There’s no reason why there should be so much mystery and so many unanswered questions around the city’s plan to build a tent camp for migrants on a former industrial site in Brighton Park.
But as crews this week begin preparing the 11-acre parcel to accept enough winterized tents to house up to 2,000 migrants, the neighborhood’s alderperson, the public and the asylum-seekers themselves are still in the dark about the environmental cleanliness of the site.
The city says it’s “confident” the land at 38th Street and California Avenue “will be suited for the purpose for which it will be used,” while vowing additional environmental information later this week.
That sounds a lot like “Trust us.” But given the city’s spotty record in properly responding to the migrant issue, we’d rather the city show us first.
Under a $29 million contract, the security firm GardaWorld is building the tent village on land once owned by a railroad company.
The parcel was also once home to a zinc smelting operation — a process that can potentially put heavy metals, sodium oxide, zinc dust and other harmful materials into the soil.
The city said it is remediating the contamination, and a city spokesperson says environmental mitigation can continue while work on the camp progresses.
But for the sake of transparency, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration — which initially appeared surprised the site was potentially dirty — should have already issued a full report assuring the public that the land has a relatively clean bill of health, and detailing what materials were found there.
To do otherwise just seems like another page out of the Johnson administration handbook: stonewalling the public and elected officials while saying as little as possible and promising more details at a later date.
It’s not clear yet when actual construction will start. Late last week, Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) said the mayor’s office told her work would start Monday, but the only activity turned out to be equipment staging in advance of construction.
None of this engenders trust, particularly in an administration that is less than a year old and tasked with solving one of the city’s most important issues.
Yes, fixing the issue is tough and expensive work. Which is why the city has to be open about what it’s doing and how.
As colder temperatures move into the city this week, making things even less tenable for the asylum-seekers camped outside police stations and at O’Hare Airport, it’s important to get things moving in Brighton Park.
But not at the expense of public safety — or public trust.
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