I was horrified after reading the article about the possible closing of the Greyhound bus station in the South Loop.
This is personal to my family. My son is 39 and does not drive. He has used Greyhound buses to help him have a very independent life; the station is safe, convenient and easy to navigate and close to public transportation. It is a place where people who may be vulnerable, physically handicapped or unable to afford other transportation options can access.
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It boggles my mind to imagine how this change would work for my beloved son and every other mother whose child relies on buses to help navigate their life. A parking lot on the West Side (as a temporary location) is not close to public transportation; and it doesn’t have food, restrooms, a place to sit or protection from Chicago’s weather.
And I have advice, for the NIMBY folks who are complaining about the Greyhound bus station being in their neighborhood: Grow up! You knew the bus station was there when you moved in. Why not try working with those people, show kindness and gratitude that you can afford a nice place to live?
Chicago has been known as the “City of Big Shoulders” for a long time — is it now going to become a city with a teeny-tiny heart that has no room for the less fortunate? It sounds like we want to dump bus riders in a parking lot for financial gain. I’m just wondering: What would Jesus do?
Elizabeth Butler Marren, Beverly
Greyhound station there before residents
Regarding the possible eviction of Greyhound from the Harrison Street facility: Greyhound had a hellacious time securing the site in the 1980s. Ald. Bill Conway supports moving the station. When Greyhound moved to Harrison Street, it was not a residential neighborhood. The people who subsequently moved there had to know of the station’s existence.
Regarding the shooting (referenced in a recent news article), it was reportedly targeted, not random. My old Lake View neighborhood recently had five people shot within four days.
Regarding supposed bus congestion at Union Station: Only one company uses it that does not also use the Greyhound terminal. Greyhound has numerous daily departures from Union Station. This benefits Amtrak, as it provides interline connections with Amtrak’s long- distance services. Greyhound’s Union Station departures save Amtrak passengers being stranded overnight when they’ve missed their train connection, with later departures that enable delayed Amtrak passengers to continue their journeys.
Kenneth White, La Grange
A false attack on Humane Society, other charities
The Sun-Times published a letter by Will Coggin of “Help Pet Shelters” on May 11, 2023. Are you aware that Coggin works with the Center for Consumer Freedom, which operates under the name CORE? The CCF acts as a “front” organization and is run by public relations operatives who form multiple offshoot groups, such as Help Pet Shelters, which attack consumer protection and public interest organizations, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Sierra Club and the Humane Society of the United States.
Coggin’s groups promote the interests of various industries by spreading false narratives under the guise of innocent-sounding charity names. While the CCF falsely frames animal welfare work as the narrow category of just giving pass-through grants to shelters, the HSUS’ work is broad and focused on helping all animals, not just cats and dogs. Our organization provides care for tens of thousands of animals each year.
The CCF and its spiderweb of nonprofits have been called out by the Center for Media and Democracy and have been condemned by the editorial boards of other major news outlets for their controversial tactics. We encourage readers to learn more about CCF, and what we do at HSUS, and to review our full financials so they can see where donated money goes.
Anna West, Washington, D.C.
