Rogers Park Residents Say No to the Privatization of the New Chicago Park District Community Center at 1610 W. Howard Street!
A public protest rally is scheduled for Saturday, July 26th at 2 P.M. starting at Gale Park, 1600 W. Howard Street (Marshfield & Howard).
The rally will feature speakers from S.O.C.C., (Save Our Community Center), Save Our Parks, SEIU Local 73, Gale Park Advisory Council as well as Rogers Park residents representing seniors and other community organizations.
The rally will conclude with a 4 block march to 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore’s Ward office at 7356 N. Greenview, where protesters will demand the Alderman cease and desist in his plan to privatize the Gale Park Community Center by sponsoring a ‘turn over’ of the new, unopened building to the Chicago Boys and Girls Clubs, which would limit, if not completely prohibit community access and use of this new, public taxpayer funded, Chicago Park District Community Center.
At several recent community meetings, including this past Tuesday’s Chicago Park District’s North Region Budget Hearing, individuals and organizations, including SEIU Local 73, the Gale Park Advisory Council, S.O.C.C. and Friends Of The Parks, have spoken out strongly against this privatization of Chicago Park District property.
Please join us for this important event to “Save Our Community Center”!
For additional information contact: S.O.C.C. at 773-465-2433
17 comments:
Will someone bring an effigy of Lying Joe for suitable hanging and burning?
so, if this brings out only a handful of people, will you all accept that the community does not agree?
been there:
Since so many people showed up for the community meetings and vehemently voiced their opposition to Joe's sneaky plan, will you now accept that the community does agree?
How'd we get in this mess in the first place?
Joe Moore, show us your proof of the 10 to 1 support you so rightfully and proudly claimed you had just a mere three weeks ago.
The communities numbers differ greatly.
The best thing about tomorrows rally/protest is the fact Joe Moore will most likely be out of town on out of ward business.
Proving once again, Joe is not in touch with his constituents.
I LOOOVE your new header photo. ;)
I'll be there, and I'll see if I can scrounge up some neighbors, too!
Amazing how the neighborhood is now plastered with bright orange flyers courtesy of healthyrp.org touting the benefits of the BGC. It also points out that some of 'you' are out to sabotage everything good that comes this way. Shame, shame, shame on you.
Joe More has sent his goons out for some good old fashioned propaganda spin control.
I love it. We're winning the information war.
It didn't hurt I contacted every freaking news media outlet today at work about tomorrow protest.
Our bitch little joey moore has come forward to set the us straight on the community center.
Atta boy joey way to put your spin on the issue, don't let what the voters want to get in your way, you loser.
Update on Boys & Girls Club at Gale Community Center
Dear Neighbor,
As you may recall, the Chicago Park District and the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago have been engaged in discussions about the Boys & Girls Club locating a club at the new Gale Community enter at Howard and Marshfield. While it's far from a done deal, I hope an agreement can be reached. Our community and its young people would benefit greatly from the Boys and Girls Club.
To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club, I urge you to visit their YouTube web site where you can view personal testimony from children and adult alumni of the clubs who share the profound impact a Boys and Girls Club had on their lives. I want to bring to our neighborhood an organization with that kind of track record.
Too many children and teens in our neighborhood are not receiving the guidance they need to graduate from high school, avoid the effects of violence, gangs and drugs and become responsible adults. The statistics on high school dropout rates, obesity and violence among our youth are staggering. Many of our local community organizations are doing great work with our young people, but clearly those organizations can't meet all our neighborhood's needs.
According to a recent Harris survey, 57% of Boys & Girls Club alumni say their Boys & Girls Club membership had helped save their lives, literally in many cases. The survey also found that 28% of alumni say they would have dropped out of high school if not for the Boys & Girls Club, and 51% say they achieved a higher level of education than they thought possible because of their club experience.
With that kind of track record, who could be against a Boys & Girls Club coming to Rogers Park?
Sadly, a small but vocal group of people have engaged in a systematic disinformation campaign to discourage the Park District from entering into any agreement with the Boys & Girls Club. They are willing to sacrifice the best interests of our children and the community at large for their self-serving political agenda.
Here are the facts:
Even if an agreement is reached with the Boys & Girls Club to use the Community Center, the facility will remain publicly owned and accessible to all members of the community.
Services and programs in the Community Center will be available to people of all ages, adults as well as children.
As with other Park District facilities, the community will help decide the programs that will be offered in the Gale Community Center.
A Boys & Girls Club will work with other community organizations in partnership. There's plenty of work to be done in Rogers Park. The Boys & Girls Club will work with and add to the programs and services already provided by existing organizations, not supplant them.
No Park District employee will lose his or her job if the Boys & Girls Club comes to the Community Center. In fact, the Park District and the labor union are discussing a possible joint use of the Park District facility, with the Boys & Girls Club offering some programs and the Park District providing others.
The Community Center is the only viable location in Roger Park for a Boys & Girls Club at this time. While the Boys & Girls Club has pledged to raise money to facilitate their Rogers Park operation, they cannot fund it entirely on their own. The Park District has offered to subsidize a portion of the costs of the Boys & Girls Club programming. This funding would not be available if the Boys & Girls Club operated at a non-Park District facility.
The community has been involved in the process from the beginning. As soon as the Park District and the Boys & Girls Club began negotiating, officials from both organizations met with Rogers Park community organization leaders and members, including members of the North of Howard Park Advisory Council, to fully apprise them of the negotiations and to seek input. In addition, I have provided the community at large with regular e-mail updates, of which this is the third.
A community meeting will be held before the Park District Board gives final approval of any agreement with the Boys & Girls Club. Community residents will be given ample opportunity to weigh in on any proposed agreement and give their input.
Construction of the facility is nearly complete. The Contractor is addressing the final items on a punch list before the Park District takes possession of the building.
Working with the Park District and existing Rogers Park community organizations, the Boys & Girls Clubs would bring to the table a host of existing resources that our community does not currently possess.
I've heard from many 49th Ward residents who are excited about the possibility of a Boys & Girls Club coming to our neighborhood. Unfortunately, their voices have been drowned out by the small minority of people in our community who wish to keep out the Boys & Girls Club.
If you support having a Boys & Girls Club in our neighborhood, please send an e-mail to the Chicago Park District leaders, urging them to reach an agreement with the Boys & Girls Club. Send e-mails to Park District Superintendent Timothy Mitchell at timothy.mitchell@chicagoparkdistrict.com and Park District Board President Gery Chico at gery.chico@chicagoparkdistrict.com.
Great job, Craig! There was definitely some discussion of the protest tomorrow in Jarvis Square this evening at Taste and then Luzzat. I hope we get a good turnout tomorrow!
They're running scared, given the propaganda, though I'm not sure they're fooling anyone up here around Fargo/Eastlake way.
been there, just because we cannot all attend all the meetings and rallies, does not mean that we agree with Moore's plan to privatize Gale Park.
The fact that I couldn't make it to the meeting the other night does not mean that I endorse Moore's plan.
What an idiotic chain of rationalization you are using to make such an assumption.
nc- i do not mean that ever person who is opposed has to show up. it is always the way that only a percentage show up for rallies, meeting, etc. that is assumed. nonetheless, the number of people who will find the time, change their schedules, etc, is representative of how strongly people feel. and people opposed to something are always more willing to show up than those that agree with and/or trust their elected officials to make the decisions that we elected them to make.
regardless of how many people show up, it does not overturn an election, it does not take the power to decide away from those elected/hired to make the decision.
in the end, it is not even joe's decision. the park district puts a high value on the desires of the alderman, but in the end, the decision is made downtown. where it belongs. that's how this whole representative democracy things works, see?
Huh, that's odd.
Why the call for e-mails?
Are the Superintendent and a key Commissioner not on board????
Moore is publicly bitch-slapping Mitchell and Chico by publishing their personal e-mail addresses in a blast mail because they had the gall to ask Moore, hey, Joe, what about the school annex alternative site?
Nor did Moore's email blast mention anything about the call Eva received from Matt Marino on Friday afternoon.
Guess he got mad and started his orange factless movement and published their email addresses to show Chico and Mitchell 'his people' really want the BGC to get 100-300K of taxpayers dollars to run the new facility. Managed and run and the community input will be funneled through his friend and supporters, the Gregorys and the board. When will Ginderske get on the BGC board? He can be their spokesman and travel worldwide.
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