Neighbors rally to save a Lawndale home from demolition - Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

FIRST ON FOX: Neighbors rallied to save a home in Lawndale late on Tuesday from a demolition crew. But will the wreckers be back? And why did City Hall send them in the first place?

City officials said there have been several reports of crime here, including drug selling. That's angrily disputed by neighbors who say they're desperate to build up this block -- not tear it down.

"No drug dealers here. I own the building across the street," area resident Lisa Scales said.

Still, inside paint and wallpaper are peeling. The kitchen and bathrooms have been stripped. But the Mississippi woman who recently inherited the building points to still-valuable woodwork on the first floor as part of why the place is worth saving.

"I'm here this week. And I'm about to start looking for resources to get started on the project. So, hopefully, we'll have it up and running before the winter," Alice Ivy, Macon Mississippi said.

It's uncertain whether Ivy can deliver, but she wouldn't have had the chance except for a group of neighbors. Late today, they used their bodies to block this backhoe and a wrecking crew who came to level it.

"We do have a strong block club here, which is one of the reasons why we're here today to ensure that the building doesn't get torn down," Darris Shaw, Neighborhood Housing Services said.

A few minutes before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the local alderman showed up. Neighbors said they'd been calling Michael Chandler for days.

"I've looked at the building myself. The building appears to be in excellent shape on the exterior. We have keys to the inside. A city building inspector needs to get on the inside. So, I'm here to advise them they need to file an emergency stay of demolition," Ald. Chandler said.