*The city of Chicago backed off plans to evict a youth football program from its sports facility so that it could become a shelter for migrants.
According to DailyMail.com, the plan to boot the kids from the park was withdrawn after nationwide outrage.
Over 600 Chicago residents attended a community meeting last week to support the Amundsen Park youth football program. The facility is home to six football teams, four cheerleading teams, after-school programs, and senior care services.
The athletic activities would be moved to alternate sites like Sayre Park and Lovett Elementary to make room for migrants arriving by the busloads, according to Block Club Chicago. Watch the video report above.
These “Chicago” KIDS from the Amundsen Park youth football program in the Austin neighborhood will be kicked out of their neighborhood field house so it can become a migrant shelter on Monday. Over 600 residents met last night here to oppose this. @bennyjohnson @IllinoisReview pic.twitter.com/w4y3pQRPK3
— Mark Weyermuller (@publicpolicyman) October 4, 2023
As Fox News reports, Chicago alderman Chris Taliaferro released a statement last week confirming that the city intended to use the Amundsen Park field house to house roughly 200 migrants.
“On Friday, September 29, 2023, I was informed by Deputy Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas that a decision had been made to utilize Amundsen Park, 6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave., to house approximately 200 migrants. I immediately informed Deputy Pacione-Zayas that I strongly opposed the proposal and that this would adversely impact the neighborhood and park programming,” Taliaferro’s statement read.
“This proposal disregards the issues of public safety that are of great neighborhood concern and that our police department has been working tirelessly to turn around. It overlooks the programming that is enjoyed by our senior and youth residents that actively utilize the park.”
Per Fox News, he continued, “The proposal further disregards democracy whereby the residents and their locally elected officials have an opportunity to discuss the issues before decisions are made that would impact their lives. It takes away valuable neighborhood resources from a community that, in part, had been disinvested in for decades. It is because of these reasons and the fact that viable alternatives are available, that I strongly oppose closing Amundsen Park to house migrants seeking asylum.”
Members of a youth football team joined hundreds of residents at the community meeting last week to voice their opposition, according to videos shared on social media.
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