Former Jewel-Osco Store at 115th and Halsted which was proposed location for migrant shelter.
After an intense debate, the Chicago City Council delayed its vote on a proposed winterized migrant tent in Morgan Park after aldermen of all races rallied to support Alderman Ronnie Mosley (21st), who reaffirmed his commitment to residents in his ward.
There was no roll call of individual votes from aldermen, but apparently, there were enough dissenting aldermen causing Mayor Brandon Johnson to defer the proposal, a decision that moved the vote to a later date.
But questions remain about many silent Black aldermen who serve on the committee that advanced the proposal to the City Council. Nine Black aldermen serve on the 20-member Housing and Real Estate Committee, but Alderman David Moore (17th) was the only one out of the entire group to vote against the proposal.
Nevertheless, the delay at the City Council was a setback for Johnson, who sponsored the proposal to have the city purchase a 6.5-acre site at 115th and Halsted Streets from Jewel parent company Albertson’s for $1. The city would then have a migrant shelter on the site that was intended to be the Morgan Park Commons, a mixed-use housing development for the community. With opposition growing and Wednesday’s delay at the City Council meeting, November 1, the proposal’s future remains uncertain.
Six months into his term, Johnson’s support in Chicago’s Black community, where many residents are opposed to the idea of having migrant shelters in their neighborhoods, is waning. At the City Council meeting, in a surprise showing of unity, aldermen of all races voted no to the proposal and expressed their support and admiration for Alderman Mosley standing up for the residents in his ward.
“I do understand that this is a federal issue and a humanitarian crisis,” Alderman Mosley said. “But I cannot change my support to my community. For that reason, I must vote no.”
The Crusader counted at least 10 aldermen who said they would vote no on the proposal. In addition to Mosley, they include Aldermen Anthony Beale (9th), Marty Quinn (13th), Raymond Lopez (15th), Alderman David Moore (17th), Silvana Tabares (23rd), Monique Scott (24th), Chris Taliaferro (29th), Anthony Napolitano (41st) and James Gardiner (45th).
Only three aldermen – Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Jessie Fuentes (26th), and another unidentified official voted in favor of the migrant shelter in Morgan Park.
“Alderman Mosley, I stand behind you 100 percent,” said Alderman Gardiner.
Alderman William Hall (6th) did not say whether he would vote no, but the freshman politician who recently visited the Texas border said, “This is a federal issue that the president and Congress have to figure out.”
In a rare moment, Alderman Scott gave a passionate plea to the Council about unity and representing the people who live in her ward.
“I often don’t say much, but we have to be mindful of one another. We have to stand where our voters stand. So, if my colleagues say no, I have to say no. We have to do what’s best for our wards.”
The city also decided to delay a proposal to put a referendum on the ballot asking voters should Chicago remain a sanctuary city, a designation made by Mayor Harold Washington. The designation prohibits any city employee from asking about or assisting in an investigation of the “citizenship or residency status of any person,” unless ordered to do so by a court or federal law. The order also prevents city benefits from being denied to anyone because of their citizenship status.
Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd), said the proposal “should be on a referendum. The people should be asked and allowed to answer the question. I suspect there’s a different sentiment out there.”
Alderman Fuentes, who supports the proposal to place a migrant shelter in Morgan Park, said, “We had 30,000 Ukrainians come to this city, and no one asked should we be a sanctuary city. We’re angry at the wrong people. We should be angry at our federal government.”
In Black Chicago, residents remain angry at Mayor Johnson, who’s accused of not doing enough to address the potential impact of the migrant crisis on Black neighborhoods. Over 19,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago from Texas and Colorado since the crisis began.
“This is wrong, wrong, wrong,” said Linda Johnson, an Austin resident who spoke at the City Council meeting. “You’re putting these people in our parks. You cannot put all these people at police stations and expect police to do their jobs.”
The decision to delay the Morgan Park migrant shelter may have come as a surprise to some. Sources told the Crusader that the proposal “was a done deal” that was sure to pass. With many Black aldermen silent on the matter at Wednesday’s meeting, it’s uncertain how many support it and how much work the mayor must do behind the scenes to win votes for the controversial proposal.
However, the Black aldermen who were silent on Wednesday are on the city’s Housing and Real Estate Committee, which on Monday, October 30, overwhelmingly voted to advance the proposal to the City Council. Nine of the 20 aldermen on the committee are Black and, according to CBS2 News Chicago, Alderman Moore reportedly was the only alderman who voted no on the proposal. That leaves things uncertain with Aldermen Greg Mitchell (7th), Johnson’s ally Pat Dowell (3rd), Lamont Robinson (4th), Walter Burnett (27th), Jeanette Taylor (20th) and Emma Mitts (37th).
Alderman Scott, who said she would vote no on Wednesday, is also on the Housing and Real Estate Committee, where Alderman Moore was the only one who voted against the migrant proposal in Morgan Park.
But for Alderman Mosley, the delay is a temporary win that silenced critics and residents who at a town hall meeting at the Sheldon Heights Church of Christ voiced their opposition after Mosley said he was open to the idea of having the migrant shelter. Alderman Mosley later reversed course and said he was opposed to the mayor’s plan.
On Monday, October 30, Alderman Mosley held a press conference the same morning the House and Real Estate Committee advanced the proposal to the City Council.
He said, “I’m highly disappointed by the city’s intention to move forward with plans to erect a temporary asylum-seeking shelter on 115th and Halsted, despite community concerns. Last month, after our community expressed multiple concerns about this shelter, I co-sponsored ordinances that addressed these concerns and advocated for aldermen to receive a 30-day notice of intentions to house migrants in their communities. Unfortunately, those have not yet passed.
“The 21st Ward will not tolerate the prioritization of a crisis over our needs and voices! Here is what I’m demanding from this administration. We need a full commitment to break ground on the Morgan Park Commons housing development in 2024 at the same site of the proposed shelter.
“I am also demanding support to complete the Beverly Ridge housing development and the capital improvements required at Julian High School and investments in the beautification of our ward.”
