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I would like to re-orient @chicagosmayor with the non-politicized facts. https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2020/4/14/21220993/coronavirus-smokestack-demolition-permit-air-pollution-little-village *thread* 1/11
@AldermanHopkins, numerous doctors, scientists, elected officials and I sent a letter 3/31 to the Mayor asking her to shut down air-pollution harming our residents during the pandemic and to not issue new permits for new sources of air pollution. Here it is again. 2/11
I live 4 miles downwind of where this environmental travesty occurred. Why didn’t the city officials who were onsite stop the city-approved demolition at 7:50 a.m. when it became obvious there was no sufficient dust mitigation in place for when the 275ft stack fell? 3/11
My family & I inhaled that air in our yard, along with thousands of other working families that are already burdened by exponentially more industrial and diesel sources of pollution than families on the North side breathe. 4/11
This environmental tragedy is personal to south siders who still have not seen data verifying that asbestos & other harmful contaminants were 100% eliminated before the demolition. 5/11
Mayor Lightfoot is right that I campaigned on repealing aldermanic prerogative. I didnt want to replace w/ Mayoral Prerogative. I wanted a transparent community process including voices of comm members rightfully pleading to stop air pollution & thats exactly what Ive done. 6/11
As I tweet this, the metal shredder referenced in my letter continues to release pollutants just blocks from my neighbors, my family and the people who trusted me to represent their well-being. 7/11
A concrete plant no one wants continues to receive permits from your departments against the objections of hundreds of my constituents who have chronic respiratory issues. It’s like my community has no voice and no Department of Environment to appeal to. 8/11
Is that what you campaigned on? To preserve these red spots on the map where asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other diseases run rampant as a result of environmental racism & exacerbate death tolls during a respiratory pandemic?
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/meleah-geertsma/new-map-shows-chicago-needs-environmental-justice-reforms 9/11
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/meleah-geertsma/new-map-shows-chicago-needs-environmental-justice-reforms 9/11
Advocating for our constituents is not a “shameless quest for recognition,” it’s our job as the people’s representatives. This is what it looks like when we are relentless in our work to protect the people we love. 10/11
And it’s time the people’s representatives stop tolerating a different standard of environmental quality for black and Latino communities. #StopEnvironmentalRacismSaveLives #RightToRecovery 11/11
