HUD investigation finds city of Chicago violated residents’ civil rights

The federal agency says the city violated the Fair Housing Act by shifting polluting activities to Black and Latino areas.

By Marie Mendoza
General Iron pile of scrap metal trash
General Iron operated for decades in Lincoln Park. Its move to a Southeast Side community of color has been the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. Chicago Sun-Times
General Iron pile of scrap metal trash
General Iron operated for decades in Lincoln Park. Its move to a Southeast Side community of color has been the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. Chicago Sun-Times

HUD investigation finds city of Chicago violated residents’ civil rights

The federal agency says the city violated the Fair Housing Act by shifting polluting activities to Black and Latino areas.

By Marie Mendoza
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After a two-year investigation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found the city of Chicago violated its residents’ civil rights by moving big polluting businesses from white communities to predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods. Federal officials say the city could lose millions in funding if it doesn’t change its planning and zoning policies.

Reset learns more from a reporter following the story and one of the community groups that filed the complaint that sparked the federal investigation.

GUESTS: Brett Chase, Chicago Sun-Times environmental reporter

Olga Bautista, executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force