Renters in Chicago's black neighborhoods 4 times as likely to face eviction as those in white areas

CHICAGO - It first appeared in patches - dark and spotty.

Then with each rainfall, it started to spread across the ceiling, taking on a life of its own.

Mary Williams said that when her landlord neglected to fix her leaking roof and clean up the mold in her bedroom, she stopped paying rent.

"I kept telling them, and they didn't care," Williams said. "In my mind, I was saying they'd have to take me to court. Once they take me to court, I'm going to go to the court and show them my living conditions because they won't come to fix the problem."

After the landlord filed a complaint to have Williams, a 52-year-old Chicago Public Schools Safe Passage worker, evicted, the two parties settled, allowing her to move out of the South Chicago apartment next month without having to pay the