“Logan Square for all,” a crowd of 100 protesters chanted. “Logan Square para todos!”
The chants were among the demands shouted during a rally and candlelight vigil organized as part of an effort to keep open The Milshire Hotel, a single-room occupancy residence in Logan Square. Local religious leaders and Chicago Ald. Scott Waguespack spoke to the crowd at the Logan Square Eagle and then marched to the hotel.
The group hopes to block developer Mark Fishman from buying the building and converting it into condos. Fishman wants to buy the building before an SRO ordinance takes effect that would require owners to set aside at least 20 percent of the units for low-income people. Many SROs citywide have been converted into high-end condos and market-rate apartments in recent years, and residents say they don’t know where they will go if the number of SROs continue to shrink.