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COOK COUNTY, Illinois - The Cook County Land Bank Authority gave away the deeds for 12 vacant lots on Saturday.
The Land Bank was established in 2013. It acquires tax-delinquent, abandoned lots and sells them to community-based developers. On Saturday, 9 recipients along with a local nonprofit got the deeds to their lots as part of a Juneteenth giveaway.
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"The purpose of the land bank was to say if you just got rid of those back taxes and barriers and things that don't exist in other neighborhoods, people walk in of their own volition," said Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer. "It's not about grants and aid, it's about making it a level playing field."
The nonprofit, Inner-City Muslim Action Network, has already been developing their land into places for young people and the arts. They hosted a pop-up arts and culture event along West 63rd Street.