CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — East Lake Management, which runs a number of senior apartment buildings across Chicago said Wednesday that they'll now reopen community rooms that have been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They brought music to a protest outside an East Lake building at 63rd Street and Harper Avenue in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood.
The event was organized by Shanna Landhart, with the tenants' union.
"We are here today because all we want for Christmas is access to our community rooms," Landhart said.
Patricia Hightower is a tenant.
"Now the Super Bowl's coming up, maybe I might want to go down and later I can have a little fun, have some refreshments and watch the game," Hightower said. "I can't do that because the social room is closed."
Following the protest, East Lake officials said they were "very concerned about the health and safety" of their residents but said they would reopen social rooms.
Another tenant, Renee Celestine, said the closure of social rooms in the East Lake building had taken a toll on residents.
"There's a lot of seniors in my building, and all of them have been isolated in their apartments," Celestine said. "It's been like living in a prison."
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