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Posted on 05/08/2025 12:25:19 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A Chicago man says he did the unthinkable when he discovered alleged squatters in his property: He decided to move in with them.
Marco Velazquez is the owner of a South Side property, which is on the market to be sold. He says his Realtor came by with a potential buyer, but there were already people inside.
"I couldn't believe it. It was like a nightmare," Velazquez said.
Velazquez says a woman named Shermaine and her boyfriend, Codarro, moved in, claiming they recently purchased the property.
He says the couple showed police a mortgage document, but Cook County confirmed that they do not see that mortgage on-record.
Velazquez's Realtor recorded a video as the couple explained to police that they had a right to be there.
"The worst thing happened when police told me they couldn't do anything. It needs to go to a civil court," Velazquez said.
He says police told them that under Illinois' current law, they could not remove anyone.
"I said, 'I'm not going to leave.' Called a couple friends, stayed overnight and I knew they were not going to like that," Velazquez said.
VelazqueZ says he, his wife and their friends spent the night with the alleged squatters.
"We stayed in the living room, watching the door. They stayed in one of the bedrooms," Velazquez said. "We stayed a whole night with them."
The next morning, Velazquez said, he realized they were not budging.
"They were like, we want $8,000 of what we paid, so we can leave your property," Velazquez said.
Velazquez says they negotiated. He had the couple sign a cash-for-key agreement and paid them $4,300 to leave.
"We didn't want to give them money, but we heard really bad stories about squatters taking over properties for six, eight, 10 months, even a year," Velazquez said.
Velazquez said weeks later, a Chicago police detective informed him that one of the alleged squatters is the same woman accused of squatting in Marcia and Carlton Lee's home, after leaving his property.
In the Lees' case, Shermaine Powell-Gillard was arrested and charged with burglary, forgery, obstructing identification and criminal residential trespassing.
Velazquez says he's working with the detective and hopes action is taken in his case, too.
"I heard stories before about squatters. I never thought it would happen to me," Velazquez said.
The accused squatter, Powell-Gillard, said claims that she is a squatter are false and unfounded, and wrote, "innocent until proven guilty."
ABC7 Chicago also reached out to her alleged boyfriend, Codarro, but did not immediately hear back.
CPD did not confirm whether they are currently investigating this new case. No one has been arrested or charged in this case.
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In the old days you’d just call up your local Italians and they’d take care of the problem...............
How to deal with squatters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqxIzw1gadM
The owner should have spent 1 night and then invite all of his “friends” from a certain motorcycle “CLUB”.
Owners can be charged with constructive eviction. The squatters have all the rights.
Still can be done these days. When I was having a problem with a neighbor, a biker friend of mine asked me if I want his motorcycle gang to show up and take care of the "problem". These guys had been in and out of jail for various reasons, and liked conflict. I declined, as I felt my arms were good enough protection.
In the past, someone I knew having a conflict got similar friends to show up and trashed the inside of the neighbor's house, and they moved shortly after. When I was younger, asked my divorcee landlord why she didn't get alimony and child support from her ex-husband. Because he had some tough guys beat her and threaten to come back.
Not just Italians dispense a solution to conflicts - it's who you know and what they are willing to do.
Hire someone to beat you bloody, and shoot them and kick them bloody. Say it was self defense.
Squatting is THEFT!!!!!
BS that there’s nothing they can do about it.
ARREST THEM!!!
Unfortunately that is is the law. I don’t know why this law is, but it is.
He had the couple sign a cash-for-key agreement and paid them $4,300 to leave
4300 would pay for a lot of buck shot.
Yeah, I don’t get it either.
What moron thought stealing someone else’s property was acceptable was fine is beyond me.
I think I read it was once part of old English law, because if a property was abandoned, it was better to have someone live there, and the property be productive. I’m not sure that translates well into the modern world.
There are probably things the squatters never thought the owners would do or they would not have squatted (temporarily).
Advised to call Mexicans in Highlands County, Florida. Declined.
Today, Governor DeSantis has fast-tracked eviction.
Have some folks with Pit Bulls move in temporarily.
A baseball would work wonders.
Many many years ago, some bikers and I were given beer and hotdogs along with $100 cash and we cleaned out a house in 45 minutes Everything went threw the door broken if they didn’t pick it up themselves.
One of them went threw the window when he attempted to block “Little” Bubba. You can probably guess that Little Bubba wasn’t little...
It is legal to shoot home intruders.
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