A Starbucks is set to open at the Little Village Plaza — an area once filled with local vendors and businesses before it was sold to developers. Some residents said this is just the beginning of what will lead to gentrification, while others said the community should embrace the investment.
Byron Sigcho-Lopez
Shelters in Pilsen and in the West Loop will close Oct. 1 and a shelter in Hyde Park will close Oct. 24. All of the residents will be offered space in one of the 14 shelters the city will continue to operate, officials said.
The Chicago City Council voted 16-29 Monday to reject an effort to punish Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez for speaking at a protest in front of City Hall where an American flag was burned.
Migrants evicted from a city shelter can return to the designated “landing zone” for buses from Texas at Polk and Desplaines streets in the West Loop, according to the policy imposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The emotional debate was over a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Chicago became the largest city to pass such a resolution after Mayor Brandon Johnson cast a tie-breaking vote.
Advocates Concerned About Migrants’ Health Amid Reports of Illness, Overcrowding at Chicago Shelters
Elected officials and community leaders are demanding federal aid to help address the needs of Chicago’s migrants. This plea follows the death of 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero — who was living at a migrant shelter in Pilsen.
Alds. Lopez and Sigcho-Lopez Debate Attempt to Add Sanctuary City Referendum to March Primary Ballot
A handful of Chicago City Council members want voters to weigh in during the March primary election on whether Chicago should stay a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants.
The city’s Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted in favor of a preliminary landmark recommendation for St. Adalbert Church. This starts a lengthy eight-step approval process, which ends in a vote by City Council on the designation.
A plan to provide $51 million in migrant care passed by a comfortable margin at this week’s Chicago City Council meeting. But the lead-up to that vote was met with upheaval and racist remarks from audience members.
More than 8,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last summer when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott first started sending migrants to the city. However, citywide efforts are reaching a tipping point with limited resources and shelters at capacity.
Johnson, who will replace Lightfoot in less than two weeks, said he would consult with the South Shore community before making any final decisions on how to address a renewed surge of immigrants being sent to the city from Texas and other states along the southern border.
More than 8,100 people, most of them from Central and South America, have arrived in Chicago since Aug. 31. Mayor Lori Lightfoot sent to the City Council Friday, acknowledging that once again the city’s shelter system is bursting at the seams.
For the last two years, Discount Mall has been in the middle of a battle between its vendors and property owner Novak Development. Now, half of the mall’s vendors have until the end of this month to pack up and leave.
Improvements to the mall are planned, including new roofs and facades, parking lot resurfacing, new landscaping, new lighting and an underground storm water detention system.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) recently hosted a meeting Tuesday with vendors to reassure them he will be fighting to keep the retail hub open. Novak Construction, the mall’s owner, extended vendors’ leases until the end of March.
Vendors have rallied in front of the Chicago Police Department headquarters, asking for more police presence in the morning, when many vendors are out as early as 4 a.m.
