Proposed site of Morgan Park migrant tent camp
The construction of the controversial migrant tent camp in Morgan Park has been put on hold, as residents in Alderman Ronnie Mosley’s 21st Ward declare victory.
Reverend Kenneth Whaley of the Maple Park Community Association texted the Crusader with the news late Monday, December 11. The Crusader reached out to Mosley and Mayor Brandon Johnson, but did not hear back by press time Wednesday for the Crusader’s print edition.
But Johnson and Mosley confirmed to CBS2 Chicago that the backup plan to house migrants in Morgan Park is now on hold.
“There are no immediate plans for 115th and Halsted, but in the event that we move forward together in addressing this humanitarian crisis with a base camp at the site, we remain committed to our collaboration and shared plans for capital improvements, community development and support for housing, health and safety for residents of the 21st Ward,” Johnson and Mosley said in a joint statement.
“With dedicated efforts and an open line of communication, the 21st Ward will be better through and beyond our city’s new arrivals mission.”
Last month, residents blasted Mosley after he reversed course to approve an ordinance that would purchase land for the migrant shelter at 115th and Halsted.
His support of a compromised deal led nearly the entire City Council to approve the proposal. The compromised deal included a deadline of November 1, 2024, for the migrants to leave the tent, which was being built to help them cope with cold temperatures of the winter season.
Construction of the winterized tent was underway when the mayor put the project on hold. It was expected to house between 1,400 to 2,500 migrants who for months have lived in tents at Chicago police stations.
But residents in Morgan Park and Roseland protested the plan to have migrants occupy a piece of land that for years had been earmarked for a Morgan Park Commons mixed used affordable housing development to be built on the site.
On Facebook, residents cheered the decision, which came less than a week after Governor JB Pritzker scrapped a similar winterized tent in Brighton Park after a consulting firm found toxic materials on the site.
Environmental tests reportedly are underway at the Morgan Park site, but no results have been released.
Mosley told CBS2 Chicago the site might have once been home to a dry cleaners, and “depending on how that cleaners got rid of their materials, that could be the only thing that they would foresee” as a possible environmental concern.
Now, some people on Facebook are praising the latest decision, while others remain focused on voting out Mosley, whom they feel betrayed them.
“That’s really good news. Now it’s time to get rid of this clown, out of office,” said Albert Batch Jr.
Another person, Debbie Ratcliff, said, “That’s wonderful.
You guys ROCK!!!”
Pamela Montgomery simply said, “Victory!!”
Over 20,000 migrants have been bused to Chicago from Texas and Colorado. The city has spent nearly $260 million to address the migrant problem, plaguing Democratic cities across the country, including New York City, which has received over 120,000 migrants in the past year.
With the Morgan Park site on hold and the Brighton Park site cancelled altogether, the city is relying instead strictly on brick-and-mortar shelters for the migrants.
Chicago reportedly has seen a significant drop in the number of migrants sleeping at Chicago police stations in recent weeks. According to CBS2 Chicago, there were 3,338 migrants staying at police stations in mid-October. This week, there were just 461 as of Monday morning, December 11, and migrants have been cleared from 15 of the 21 police stations.
