Illegal immigrants housed in former school attack black residents in Chicago

A group of fed-up residents in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago spoke out on Tuesday to demand the police investigate an incident where residents were allegedly assaulted and had car windows broken by illegal immigrants who are staying at the repurposed Wadsworth School building turned migrant shelter. 

According to Fox 32, a video was shared on Facebook that showed residents being assaulted by illegal immigrants and breaking car windows, and those who were attacked claimed they can identify their attackers. 

In a press conference CEO of Chicago Against Violence Andre Smith said, "I'm asking and calling for the federal judge to speed up the process of the asylees. There's no way they should be able to take Woodlawn, this community, under house arrest and make residents afraid to even come out and enjoy this sunshine and this fresh air like we do." 

Residents of the Woodlawn neighborhood have been critical of city officials' decision to convert the Wadsworth school into a migrant shelter since it was made without their input in February. 

At the time Woodlawn representative Ald. Jeannette Taylor told NBC 5, "The community clearly doesn't want it." She added, "There are really no supporting services for the folks that they're putting in the school..."

“I've asked for [a] property tax freeze, I've asked for trust, to help homeowners to keep their homes. And so this is the administration, again, not listening to the people," she said of the city. 

In a June 28 interview with WGN 9, Taylor noted, "This community has always advocated for itself; the problem has been that the elected officials that have represented haven’t always made their needs first."  

She has been going to the shelter to make sure those there know what is expected of them as a member of the community. "Not just standing out, not just throwing out the trash, making sure they understand they’re not an enemy to our community because they got off the bus to people sleeping outside, people protesting,” she said. 

In a statement to WGN, the city of Chicago said, "For security in the shelter and the within the Woodlawn Community the Chicago Police Department provides special attention around Wadsworth and city contracted security provides safety within the temporary shelter. The city’s ultimate goal is the resettlement of all shelter residents, and this is not a problem that will be solved in a matter of weeks or months.”