Rev. Anton Seals

“Suppose your vision was to get out of the city. There was a lot of gunshots and violence. I was born in Chicago. Grew up in Englewood in the projects. I was old enough to see them building the high-rises, [but I] didn’t know they were projects.

“We move to this quiet neighborhood where everything is going well. But over 10 years we’ve lost so much. You’ve worked this hard for this long, [but] your taxes are going up and your property is being devalued.

“This house 10 years ago sold for $280,000, two or three years ago it was listed at $265,000. The value has not really gone up. This house today, if I had bought it somewhere else, is worth $450,000. How does that happen?

“There’s a silence among politicians. An apathy, when it comes to property taxes. And a history of mismanagement.

“We’re losing so many businesses and so many homes. But the attitude is, ‘The devil with you, I just want your money.’

“I think about a single-mother family. You have so many other responsibilities just to keep a roof over your head. You are choosing between groceries, the doctor or taxes. That’s the reality right now.”

Rev. Anton Seals
Concerned Neighbors of Matteson
Matteson, Illinois