The History and the Action

One of the first tasks undertaken by TOWN members was to drive every street and alley in every ward of the City of Waukegan. Armed with a punch list of code violations, their mission was to identify those properties in gross noncompliance with code requirements and then to ascertain ownership. More than 400 abandoned or derelict buildings were identified in the city; no ward was exempt from the blighted conditions. Some dwellings appeared totally uninhabitable, but nevertheless were occupied by tenants and, in many cases, families with children. So as not to entangle impoverished homeowners in legal proceedings, TOWN resolved to target only income-producing properties, buildings owned by absentee landlords, or commercial property. Each derelict or dilapidated property was inspected by a professional contractor who was knowledgeable in BOCA (Building Official and Code Administrators) maintenance codes that set standards for the upkeep of existing buildings. Within a month of TOWN's first organizational meeting, nine neighbors were willing to serve as plaintiffs against an abandoned and red-tagged (unfit for human habitation) house in their well maintained neighborhood on Hickory Street in an historic area on Waukegan's near north side.

An example of TOWN's successful litigation strategy was a forty acre junkyard overflowing with garbage, old tires and mangled scrap metal that lay along Waukegan's lakefront near the commuter rail into the city. This open junkyard was the first visual impression that many visitors had of the City of Waukegan. Because of a court order issued in the TOWN-inspired suit brought by the resident staff of a nearby Salvation Army facility, the garbage and debris were hauled away at the expense of the property owner. In another instance, a burned-out husk of a building at 416 Ravine Street on Waukegan's south side owned – incredibly – by a Waukegan code enforcement officer, was attracting children from nearby parks and schools. Another group of residents, organized by TOWN and furnished with legal counsel, took action to force the owner to bulldoze the unsafe structure, and a new Cape Cod home has now been built on the site.

Another example of TOWN's successful litigation was the notorious Karcher Hotel on Washington Street in downtown Waukegan,which was fire damaged and literally falling apart. In addition to its structural defects, the Karcher was filled with combustible debris and had no operational sprinkler system. It was a firetrap waiting to ignite one block from City Hall! In response to a TOWN-inspired legal action, the owner was compelled to initiate a facelift of the building and to remove all combustible debris from all eight stories.

Due to TOWN-inspired legal action, an abandoned and disheveled video store on Grand Avenue has become a successful storm door and window business, and the building is now being beautifully maintained. A derelict filling station on Lewis Avenue is now a thriving mini-mart. The K-Mart Corporation was taken to court to clean up its long-deserted, boarded-up building on Waukegan's northwest side, and after rehabilitation, a light manufacturing business moved into the building and began providing employment to 100 people.

In April of 1997, TOWN utilized another Illinois statute, the Controlled Substance and Cannabis Nuisance Act. Eighty-one TOWN members filed a landmark case against the owner of a property that was the center of a major crack dealing operation. A unique cooperative effort between the Waukegan Police Department, Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, the Illinois Attorney General's Office, the Lake County State's Attorney and TOWN led to the indictment of 28 drug dealers and the closing down of a notorious drug house at 842 Adams Street. This two-flat in a residential neighborhood had been an open market for illegal drugs for nearly ten years; nearby residents were intimidated and had almost given up hope of living in a healthy environment.

TOWN's watchdog role over municipal government has prompted positive changes in the way that Waukegan operates. Acting on information provided by city employees, TOWN obtained hundreds of public documents and made an investigation into Waukegan's purchasing procedures. A report of this investigation, showing repeated violations of public bidding requirements, was submitted to the City Council and the Waukegan community. The result has been a new policy by the City Council, which is now submitting large purchases to the bidding process as required by the city's ordinances. Attention has also been focused on Waukegan's troubled downtown. At the request of a downtown store owner, TOWN mobilized its membership and publicized information that a single downtown bar had required hundreds of police calls for problems such as prostitution, drug dealing and weapons violations. The result of this publicity campaign was the surrender of the liquor license by the bar's owner, and a slight but palpable improvement in the condition of Waukegan's troubled commercial core.

TOWN's success and tenacity have prompted other cities and villages to seek input from members of the organization. Residents and elected officials of North Chicago, Round Lake Beach, Highwood and Lake Villa have met with TOWN representatives to explore the establishment of sister organizations in their communities and for guidance in using the anti-blight and anti-drug statutes to clean up their cities.

In December of 1997, the TOWN citizen's movement became an Illinois nonprofit corporation with IRS tax-exempt status. The reason for incorporation was to consolidate and expand the successful program, to move from a purely volunteer effort into becoming an adequately funded, ongoing civic organization.