Angry residents and community groups at a recent South Side community meeting voiced their opposition with the city’s Olympic committee, Chicago 2016.
Angry residents and community groups at a recent South Side community meeting voiced their opposition with the city’s Olympic committee, Chicago 2016.
The committee has scheduled 50 meetings in all 50 Chicago wards to give residents a chance to ask questions and receive more information about the city’s Olympic bid.
The South Shore meeting was for residents living in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Wards.
An economic impact study commissioned by Chicago 2016 in December concluded that the Olympics would generate billions of dollars for the city.
However, Pearl Tucker, executive director of Future Bronzeville, a non-profit housing organization, said don’t count on it.
“The city thinks they will make a lot of money off the Olympics, but they’re wrong. They will end up spending more money in the end,” she said.
And while Ald. Leslie Hairston (5) said the meetings thus far have been very informative, not everyone agrees with her assessment.
“She’s a politician so what do you expect her to say,” said Billy Butler, 59, a North Side resident who attended the South Shore meeting. “She’s wearing both hats and trying to have it both ways. She wants to say the Olympics is good, but she is also a staunch critic of how the city has handled the bid.”
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