McKINLEY PARK Compiled by Alma Campos, Neighborhood Captain
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANTHONY MOSER
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cKinley Park is a predominantly Latinx working-class neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side, located between Pilsen, Bridgeport, Back of the Yards, and Brighton Park. The neighborhood is only a fifteen-minute drive away from the Loop and walking distance to the Mexican corner store, La Placita on 35th. McKinley Park gives off a family-friendly vibe as it is common to see runners, parents pushing strollers, cyclists, and people walking their dogs. Tall trees cool in the summer, and their leaves provide a thick blanket of oranges and reds on sidewalks in the fall. The neighborhood’s namesake public park, which covers 71.75 acres, has a skating rink, swimming pool, new tennis courts, and soccer fields. The Chicago Park District offers recreational activities throughout the year for children, teens, and adults. Visitors to the park will also find an eight-acre lagoon filled with native wetlands and prairie grass, inhabited by various bird species and other wildlife. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, Irish workers first came to live in the area in the 1830s. The community grew as railroads were built, and the area later became home to steelworkers and stockyard workers from other ethnic minorities. But today, this juxtaposition—manufacturing and distribution surrounding a residential area—is concerning to many residents. Despite the schools, daycare centers, homes, and family-friendly amenities, significant portions of McKinley Park are designated for manufacturing and industry. As time has passed, land use and zoning designations haven't been updated to reflect an evolving neighborhood. This section will highlight some of the neighborhood’s family-friendly spaces, as well as some of the challenges residents face. (Alma Campos) Alma Campos is the Weekly's Immigration Editor xxxxxx
BEST LOCAL ACTIVISM
Neighbors for Environmental Justice
It was with the sudden appearance of a hot mix asphalt plant across the street from McKinley Park that Neighbors For Environmental Justice (NFEJ) was born. Alfredo Romo, the organization’s executive director, said it was during the winter of 2018 when he first found out about it. The sight of smoke pouring out of the plant columns is hard to miss if you’re walking down Pershing Ave. or walking around the park. According to the organization, the plant has been cited more than half a dozen times in 2020, for air pollution, failure to control windborne material, and operating equipment without a permit. Some community residents also say the neighborhood's alderman, George Cardenas, did not inform the community about the asphalt plant coming. “We just felt like those were very irresponsible processes that allowed this company to come in such close proximity to our park, schools, and residential homes,” Romo said. That is why Romo and members started to organize and began to understand the procedure around permitting and zoning within the city and state. The group’s organizing efforts have led to state senators pushing Michael S. Regan, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to provide oversight of the asphalt plant, pointing to more than 100 odor complaints from residents in the past three years alone. Though things are not moving as fast as Romo and others would like, as long as the asphalt plant is still operating, the group is not stopping. “You look at what's in front of you, and either you accept that sort of treatment—the city or the state coming in with a seal of approval, essentially authorizing a permit to pollute your environment to degrade your environment—or you push back, and I'm willing to push back.” SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 61
