The homeless people who called the viaduct underneath Lake Shore Drive and Wilson Drive home were evicted by the city on Monday, Sept. 18.
The eviction was temporarily halted when Uptown Tent City Organizers – a group that advocates for the right of the homeless to live under the viaduct – filed an injunction as a part of a federal lawsuit against the city. However, a federal judge allowed the eviction to continue, ruling the individuals who live there have no constitutional right to live there and impede the city’s quest to perform maintenance on the crumbling viaduct.
The area is in a state of disrepair and the city is adamant that the residents of the so-called “tent city” were not asked to leave because of their unsightliness, but because repairs were necessary to ensure the safety of motorists on Lake Shore Dr. and of pedestrians crossing beneath the viaduct.
They briefly protested by setting their tents up along Wilson Dr., but were then removed under the threat of force by the Chicago Police Department.
The eviction notice posted at the location ordering the homeless people to leave the site. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Prochoroff)
Remnants of the fight to allow the homeless to stay in the viaduct are still visible. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Prochoroff)
Straps that once secured a rain fly to someone’s tent have been left behind. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Prochoroff)
Needed reparations are visible on the Wilson viaduct. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Prochoroff)
A project manager overseeing the repairs walks around the location. Before they were evicted, homeless people. with their tents and belongings, crowded the sidewalk. (Vincent Prochoroff/ The DePaulia)
A pill bottle is visible near the Wilson Dr. and Lake Shore Dr. viaduct. The eviction was temporarily halted by the Uptown Tent City Organizers, however a federal judge allowed the eviction to proceed. (Vincent Prochoroff/ The DePaulia)
