Community Groups Sue Cook County Assessor, Alleging Discrimination

Community Groups Sue Cook County Assessor, Alleging Discrimination

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Two Chicago community groups are suing Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. They claim he discriminates against poor, minority homeowners in the way his office assesses properties. The complaint filed Thursday in Circuit Court alleges Berrios illegally shifts residential tax burdens from wealthy, white neighborhoods to poor, black and Latino ones. The Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association contend Berrios’ residential property tax scheme is neither accurate nor uniform. Attorney Aneel Chablani is representing the groups. Berrios has been under fire for his practices since a Chicago Tribune investigation last summer. A spokesman for Berrios says assessments are done correctly and fairly.