MEDIA ADVISORY AND DAYBOOK ITEM FOR WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5, 2022
MEDIA ADVISORY AND DAYBOOK ITEM FOR WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5, 2022
Contact:
Carlos Enriquez,CEJN, cenriquez@chicagoejn.org 815-342-5717
Ivan Moreno, NRDC, imoreno@nrdc.org, 773-799-6455
Millions in Federal Housing Funds Jeopardized by Racist Policies say Housing and Enviro Groups
WEDNESDAY, Housing and environmental justice organizations from across Chicago will hold a press conference to urge the Lightfoot administration to cooperate with federal investigation into racist zoning and land-use laws to avoid the risk of losing millions in federal funds.
A recent investigation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that Chicago is continuing a legacy of broken policies that are violating the civil rights of residents by accumulating industrial polluters in the city’s communities of color.
Advocates will urge the mayor to put an end to sacrifice zones and instead create more opportunities for families in need of healthy affordable housing and comment on how the current budget proposal fails to address housing and environmental concerns.
When: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time
Where: Via Zoom
Recording will be available on Facebook.com/SETaskForce
Who: •Gina Ramirez, Board President of Southeast Environmental Task Force
•Cheryl Johnson, Executive Director of People for Community Recovery
•Byron Sigcho Lopez, 25th Ward Alderman
•Chris White, Organizing Director of Alliance of the Southeast
•Marie Collins-Wright, Vice President Jeffrey Manor Community Revitalization Council
Background:
Chicago Southeast Side residents filed a civil rights complaint through HUD as a result of decades of fights with industrial polluters including the proposed massive General Iron facility. The federal housing agency found that the city was funneling polluting industry to communities of color.
The City of Chicago continues to fight against the HUD-led civil rights investigation into the city’s zoning and land-use laws and could put hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for housing in jeopardy.
####
