SOUTH SUBURBS FOR GREENSPACE TO HOLD COMMUNITY MEETING WITH NAACP CFSSB AND CHICAGO LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
HOMEWOOD, Ill. - September 13, 2021 —South Suburbs for Greenspace (SSG) will be holding its second community meeting on Monday, September 13, 2021, to inform Southland residents about developments at the Calumet Country Club (CCC) and with the movement to stop the development of this property. Gary Dingle, branch president of the NAACP Chicago Far South Suburban Branch (NAACP CFSSB), and the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights will be joining SSG organizers to present information about potential paths for development for the property in several municipalities.
The meeting is at Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve (east pavilion) at 1100 Ridge Road in Homewood, at 6:30 p.m. The event will also be livestreamed from SSG’s Facebook page. After the presentation of new information, SSG, NAACP CFSSB, and Chicago Lawyers’ Committee will be answering questions from the live and digital meeting attendees.
Southland residents in the Governors Park neighborhood of Homewood and the Bremerton Woods neighborhood of East Hazel Crest, which abut the CCC property, are particularly encouraged to come find out about various notice requirements to residents and homeowners within specific distances of the property.
Dingle said that the NAACP CFSSB is for the preservation of greenspace in the Southland. “We understand that the destruction of green space and development that reduces the habitability of thriving communities is an affront to the civil rights of people living in those communities” he said, “Therefore, we have allied with two of the most effective and active groups in the South Suburbs.”
“As civil rights attorneys and advocates, we know that communities of color continue to bear the harms of warehouses both in Chicago and its surrounding communities,” said Erica Knox of Chicago Lawyers’ Committee. “That’s why we’re here with South Suburbs for Greenspace and NAACP Chicago Far South Suburban Branch, groups that have a proven track record of winning healthy and positive changes for their communities.
SSG will be holding a fall park cleanup day and mum planting at Flossmoor Park (10:00 a.m.) in Flossmoor and Patriots Park (12:00 p.m.) in Homewood on Saturday, September 18, 2021. Both events are open to the public, and masks are required at all SSG events.
About South Suburbs for Greenspace
South Suburbs for Greenspace is a committed group of Southland community members fighting to protect scarce greenspace in an already over-industrialized region of Chicagoland and formed in opposition to Diversified Partner LLC’s planned development of Calumet Country Club (2136 175th St, Homewood, IL 60430) into a fulfillment/trucking hub. The group is a campaign of SAFE.
About Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights are civil rights lawyers and advocates working to secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all. They provide legal representation through partnerships with the private bar, and they collaborate with grassroots organizations and other advocacy groups to implement community-based solutions that advance civil rights.
About the Chicago Far South Suburban Branch of the NAACP
The Chicago Far South Suburban Branch was form in 1979 in Homewood, Il. Since its inception the branch has fought for the civil rights of all people in the South Suburbs and surrounding communities.
About Illinois Southland Against Fossil Energy
Illinois Southland Against Fossil Energy was founded in response to the proposed gas-burning power plant in Glenwood. SAFE is building an inclusive, multi-racial coalition that believes the Southland needs and deserves a clean environment, clean government, healthy people, and a healthy economy.