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* Sun-Times editorial…
More than 17,000 asylum seekers have been sent to Chicago from the country’s southern border since the summer of 2022.
About half of the arrivals are housed in temporary shelters run by the city. But at least 2,500 are living — if you can call it that — in police station lobbies and floor space at O’Hare and Midway airports.
Given the pace of the arrivals, we can understand if the city was caught flat-footed momentarily and had to scramble for space while a larger plan was being developed.
But we see no evidence of a solid, workable plan forthcoming from the five-month-old Johnson administration. The Fifth Floor’s big idea so far is awarding a $29 million contract to private security firm GardaWorld to create and manage tent camps this winter for up to 1,400 migrants.
Tent camps in a Chicago winter are a bad idea on its face, but that’s not the only problem. GardaWorld had been in line for a $40 million contract to build a similar camp in Denver, but officials there gave the company the boot last May, citing abuse allegations against the corporation and its thin experience with housing migrant populations.
And as the Sun-Times’ David Roeder wrote Monday, the city seems to have left the Roman Catholic archdiocese and other religious organizations — many of which own scores of properties that likely could be converted into housing — idling on the sidelines.
Tents are now going up outside police stations to handle the overflow.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:01 am
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Hard to disagree with the editorial other than I think it is too kind.
Comment by Lurker Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:07 am
Well, I for one am totally unsurprised.
Comment by ;) Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:08 am
Heading, even better than “Skyhook in Reverse” …
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:12 am
The ST editorial has the vibe of a good Little League coach trying really, really hard to remain positive with kids who just don’t seem able to play the game.
Comment by ORD-ELP Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:14 am
Someone forgot to tell Mayor Brandon that “Hope is not a plan (exclamation point).”
Excluding religious organizations is political malpractice…unless he’s planning on opening up every CPS gymnasium to house refugees.
Comment by Jocko Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:14 am
Excellent headline caption “I don’t see any method at all, sir.” is a dialogue quote from the film “Apocalypse Now.”
Comment by Gravitas Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:16 am
Catholic Church is all well and good in terms of a target for criticism but where are the corporate interests and their charitable foundations? Institutions of higher learning like the one in Hyde Park with a $100,000,000,000 endowment? Missing in action during a time of need.
Comment by P. Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:19 am
Easter eggs…
To the post,
It’s said far too often but it’s truth is absolute, you campaign in poetry but govern in prose… but what is happening here is not governing in any form, nor is it about understanding the necessity to lead, rather it’s poor management to literal moment to moment “milk spills” without addressing the hole in a milk carton.
Both can and are true;
Texas sending human beings without coordinating and proper coordination is wrong because it’s about politics, first and last…
Local officials have had numerous weeks and months to address concerns existing, continuing, and in the future and there’s no sense of planning in any term, short or long, that is seen as stabilizing.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:27 am
By all means let’s pile on and criticize the Chicago Archdiocese for offering to help the migrants when no one else is
Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:33 am
===By all means let’s pile on and criticize the Chicago Archdiocese===
Who did that?
Your perpetual victimhood is messing with your mind.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:37 am
“Fifth Floor’s big idea so far is awarding a $29 million contract to private security firm GardaWorld to create and manage tent camps this winter for up to 1,400 migrants”
Imagine the frenzied uproar from the exact same people that form Johnson’s administration had this been proposed by Lightfoot or Emanuel’s administrations.
JOHNSON’S A PRISON WARDEN! NEOLIBERAL!!
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:38 am
==By all means let’s pile on and criticize the Chicago Archdiocese for offering to help the migrants when no one else is==
Have some coffee before reading and commenting next time. The criticism is aimed at the city for not engaging the archdiocese for assistance. Hope this helps!
Comment by Anon324 Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:42 am
The City site selection process has been really odd. Some of the buildings they are currently targeting don’t even have existing HVAC. Can’t tell if they’re targeting buildings they think they can buy or just avoiding certain property owners like the Catholic church?
There’s a community meeting about this building at Western Avenue & Chicago for use as a shelter coming up. That shell is supposed to host how many?
Comment by ChicagoBars Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:44 am
Ah clipped the link for my last comment.
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/526-N-Western-Ave-Chicago-IL/28874074/
Comment by ChicagoBars Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:45 am
@ P, -
You’ve got an extra zero there. Nevertheless, still a pretty darn big endowment. Only one-fifth Harvard’s, though, and a quarter of Yale’s.
Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:56 am
== has the vibe of a good Little League coach trying really, really hard to remain positive… ==
That is spot-on. I’m trying to stay positive too, but Brandon and his team are struggling when it comes to operating the gears of government.
I thought bringing in veteran City Hall operatives like Rich Guidice and John Robertson would help make up for Brandon’s lack of governing experience and create an effective combination of idealism and administrative know-how. So far, I’ve been proven wrong.
Comment by Telly Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:57 am
Thank you for explaining anon234. No one was criticizing the church.
Comment by Jerry Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 10:57 am
Perhaps it is time for the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club to jump up with their check books and bright ideas….They always seem to have answers for everything else.
Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:03 am
Might be time for Brandon Johnson and his advisers (?) to contact the commercial real estate brokers (CBRE) in the city of Chicago. This group can identify and recommend suitable vacant buildings throughout the city that could be repurposed for migrant housing.
Brandon Johnson’s process is a shambles as no one is moving forward to remedy this situation as winter approaches. No one is listening on the fifth floor.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:06 am
Hopefully the GA can find some money to help these new Illinois Residents.
Chicago residents pay an awful lot for Illinois Taxes, Fees and expenses. The city needs help on this problem. It really is time to recognize this is a State of Illinois problem.
We can not expect the Federal folks to keep borrowing to give money to Illinois. The debt already went up a trillion dollars this year and is touching Trillion or so.
Time for the GA to step up.
Comment by Back to the Future Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:14 am
Mayor Johnson has been a disaster for the city so far. For the fate of my beloved Chicago I hope he and his team turn it around.
Signed,
A Brandon Voter
Comment by wowie Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:23 am
===Time for the GA to step up.===
It already has. A lot. Pay attention.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:25 am
==I thought bringing in veteran City Hall operatives like Rich Guidice and John Robertson would help==
Another view is that it contributed to doubling down on an OEMC-style l, law enforcement/containment approach to a housing issue and a respond-and-react mindset in lieu of planning.
Comment by Stephanie Kollmann Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:40 am
The Archdiocese has offered help to the city, but while CTU is slamming hard against the Invest in Kids Act you will not see the 5th floor engage in any show of befriending the Catholic Church.
Funny considering SDG agrees that a private Catholic education is better than a CTU education.
The 5th floor is a mess. A lot of people who have theory but no practice. it’s easy to say what you want it’s a lot harder to actually implement, staff, track results, monitor expenses, pay the bills, etc, etc.
Comment by Frida's boss Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:40 am
===The Archdiocese has offered help to the city, but while CTU is slamming hard against the Invest in Kids Act you will not see the 5th floor engage in any show of befriending the Catholic Church.===
The politics of what you want it to be ignores so much of a reality you want deemed as trivial. Like this…
===The 5th floor is a mess. A lot of people who have theory but no practice.===
There’s not “a lot of people” on 5, too many positions are empty, the staffing isn’t even complete.
You can always complain about policy, but a hard reality is… bad or poorly executed policy is exacerbated by an administration trying to fix holes in policy with holes in un-filled personnel
Dragging Invest in Kids in this discussion is also lazy to actual points of staffing and execution of policy
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:45 am
===Chicago needs more State assistance.===
Again, although your want to things is patterned on an end game of blaming the state passively to blame Pritzker, or blame Pritzker directly…
The hard reality is we’re well past any state or any city looking at this problem as fixable or workable without federal assistance… in logistics, money, and policy towards migrants
The state, the GA, there’s been a stepping up, it’s time the Feds take the lead in all that means.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:49 am
Mayor Johnson started his budget speech by referencing the reversal of the flow of the Chicago River. It is a pretty interesting metaphor if you have ever lived, you know, down stream of the river.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 11:55 am
The lack of corporate, administrative, and legal expertise absent from Brandon Johnson’s office is stark. Moving from one crisis to another, Brandon Johnson does not possess the management expertise to lead the city of Chicago.
No corporation would hire Brandon Johnson after a thorough examination of his resume. Yet, he is the mayor of Chicago. If he would only admit that he is in over his head and assemble a team with corporate experience…
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 12:06 pm
== but while CTU is slamming hard against the Invest in Kids Act you will not see the 5th floor engage in any show of befriending the Catholic Church ==
I don’t think that’s the case. The city is working with Catholic Charities to provide services to the migrants and based on the administrations confusing on-again/off-again approach to picking shelter sites (Amundsen Park’s status seems to change every hour,) I think the lack of follow-up with the Archdiocese is born out of incompetence rather than malice.
Comment by Telly Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 12:10 pm
“effective combination of idealism and administrative know-how”
Idealists don’t often listen to those that have administrative know-how… that is why you don’t see that work very often. The reason they are adamant idealists is because they THINK they can do it better and easily w/ no practical experience.
Comment by Ron - In Texas Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 12:13 pm
===No corporation===
You can’t run government like a business. They don’t or ever equate.
Leadership in leading the infrastructure of a government as the Executive is about personnel… and personnel is policy… and open personnel positions rarely leads to policy being handled correctly, expeditiously, or smoothly.
There’s ONE person in the press shop. How can anyone leading the 3rd largest city in America make a public case to policy with a one person press shop?
For me, I dunno what Johnson’s thoughts are on his own administration, these holes and gaps, the policies falling on their face for any number of reasons that must include a skeletal staff on 5… but I know he’s not asking ME… but the real non-snarky point is Johnson seemingly isn’t asking to get fully staffed.
When a city runs perfectly smooth it becomes paralyzed when it’s understaffed… and crisis doesn’t wait for job interviewees becoming job holders.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 12:15 pm
If they are paralyzed by the migrant issue, it makes me wonder how the Johnson Administration would handle a disaster event.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 12:46 pm
=The lack of corporate, administrative, and legal expertise absent from Brandon Johnson’s office is stark. Moving from one crisis to another, Brandon Johnson does not possess the management expertise to lead the city of Chicago.==
Spot on. While government cannot be run like a business, there are obvious things missing as @Osewgo pointed out. Aside from the press shop/no Comms Director/sophomoric policy shop, who from the office is liaising with the business community? Does said person exist? It seems like a good time to start organizing a coordinating effort with the private sector to help with the migrant crisis, whether it be coat/blanket drives, food/water donation, legal volunteers, even a 5K.
Comment by LastModDemStanding Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 1:11 pm
Where flowery speeches fail…up spring tents.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 1:35 pm
===It seems like a good time to start organizing a coordinating effort with the private sector to help with the migrant crisis, whether it be coat/blanket drives, food/water donation, legal volunteers, even a 5K.===
Ok. My hope is your “5k” is snark because that’s almost a “why don’t they eat cake” kinda disconnect to things.
Friend, Chicago corporate can do all that without City Hall, many times City Hall comes in to swoop up credit, not necessarily head things.
I’d wonder aloud why corporate Chicago isn’t helping… but corporate Chicago seems to say how unsafe Chicago is… while others don’t see it that way from different facts.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:17 pm
In Johnson’s defense?…kinda…He’s Mayor of Chicago, Illinois…during a most unsettled time…which Johnson knew when he sought the job…hence the kinda.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 2:34 pm
@Rudysteeth I would like people with government experience who get things done. They do exist.
Comment by DMC Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:31 pm
===In Johnson’s defense?…kinda…He’s Mayor of Chicago, Illinois…during a most unsettled time===
Half the battle in governing is looking like you know what you’re doing. It can inspire confidence. Nobody is inspired by this.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 3:37 pm
There is no other way to say it. The Johnson administration has a communications and legislative team issue. There is no strategy or plan. The mayor’s strength during the campaign was his field team. Governing requires behind the scenes work and education of the public along with PR savvy. He has neither right now.
Comment by DisappointedVoter Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 7:00 pm
I like Johnson. Big job. He’s doing his best and it’s been a short time thus far. Glad he’s there and not Lightfoot or Vallas
Comment by Stormsw7706 Wednesday, Oct 11, 23 @ 7:21 pm