Activist Criticizes Councilman Villegas Over Stalled Environmental Ordinance

Cheryl Johnson, Executive Director of People for Community Recovery and daughter of environmental justice pioneer Hazel Johnson, issues a strong rebuke to Chicago City Councilman Gilbert Villegas. Responding to a recent article about Villegas reducing the zoning project backlog, Johnson argues that his characterization of the Hazel Johnson Cumulative Impacts Ordinance as a mayoral initiative disrespects decades of grassroots organizing. She refutes Villegas' claim that businesses and unions were uninformed, citing her own participation in meetings with labor leaders. Johnson emphasizes that the ordinance aims to ensure clean air, water, and land without halting development, rejecting the false dichotomy between economic growth and community health. She highlights the failure of the current administration to enforce a landmark 2023 agreement on environmental racism and warns that abandoning the ordinance aligns with anti-civil rights agendas. Citing recent cancer deaths among friends, she urges the City Council to prioritize resident safety over industrial interests and pass the cumulative impacts legislation.