June 26
To head off concerns about another “botched” demolition, Chicago public health officials fielded questions during a one and a half hour Little Village Complex Demolition Hearing. The planned demolition of a warehouse and former Peoples Gas plant at 3600 S. Kostner Ave. has been scheduled for this summer. Identified by the state as an “environmentally complex demolition,” the project has sparked objections stemming from a similar case back in April 2020, when the demolition of an old coal plant’s smokestack covered Little Village in a cloud of dust. A $12.25 million class action lawsuit alleging that the company behind that demolition, Hilco Redevelopment, had demonstrated a “blatant disregard for the safety of the community” was approved by a federal judge earlier this year. Eligible residents who filed claims by March 26 could receive cash payments of between $200 and $400. Residents remain concerned about health impacts over time as well as the diesel trucks coming and going from the new warehouse. In the hearing, Chicago Department of Public Health representatives answered some questions about safety, dust control, and related environmental and health problems. Little Village residents worried about the Kostner plant demolition didn’t come away with much additional information about the use of the site, especially the nature and amount of potential diesel truck traffic it could bring to the neighborhood.
A public commenter at a Chicago Department of Public Health Board of Health meeting complained that the city wasn’t doing enough to help residents weather high temperatures throughout the summer. All but one of the city’s cooling centers and libraries were allegedly closed on Juneteenth, when temperatures reached ninety-five degrees. The city’s six cooling centers, managed by the Office of Emergency Management and Communication (OEMC) and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), are open only when staff are available. The commenter asked the Department of Health to provide more heat mitigation services and to extend the hours of the locations available. Public officials, health experts, and advocates for the homeless and elderly joined in slamming the City’s response. Three City Council members—Andre Vasquez (40th Ward), Maria Hadden (49th Ward), and Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25h Ward)—are co-sponsoring a resolution calling for improved communication and coordination among the responsible departments. Once introduced, the resolution would go to the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety. The resolution criticizes the departments for “conflicting definitions and communication materials” in connection with providing services. It also states that “extreme weather response plans [lack] specificity and clarity for the public and other service providers.”
June 27
At their meeting, members of the Chicago City Council Joint Committee: Health and Human Relations and Public Safety discussed measures to combat hate crimes. The Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ annual report on the subject noted growing tensions amid global and local crises, including the increase in migrant arrivals in Chicago and the Israel-Hamas war. The commission recommended that the City Council pass a proposed ordinance against hate littering (the distribution of hateful flyers or other materials), optimize police and 311 staffing models, and implement anti-hate educational programs for young people. Council Member Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) said that data does not reflect offenses against people whose marginalized identities might overlap, including LGTBQ+ and BIPOC individuals, and expressed concern about such Chicagoans being overlooked.
A nearly seven-hour meeting of the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education saw public commenters decry the layoffs of some 600 CPS support staff. Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members say students will not receive the education benefits full staffing brings. The layoffs affect teacher aides, custodians, restorative justice coordinators, and others. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez empathized, but stated that a $400 million deficit had driven the layoffs. The district is also overhauling the way its budget works, Martinez reminded the board. The revised budget process will allocate resources based on the needs of students instead of enrollment statistics. The Board was also updated on school improvements and success planning for Black students. A CTU representative called for fair and equitable goals during upcoming contract negotiations. He also supported the roles of special education and bilingual teachers and argued they should not be fired or forced to reapply for positions at the same schools. Several other public commenters expressed their positions on a variety of topics, such as school choice, closing the achievement gap between Black students and other groups, and renovating CPS buildings to address climate change. The board also heard three staff presentations on continuous improvement and data transparency, end-of-year data, and Black student success. The latter presentation recommended support for a culturally responsive curriculum, more aggressive recruitment of Black educators, improvements for facilities, partnerships with communities, and improved educational access.
June 27
At its first public meeting, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA)—a seven-member, civilian-led body created in July 2021 to add civilian oversight to police operations—faced public commenters who called for a hearing to limit police authority to pull drivers over in “pretextual” traffic stops. Such stops are seen by critics as a pretense for unwarranted vehicle searches. The shooting death of Dexter Reed, twenty-six years old, in March of this year was a topic of intense discussion: “These stops increase unnecessary encounters between everyday citizens and special militarized tactical units,” one commenter said, as quoted in Block Club Chicago: “Any of these interactions could easily escalate to a killing, as we saw in the case of Dexter Reed.” Police stopped Reed for an alleged seatbelt violation and fired almost one hundred shots after Reed reportedly fired first. His death was later ruled a homicide. Remel Terry, interim commissioner for the CCPSA, stated that the “commission does not have the authority to abolish pretextual stops.”
July 2The Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights at its meeting heard from several public commenters and organization representatives about providing for new immigrants. “The challenges Chicago has faced with new arrivals stem from the fact that our social safety net has never been adequate to support the community,” said Dulce Guzman, deputy director of institutional development at Alianza Americas, a network of migrant-led advocacy groups. She continued: “The federal government has failed to change the way we view migrants.” One speaker asked that the sixty-day limit for asylum-seeker shelters be extended, and three objected to what they called unequal resource distribution for Black and non-Black immigrants. One commenter complained that “y’all don’t consider the Black American plight, while you put so much money into this new arrivals initiative.” Issues affecting Ecuadorian and Colombian arrivals were addressed by commenters and, noted a representative from Chicago Asian Americans for Environmental Justice, climate change must be considered for its role in migration and Chicago’s responsibility for new arrivals. Commenters also argued that the Chicago Police Department denies requests for U visas—those assigned to victims who have helped law enforcement with a criminal investigation—at a significantly higher rate than other large cities. Injustice Watch data from 2021 showed that Chicago denied U visas at a 51.8 percent rate, compared to Houston at approximately 38 percent and Los Angeles and New York City both at 21 percent.
This information was collected and curated by the Weekly in large part using reporting from City Bureau’s Documenters at documenters.org.