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Cook County Pastors from the south and west sides and suburbs urge property tax reform
Chicago, IL — A coalition of African American Pastors representing more than 100 churches on Chicago’s South and West sides and suburbs called for immediate reforms in the property tax system, warning recent tax hikes will force thousands to lose their homes.
Property tax assessments increased dramatically over the past four years and caused property taxes to increase substantially average about 20 to 40 percent but with higher increases as much as 100 and 145 percent in the poorest areas of Cook County.
The pastors, who said they are hearing pleas for help from their parishioners, demanded Cook County officials act immediately to protect homeowners and reverse the massive tax hikes.
“We were here today because we wanted to make the point that this is criminal, what has taken place with this increase of taxes, um, on West Garfield, Lawndale, and Englewood. It’s disproportionate and it’s an unjust, uh, property tax burden. This is not shared sacrifice, it is selective punishment, and it disproportionately targets Black communities,” said Pastor Ira Acree.
“We’ve already gone through so much disinvestment, in our communities for a number of years. They closed many of our schools, closed many of our mental health clinics, and to me, these property tax increase really just escalates and speeds up what we see as a strategic gentrification plan.”
The press conference was held in the lobby of the Cook County Building on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, the deadline for homeowners to appeal their property taxes.
Bishop William Crowder, regional resident of Christian Church Disciples of Christ representing 145 churches in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan, said specific action needs to be taken by Cook County.
“So, we’ve come today to declare that this is not acceptable, it’s not a way to treat those that have given their lives, those that have given their commitment to this city and to this county. And so, again, we said something is wrong in this county when homeowners, especially seniors, our seniors, working families, communities of color are being forced to carry a burden they did not create,” Crowder said
“Yeah, the county needs to roll back on property taxes, particularly the increases for homeowners. We want a rollback. We also want a property tax freeze for homeowners. And then we want them to extend the December 15 deadline to appeal property tax increases. Finally, we need assurances of a cap on how much property taxes can increase on any given home.”
Gospelizer and Dr. Walter McCray, a member of the Leaders Network, said that property taxes have gone up 500 percent between the first installment and the second installment, and even vacant land,s including property he owns, increased $7,000 in one year.
“And we cannot afford that. We see this as a strategy of the powerful and the wealthy, a strategy for land grabbing. Eventually, homeowners are crushed under an overburdened tax system that overburdens them. And they’re, uh, these are legacy residents, so a number are senior citizens, um, and they’ve held onto what is prime land in the city, particularly on the west side of Chicago,” McCray said.
“We see this in terms of a long-term strategy by the wealthy and powerful to take advantage of the powerless. And we wanna step up to the table, we are stepping up to the table, and seeking to stop this, turn it- roll it back, and put in place policies, uh, and practices where this kind of a tax increase will never happen again in Chicago.”
Pastor Roosevelt Watkins, with Bethlehem Star Church and representing Pastors United for Change, said that the businesses have paid lobbyists, but the people only have pastors representing them.
“This is not a tax policy. What we’re witnessing is a displacement policy. You can’t claim that you value equity and then double tax bills on the poorest homeowners,” Watkins said.
“This should have been done in increments. There are several other ways in which this could have taken place, but you can’t balance the Cook County budget on the backs of the poor.”
Pastor David Cherry, President of the Leaders Network, called the property tax increase increases on homeowners “crippling”
“It’s a crisis. It’s an emergency. It is crippling the people, you know. And it’s going to be, like I said, a complete catastrophe if something isn’t done, and done immediately,” Cherry said.
Rev. Marshall Hatch of West Garfield Park led the group to visit the offices of several Cook County officials, urging them to act in the best interests of property taxpayers and homeowners.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: a sentence in an earlier version of the story was deleted regarding individuals who disrupted the press conference, as it may have inaccurately implied to readers who may have been involved in supporting them.)
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