was overturned; it read 'sold' for Coldwell Banker. Then they replaced the locks and put in a Ring doorbell," stated real estate agent Airian McDuffy. told Fox 32 Chicago last year of one such alleged incident.

When McDuffy approached the alleged squatters, she said they told her to “Get off our property.”

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