CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Activists and residents of Little Village are remembering the dust cloud that blew through their neighborhood a year ago Sunday after the implosion at the old Crawford Coal plant.
Maria Cecilia Quinones told WBBM the implosion startled her parents out of bed, sending them to the windows where they saw the dust cloud roll through their neighborhood.
“To this day, may parents still find a layer of dust in their furniture, in the windowsills —everywhere,” Quinones said.
At a press conference, community activist Edith Tovar outlined demands the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization demands that Target either break its lease with Hilco Development Partners at the Interstate 55 exchange or make commitments to the area for good jobs.
“We want full-time union jobs with full benefits at $20 an hour with a commitment of hiring more than 50% of the employees that come from our neighborhoods,” Tovar said.
Hilco fired the demolition company it hired and paid thousands in fines over the implosion as it develops the site for Target.
Last month the City Council approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pollution control ordinance that requires large industrial developers to submit traffic and air quality studies to the city as well as hold at least one community meeting.
Members of LVEJO feel those don’t go far enough and blame pollution from the implosion for the deaths of two residents who they held a vigil after the press conference.
Instead of more industrial companies moving in, the group wants the city to add greenhouse, a hub for street food vendors and a solar farm to the area.
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