Hunger Strike Protesting General Iron Hits One-Month Mark
“We have our children playing in [contaminated] baseball fields,” organizer Oscar Sanchez told Reset. “No one should have to go through this.”
By Meha AhmadHunger Strike Protesting General Iron Hits One-Month Mark
“We have our children playing in [contaminated] baseball fields,” organizer Oscar Sanchez told Reset. “No one should have to go through this.”
By Meha AhmadIt’s been one month since Chicago activists went on a hunger strike to protest the proposed relocation of a metal-scrapping operation in their Southeast Side backyard.
General Iron recently closed up its longtime Lincoln Park location after years of complaints about pollution and poor air quality. The company now wants to move to East 116th Street along the Calumet River. But the mostly Black and Brown residents there say industry has used the area as a dumping ground for too long, damaging residents’ health.
Reset checks in with organizers about what they’ve learned in the last month, and how they’re keeping their fight going.
GUESTS: Oscar Sanchez, cofounder of Southeast Youth Alliance
Gina Ramirez, co-chair of the Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke and member of the Southeast Environmental Task Force