CHICAGO (CBS) — Construction resumed on a proposed migrant tent camp in Brighton Park, after neighbors opposed to the allocation tried unsuccessfully to stop heavy machinery from moving Tuesday morning.
This comes after a heated week of protests ended with a councilman’s candidacy for security.
As reported by CBS 2’s Sara Machi, at least 30 protesters were on 38th Street and in California with symptoms and American flags to oppose the arrival of migrant tents in their neighborhood. Protesters temporarily blocked the access road used by structure trucks to the site.
Protesters said they have been looking to be at the site 24 hours a day since the paintings began last week. They said they were surprised by the task and worried about their own safety. They plan to raise their concerns at a netpaintings assembly about the proposal. tent encampment Tuesday night.
As protesters blocked the driveway Tuesday morning, Chicago police asked more officials from surrounding districts to monitor the entrances. Police were able to reopen the driveway so that structure personnel could access the site. While police were seen handcuffing at least one protester, he was later released. No arrest. No one was arrested.
“People have businesses. They have lives. They have things to do and they sacrifice a lot to be here,” said Jacquelynz Zuniga, who has been protesting at the site since Thursday.
The protest took place hours before an assembly of the network on Tuesday night, convened through Councilwoman Julia Ramirez (12th) to address the issue. Representatives of the Mayor’s Office will be present at the assembly to answer questions from neighbors about the tent encampment.
Tuesday’s protest is the first time the situation has heated up at the structure’s site. Last week, Ramirez and her assistant were allegedly assaulted by protesters when she showed up to talk to neighbors.
Police said Ramirez and his assistant were “beaten” at the protest rally. Ramirez was not injured, but his assistant was taken to the hospital in good condition.
Ramirez said constituents had contacted her to ask her to attend the rally to hear the protesters’ concerns, but after talking to a few other people at the rally, a group of protesters began attacking her and her assistant.
“I tried to interact directly with my network to fight the misinformation spread about my involvement in the plan and how we deserve to move forward as a network. After a few conversations, it became clear that most of the protesters don’t “need to have interaction in a nonviolent discussion with me. It was a disappointing experience,” he wrote.
Neighbors said they were disappointed by the lack of transparency about the task and were surprised when it began.
Ramirez said Mayor Brandon Johnson consulted her about plans for a tent encampment in Brighton Park and she recommended any site in her network for such a shelter. Ramirez spoke with CBS 2 News on Monday to lay out his goals for Tuesday’s network meeting.
“I don’t think the city and the administration make those decisions alone, and that’s why I need to make sure that when other people are heard from tomorrow, it offers another area where we think about a hyperlocal system. level of what makes sense to the citizens of Brighton Park,” he said.
At the assembly at Thomas Kelly High School, city officials laid out plans for the 10-acre lot. The migrant tent camp would be built if the land, water, and sewage systems were deemed adequate for construction.
If approved, the tent camp will house migrant families, 500 at first and up to 2,000 later. This would include housing, amenities, 24-hour unarmed security, and 11 p. m. hours of operation. Access. Curfew.
Still, the task has drawn criticism.
“It’s one thing or the other,” said one participant. We can welcome our neighbors and have a thriving and healthy community. “
Another speaker said, “Winters in Chicago are brutal. Putting immigrants in situations like this is inhumane. “
The village is still comparing the terrain. If approved, it’s unclear when it will open.