Three MUST attend events this May Day!....

As you know from my previous posts, there is a LOT going on this May Day. For the complete list check this post...

http://pilsenprole.blogspot.com/2011/04/updated-pilsenprole-guide-to-may-day.html

There are three events which stand out as must attend events...

Haymarket Reenactment...

Saturday, April 30, 2:00 PM Plaque Dedication & Reenactment of the Haymarket Tragedy Haymarket Square, Randolph & Des Plaines

For more... http://pocketguidetohell.tumblr.com/

Rededication of the newly renovated Haymarket monument in Waldheim cemetery (the original)...

Sunday, May 1st, 1:00 PM

Forest Home Cemetery - 863 Des Plaines Ave., Forest Park

Next to the Eisenhower (I-290)

For More... http://www.illinoislaborhistory.org/

Immigrants Right March from Union Park to Pilsen...

Sunday, May 1st: May Day March & Rally for Immigrant & Workers’ Rights

2:00 PM gathering at Union Park, Corners of Lake St and Ashland Ave.

3:00PM March Begins heading to Pilsen Neighborhood

4:00PM March Ends and Rally Starts at Plaza Tenochtitlan in Pilsen (18th St and Blue Island Ave)

For More... http://moratoriumondeportations.org/

Congressman Gutierrez calls on City of Chicago to support the Clean Power Ordinance...

Congressman Gutierrez calls on City of Chicago to support the Clean Power Ordinance as coal continues to haunt Latinos in Chicago

On Wednesday Congressman Gutierrez joined the rapidly growing list of supporters for the Clean Power Ordinance, a measure that would reduce the pollution at the Fisk and Crawford coal plants in Chicago.

"For years I have looked at the smoke billowing out over my Congressional District and known that something was not right, which is why I have been a supporter of the ordinance and supportive of the advocates fighting for the community's health and safety," Rep. Luis V.Gutierrez said. "Children in Chicago face a lot of barriers to their success and the very air they breathe should not be one of them, so I urge the city to take action on this matter and to do so quickly."

In the midst of Mayor Daley’s departure from City Hall, national and local Latino leaders are rallying to demand all politicians stand with the people and not polluters. For years, the Pilsen and Little Village communities have lived in the shadow of the Fisk and Crawford coal power plants. With Congress' lack of action on a climate bill, local communities are demanding city government take action to protect their health and environment. The ordinance that was introduced last April will be heard in a joint hearing with the Environmental and Health Committee, Thursday, April 21st.

“The Little Village Community is proud to have the support of Congressman Gutierrez. Our community has been fighting forClean Air for over eight years and we are excited that we havethe support of Washington DC,” said Kim Wasserman Coordinator for the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

“Increasingly many Latinos are being forced to migrate because of the effects of global warming in their countries of origin. They move to communities like Pilsen where they suffer from respiratory illness from the same power plants that cause global warming. It is time that we end this cycle of destruction of our health and the environment” said Claudia Lucero, president of Durango Unido and a member of the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization.

The Center for American Progress recently released a study that states that “two thirds of Latinos in the United States live in areas that do not comply with federal standards for air quality and Hispanics are three times more likely than whites to die from asthma.” Leslie Fields, the National Environmental Justice Director for the Sierra Club says that, “Across the U.S. we see communities of color disproportionately impacted by pollution, particularly from coal plants. We want to thank Congressman Gutierrez for his support in this environmental justice challenge.”

In a recent response to Republican efforts to gut EPA regulations, a coalition of environmental and Latino organizations, led by Voces Verdes, issued a statement pointing out the fact that Latino communities are highly impacted by air pollution. In their press statement the coalition explained that Latino children are “60% more likely to develop asthma than non-Hispanic white children.” And that “Latinos are also three times as likely to die of asthma as white non-Hispanics.” The pollution from the Fisk and Crawford coal plants bringthese statistics to life for the Pilsen and Little Village communities.“These old coal plants are relics, and they are responsible for increased asthma attacks, heart attacks, and even premature death. It is time for the City of Chicago to do something about it,” said Joel Africk, President and CEO of Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. “We welcome Cong. Gutierrez’ support in this life-saving effort.”

The Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO), the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), SierraClub of Chicago and many other organizations have been working withcommunity members from Chicago to get the Chicago Clean Power ordinance heard and passed. The 2010 Clean Air Task Force report “The Toll from Coal” stated that the pollution from Fisk and Crawford contribute to 42 deaths, 66 heart attacks, 720 asthma attacks, 31 hospital admissions and 26 cases of chronic bronchitis each year. As Mayor Daley prepares to leave his legacy as Mayor of the City of Chicago we join the Congressman in calling on him to see this ordinance pass for the health of our communities and the City of Chicago.

For more info go to: www.lvejo.org or www.pilsenperro.org

Updated Pilsenprole guide to May Day 2011...

The Pilsenprole complete guide to May Day 2011 in Chicago:

Note, some events have changed from a previous post...

Monday, April 25, 6:00 PM Getting the Voice of Workers Heard Loud & Clear — from Haymarket to the Present Haymarket Brewery and Pub, Randolph & HalstedA panel of labor journalists including Steve Franklin, David Moberg, Kari Lydersen, Jeremy Gantz, and Estelle Carol discuss media coverage of the workers’ story yesterday and today.

Wednesday, April 27, 6:00 PM Screening of Documentary Film on Sacco & Vanzetti Haymarket Brewery and Pub, Randolph & Halsted Following the showing, Professor Alison Fraunhar will lead a discussion of the film and the Sacco & Vanzetti case. Music will be provided by the group Mezcolanza.

Thursday, April 28, 6:00 PM Panel Discussion on Constitutional Issues for the Workers Movement from Haymarket to the Present Newberry Library, 60 West Walton This event is co-sponsored by a number of Chicago-area lawyers’ organizations. A panel will examine and debate legal issues in the Haymarket Tragedy and their implications for today. Free reception begins at 7:30 PM.

Friday, April 29, 5:30 PM Public Release of the Updated & Expanded Edition of The Day Will Come Gage Gallery, 18 South Michigan Ave, Chicago Issued in 1994, this ILHS publication contains a mapping and brief biographies of the men and women who are buried or have their ashes scattered alongside the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument. The newly expanded edition will be introduced by project coordinator Mark Rogovin. Free reception with music provided by the Chicago Federation of Musicians. Complimentary beer and wine donated by the Haymarket Brewery & Pub. Also view the Gage Gallery photo exhibit, “The Working Class Eye of Milton Rogovin.”

Saturday, April 30, 2:00 PM Plaque Dedication & Reenactment of the Haymarket Tragedy Haymarket Square, Randolph & Des Plaines, Chicago ILHS will formally dedicate a prominent bronze plaque on the Haymarket statue to mark the 125th Anniversary of the Haymarket tragedy. The ceremony will be capped by a reenactment of the Haymarket events directed by stager Paul Durica. We need hundreds of our supporters, who will be aided by professional actors and musicians, to take part in portraying the crowd of workers present on the scene 125 years ago.

Sunday, May 1st, 1:00 PMForest Home Cemetery863 Des Plaines Ave., Forest ParkNext to the Eisenhower (I-290) and Blue Line, nine miles west of Chicago’s downtownRededication Ceremony of the Haymarket Martyrs Monument2011 will mark the restoration and rededication of the Haymarket Martyrs' Monument, the statue of liberty for workers around the world. As a symbol of international labor solidarity, come together to honor our history. The ceremony will have special guest Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and other dignitaries.

Sunday, May 1st: May Day March & Rally for Immigrant & Workers’ Rights2:00PM Reunion at Union Park, Corners of Lake St and Ashland Ave.3:00PM March Begins heading to Pilsen Neighborhood4:00PM March Ends and Rally Starts at Plaza Tenochtitlan in Pilsen (18th St and Blue Island Ave)

Sunday evening, May 1st, 7:00 PM Special May Day Concert Old Town School of Folk Music 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago Local artists coordinated by Bucky Halker will pay musical tribute to the 125th anniversary of the Haymarket Tragedy. Tickets are $15 and are available online at http://www.oldtownschool.org/ or by calling the box office at (773)-728-6000.

For more see...

http://moratoriumondeportations.org/2011/04/09/marcha-march-rally-for-immigrant-workers-rights/

http://www.illinoislaborhistory.org/

http://www.portoluz.org/

Fight for the Chicago Clean Power ordinance reaches critical stage...

The fight for the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance maybe decided in the next several weeks. The ordinance will be heard in a joint hearing with the Environmental and Health Committees on Thursday, April 21st. If the ordinace is approved at that hearing it will be voted on by the full City Council in early May.

Next Tuesday, April 19th, Sierra Club, LVEJO and PERRO will hold a press confrenece with Congressman Luis Gutierrez about how pollution from power plants has a major health impact in Latino communities like Pilsen and Little Village.

Here is the media advisory for that press conference...

For Immediate Release: April 15, 2011

Contact: Jerry Mead-Lucero, PERRO, 312-502-7867, jerrymeadlucero@gmail.com

Kim Wasserman-Nieto, LVEJO, 773-656-5099, info@lvejo.org

Christine Nannicelli, Sierra Club, 508-740-9202, Christine.nannicelli@sierraclub.org

Congressman Gutierrez calls on City of Chicago to support Clean Power Ordinance as coal continues to haunt Latinos in Chicago

Press Conference with Latino Leaders to call on Mayor Daley and City Council to stand with people, not polluters

In the midst of Mayor Daley’s departure from City Hall, national and local Latino leaders are rallying to demand all politicians stand with people not polluters. For years, the Pilsen and Little Village communities have lived in the shadow of the Fisk and Crawford coal power plants. With Congress' lack of action on a climate bill, local communities are demanding city government take action to protect their health and environment. A city ordinance has been introduced to mandate a cleanup of the plants in the next four years. The ordinance will be heard in a joint hearing with the Environmental and Health Committee, Thursday; April 21st. Community members will be joining Congressman Gutierrez in support of his recent decision to support the ordinance. Speakers include Alderman Daniel Solis and Leslie Fields, National Environmental Justice Director for the Sierra Club, and number of local Latino community organizations including Centro Sin Fronteras, FEDECMI, Durango Unido and the March 10th Committee as well as community residents. Thirty-nine percent of the Latino population lives within 30 miles of a power plant – the distance within which the maximum effects of fine particle soot from the smokestack plume are expected to occur. Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO), the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Sierra Club of Chicago and many other organizations have been working with community members all around Chicago to get this ordinance heard and passed. As Mayor Daley prepares to leave his legacy as Mayor of the City of Chicago we join the Congressman in calling on him to see this ordinance pass for the health of our communities and the City of Chicago.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 19th – 12:30 pm

WHERE: Dvorak Park, 1119 West Cermak

For more information, please contact…

Jerry Mead-Lucero, PERRO, 312-502-7867, jerrymeadlucero@gmail.com

Kim Wasserman-Nieto, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, 773-656-5099, info@lvejo.org

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization work with families and neighbors to improve the environment and lives of people in Little Village and throughout Chicago through democracy in action

For more info: http://lvejo.org

PERRO is an environmental justice organization based in the Pilsen neighborhood. For more info: pilsenperro.org

Are Solis’ campaign mailings immigrant fear mongering?…

The run-off in the Aldermanic elections in the 25^th Ward of Chicago have been packed with controversy already. Much of the story has revolved around Alderman Daniel Solis’ decision to become a co-sponsor of the proposed Chicago Clean Power Ordinance. Solis’ opposition to the ordinance was met with a 9 month long community campaign spearheaded by PERRO (The Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization). The campaign included protests outside a number of Alderman Solis’ fundraisers, a number of large rallies in the community, a petition campaign and even a 24 hour vigil outside the Alderman’s ward office. PERRO, along with other members of the Chicago Clean Power Coalition reached out to SEIU (The Service Employees International Union) last fall, encouraging them to join the coalition. SEIU financed multiple mailings before the February 22^nd municipal elections calling Solis to task for not supporting the proposed ordinance. When the election resulted in Solis receiving less that 50% of the vote meaning Solis would face Cuahutémoc Morfín in a run-off, a long time support of the ordinance, it was clear that the issue of the ordinance would be the number one issue threatening to lead to Solis’ possible defeat on April 5^th. After consulting with PERRO and other coalition partners, SEIU agreed to make support for the Clean Power Ordinance a must if SEIU was going to endorse Solis in the run-off. Facing the possibility of a continued community campaign and more SEIU financed campaign materials highlighting the Alderman’s opposition to the ordinance, Solis gave in and announced his support for the proposed ordinance.

Solis’ support was welcomed by PERRO and the Chicago Clean Power Coalition who declared victory in their campaign to bring him on board. But the controversy did not end with the Alderman’s change of position. A barrage of T.V. and print press coverage of the Alderman’s decision focused on lingering questions. Why had the Alderman been willing to accept over $50,000 in donations from the neighborhood’s biggest polluter for many years? Why did Solis appoint a Midwest Generation executive to his re-election finance committee? And what about rumors that the Alderman had told political allies that he would only support the ordinance until his re-election was assured? Questions were also raised about whether the Alderman was considering weakening aspects of the proposed ordinance, especially those dealing with CO2? All of these questions continue to dog the Alderman as the run-off election rapidly approaches.

But now a new controversy has emerged. Recent mailings from the Solis campaign have accused his opponent Morfin of supporting a “Arizona-style ID card.” The claim is an oblique reference to Morfin’s support for a municipal ID card in Chicago. The purpose of the municipal ID card is to provide undocumented immigrants a form of identification they could use in various transactions were a legal ID is required. In order to ensure the ID does not end up identifying individuals as undocumented immigrants, the ID would either be mandatory for all Chicagoans, or would come with extra inducements that would encourage citizens to apply for the ID. Its is an innovative idea of how to better protect Chicago’s thousands of immigrant residents. The concept has already been embraced in San Francisco and New Haven Connecticut…

http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=110

http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Mayor/ReadMore.asp?ID=%7b07CFC88D-8584-4B16-BE7F-324B79103307%7d

The idea has not been without controversy and not everyone in the immigrant rights movement thinks it is a good idea, but all have recognized it as an attempt to help protect immigrant residents of the city.

So why does Alderman Solis who has presented himself as a leader in the immigrant rights movement call the proposal a “Arizona-style ID Card”? Some immigrant rights activists argue it is an attempt to generate fear amongst the 25^th Ward’s immigrant residents. The use of the word “Arizona” is meant to allude to the infamous anti-immigrant measures pursued by the State of Arizona in recent years, especially SB1070. The Arizona laws seek to demonize undocumented immigrants, encourage racial profiling and violate immigrant’s civil rights. Interestingly, the Arizona laws do not call for a new ID card for residents of Arizona. Solis might have confused Arizona with neighboring Utah were such a law is being considered. But Arizona is a powerful buzz word that Solis knows will raise fears in the immigrant community.

Some immigrant rights activists are calling such “fear mongering” dangerous and surprising from a politician who claims to speak for the immigrant community. It is sure to be yet another hot topic as 25^th Ward residents head to the polls next Tuesday.

Below are copies of the mailings referred to above with the statement, “Arizona-style ID Cards”…