In a series of videos posted Friday and Saturday by a family member of 73-year-old Rudolph Williams, the narrator can be heard explaining the Harvey man was still inside his apartment and unable to leave because a plywood plank had been installed over his door and his door handle was torn off.

The five videos have more than 10 million views on TikTok, triggered outrage online and on Monday brought Harvey’s leadership to the complex at 14437 and 1445 S. Halsted St., to speak to residents and media about what occurred and next steps.

Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark originally said because he does not get his information from social media and was not on the scene when this occurred, he could not confirm if residents were boarded up while still inside their apartments.

“We’d have to go back and check what the police saw when they got here,” Clark said.

But after speaking to residents, he eventually said residents were boarded up inside their homes, confirmed an investigation will be undertaken and said he is looking into whether an ordinance change is needed to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Williams and his nephews, Danny Bennett and James Williams, said Bennett, who lives with Rudolph, left the apartment about 4 p.m. Friday. When he returned, he saw the boards on the apartment and all the surrounding units. He called James to see if Rudolph was still in the apartment, which James confirmed.

“Where are we going to go? I won’t go into no shelter,” Bennett said after realizing the boards were installed because they were no longer allowed to live in their unit.

Bennett said he gave the crew boarding up the apartments $30 and a case of beer to take down the planks.

“I was calm about it because I am a veteran. I have been through some stuff,” Rudolph Williams said.

In a news release, the city of Harvey said leadership contacted property managers multiple times during 2023, and told them they had to improve the deteriorating structure. One flight of stairs had collapsed and the grounds were in need of better upkeep.

“On December 14, 2023, the Building Department notified owners that after further assessments, it was determined that both 14437 and 14445 S. Halsted pose an imminent safety risk, particularly due to extensive deterioration of balconies and stair risers,” a notice sent on Monday explained.

Harvey leadership said on Friday, the property managers brought in a company to board up the apartments due the structure no longer being inhabitable. A contact provided to the Daily Southtown named “Clarence” confirmed he was in charge of the boarding up process but said no one was in their apartments when they were boarded up.

“There was nobody in the house. It’s all lies,” he said, declining to provide his last name or the name of his company.

Residents said the people who boarded up the homes did not speak to them when they asked for their business name. The trucks that brought the items to board up the homes were not marked with a company’s name, witnesses say, and Harvey officials did not provide the name of the company.

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City officials said they provided information to the property managers about the building in 2023. Police Chief Cameron Biddings said his department received 327 calls to 911 from the location about events taking place in the complex, including drug issues.

The property manager could not be reached by phone.

Clark and Biddings confirmed the city is beginning an investigation into the events and the state’s attorney and attorney general may conduct investigations of their own. While Bennett said Harvey police were on the scene when his uncle was boarded inside his home, police officers were not boarding up the homes.

Rudolph Williams has been running the stove in his apartment all day in an effort to stay warm. He stretches his arms out over his stove.

He calmly reenacted what happened when he found out he was locked inside.

“I knew eventually they was going to get me out,” he said.

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