NOT BE READY FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

A PERMANENT DIRECTOR HAS NOT YET BEEN NAMED.

>>> MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT HAS PLANS TO USE HIGH SCHOOL ON THE SOUTH SIDE TO HOUSE ASYLUM-SEEKERS FROM TEXAS.

SIMILAR ACTION WAS TAKEN IN NEARBY WOODLAWN.

CITY OFFICIALS ARE CALLING THIS A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS.

JOINING US WITH REACTION TO THESE PLANS ARE SEAN BROWN, HOUSING ADVOCATE WITH SOUTH SHORE WORKS AND BENJI HART, A MEMBER OF ORGANIZING FOR POWER.

WE ALSO INVITED THE MAYOR'S OFFICE REPRESENTATIVE BUT HE HAS NOT YET RESPONDED TO OUR REQUEST.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

LET'S START WITH YOU.

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE IDEA OF TURNING A FORMER HIGH SCHOOL INTO A SHELTER?

>> PRIMARILY JUST RECEIVING THIS NEWS AND FINDING OUT ABOUT IT, THE FIRST THING IS THE CONCERN WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND THE COMMUNITY, AND THAT IS TRANSPARENCY.

WE HAVE A SOUTH SHORE COMPACT WHICH IS AN ORGANIZATION INVOLVING STAKEHOLDER LEADERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT CONGRESS SHOULD HAVE THIS.

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS LONG BEEN DEALING WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCE ISSUES, INVESTMENT, AND NOW REINVESTMENT.

SO TO RECEIVE THIS NEWS AND TO LEARN ABOUT A FACILITY THAT HAS BEEN PROMISED TO THE COMMUNITY, MORE THAN 10 YEARS AFTER CLOSING, WE ARE EXTREMELY SHOCKED AND NOT APPRECIATING THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE A SAY AND WE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAS BEEN CHOSEN DESPITE THE ISSUES AROUND THE CULTURE.

WE REALLY ARE LACKING RESOURCES AND SOCIAL SERVICES TO MATCH THE NEEDS OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS.

WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A LOT OF TRAUMA IN THIS COMMUNITY.

>> SO CAN THE COMMUNITY PROVIDE WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THE MIGRANTS?

WE KNOW THAT THE CITY IS HOSTING A COMMUNITY MEETING AT THE SOUTH SHORE FOR PEOPLE TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS.

THE SAME CONCERNS INVOLVING GUNS.

ARE THESE MEETINGS EFFECTIVE?

>> THEY ARE REALLY NOT.

THE MEETING THAT WE HAD IN WOODLAWN, I WOULD ARGUE THAT THESE ARE WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO LET OFF STEAM AND FRUSTRATION WHILE STILL GOING AHEAD WITH UNDEMOCRATIC PLANS TO CONVERT THESE RULES.

FOR US AS A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK WOODLAWN-BASED ORGANIZATION, THESE WERE REALLY JUST WAYS FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS TO ACTUALLY BE STRUCTURED IN A MEANINGFUL WAY AND HELP COMMUNITIES ADVOCATE FOR THE THINGS THAT WE ALL NEED , WHICH BOTH MIGRANTS AND RECENT ARRIVALS BOTH NEED.

THEY NEED BILINGUAL EDUCATION, FUNDING FOR OUR SCHOOLS RATHER THAN JUST CONVERTING THOSE SCHOOLS INTO SHELTERS.

THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED AND THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT MIGRANTS NEED AND LONG-TERM RESIDENTS WILL BENEFIT FROM.

THAT IS NOT WHAT THE CITY IS OFFERING AT THESE MEETINGS.

>> I WANT TO COME BACK TO THE ISSUE OF SOLIDARITY BETWEEN THE COMMUNITIES.

BUT A REPRESENTATIVE FROM SOUTH SHORE DID SEND US A STATEMENT SAYING, QUOTE, I CANNOT SUPPORT HOUSING MIGRANTS AT THE SOUTH SHORE HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING.

LIKE MANY I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SAFETY, HUMANITY AND FUNDING FOR MORE MIGRANT HOUSING THROUGHOUT OUR CITY.

THIS SITE IS ONE OF THE LAST AVAILABLE TO HOUSE MIGRANT FAMILIES.

THE CITY IS WORKING WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND LOCAL LEADERS ON THIS.

WHAT KIND OF COLLABORATION WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AND HAVE YOU SEEN THAT HAPPEN AT ALL?

>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.

THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY COLLABORATION WHATSOEVER.

LIKE HE SAID, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS MEETING SHOULD JUST BE ABOUT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY BUT WE HOPE THAT WE WILL HAVE A SAY IN WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE.

AS TO WHETHER IT SHOULD HAPPEN, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS THE RESOURCES OR IS THE BEST FIT FOR ASYLUM-SEEKERS WHO HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CULTURAL AND SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THAT CAN BE OFFERED.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE ASYLUM-SEEKERS JUST SWITCHING FROM TEXAS TO CHICAGO HAVE DROPPED OFF, AND SOUTH SHORE HAS A HISTORY WITH RESIDENTS.

JUST A COUPLE OF DECADES AGO, AND WE ARE STILL SUFFERING FROM THIS, WE DO NOT HAVE SOCIAL SERVICES TO MATCH COMMUNITIES AND RESIDENTS WHO WERE ABLE TO MOVE FROM THEIR HOMES WHEN THEY WERE TORN DOWN.

THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO MOVE TO THE SOUTH SHORE COMMUNITY.

>> THERE ARE STILL CONCERNS THAT THAT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN.

THERE ARE SOME MIGRANT FAMILIES WHO RECENTLY ARRIVED AND THEY ARE STAYING THERE FOR WEEKS AMID A SHORTAGE IN HOUSING.

>> THEY BROUGHT THEM HERE.

THIS FACILITY CAN HOUSE PEOPLE.

PEOPLE CAME FROM COLOMBIA, VENEZUELA, EVEN SOME ROMANIANS.

THERE WERE FOUR CHILDREN AND ONE IS PREGNANT.

SHE IS LAYING ON THE FLOOR.

>> YOU PROPOSED SOLIDARITY BETWEEN IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND BLACK CHICAGOANS.

>> THE FACT THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING THIS CRISIS AND THAT NEW RESIDENTS COMING TO THE CITY OR SLEEPING IN POLICE STATIONS AND ABANDONED SCHOOLS SAYS EVERYTHING ABOUT WHAT THE CITY'S PRIORITIES AROUND FUNDING CONTINUE TO BE.

FOR ME WHAT SOLIDARITY LOOKS LIKE IS A SPACE WHERE BLACK AND BROWN IMMIGRANTS AND NON-IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES CAN BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER.

THAT REQUIRES RESOURCES.

I THINK THAT WHAT WE ARE SEEING WITH THIS CRISIS IS WHAT WE ARE LACKING.

SO FOR ME, SOLIDARITY ALSO LOOKS LIKE RAISING THE ISSUES THAT THESE COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN RAISING OVER THE LONG-TERM, LIKE WITH FUNDING POLICE AND EDUCATION AND