CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Homeless Chicagoans, who live in a portion of Lincoln Park located along DuSable Lake Shore Drive in the Uptown neighborhood, said they expect to be evicted this week as work gets underway on a bird sanctuary.
They might not go quietly.
A couple dozen people live in the park between Wilson and Lawrence Avenues, and on Wednesday they were joined by their supporters, who said they have no problem with a bird sanctuary.
But people experiencing homelessness need somewhere to go, and they don’t want to be in shelters.
“We’re talking to the birds, we do not have a problem with the bird sanctuary. We just want a safe place to move along to,” said a 32-year-old homeless woman who wished not to be identified.
She added that the city should do more to provide a place for them to go.
“You want us to get out of your way and stop being an eyesore, so do this for us,” she said. “If you can set aside money to push us out, you can set aside money to help us.”
Activist Adam Gottlieb is an organizer with the Union for the Homeless.
“We love nature. We love birds. We want natural habitats, bird habitats, beautiful park spaces in the city of Chicago — no one here is against that,” Gottlieb said. “What we are against is the continued harassment and displacement of people.”
The section of park where the homeless are camping is set to be fenced off for the project later this week.
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