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LVEJO History
LVEJO originally worked within the City of Chicago Community Areas #30 (South Lawndale) & #28 ( Lower West Side). These two community areas are commonly known as Little Village and Pilsen respectively. Together, they make up the largest Mexican American urban area in the U.S. outside of East Los Angeles. We have now expanded the geographic focus of some of our programs to the entire city and some suburbs. The roots of our organization began in 1994 when parents, grandparents, students, neighbors, and priests organized to move a proposed elementary school to a safer environmental location. In November, 1995 through a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Justice Organization, the Gary School Environmental Justice Project (GSEJP) began. Thirty middle school students participated in a GSEJP leadership program for two years. During that time the school became the first in Chicago to certify the school engineer, staff, students and parents to implement a lead prevention and reduction program. Gary also became the first Chicago school to do a complete toxic and asthma trigger inventory, buying safer products and materials. GSEJP won safer roof replacements in all three of its buildings. Fifty parents and student members of the GSEJP club voted to establish a community based organization (CBO), LVEJO, in June, 1997.
Over the next year LVEJO worked with parent organizers going door to door to find out what concerns the community had. Based on the organizing LVEJO’s campaigns were created and have evolved into our work today.
The scope and significance of the problems we address: The only 2 coal burning power plants located within 40 miles of downtown Chicago are in Little Village and Pilsen. The Crawford Coal Power Station is located ¼ mile from where thousands of us live. The only other city coal power plant, Fisk, is 4 miles away in Pilsen. Research by the Harvard School of Public Health in 2001 showed that the Fisk and Crawford power plants cause 41 premature deaths, 2800 asthma attacks, and 550 emergency room visits every year.
One of the four city waste transfer stations is right next to the coal burning power plant: taking in 500 trucks and 1500 tons of garbage 16 hours a day. 1 block away is the city’s largest steel drum recycling plant whose new neighbor across the street is the city’s largest plastic recycler. Each of these plants is right next door and/or across the street from where the youngest families in Chicago live. According to a 2001 American Lung Association Report, 4 of the city’s 10 dirty diesel truck corridors pass through Little Village, including the largest on our western border. Across from the 2 nd largest urban prison in the United States is the largest and most contaminated piece of land on the city’s southwest side: the 24 acre, USEPA Superfund, Celotex site. It is filled with Benzopyrene, the most carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH): the result of 74 years of asphalt production and distribution. For over 85 years Benzopyrene and 6 other PAH’s have been carried from Celotex by wind and rain, contaminating the yards of hundreds of our residents who live across the alley and streets and others who live within ¼ mile.
USEPA air pollution data shows that our zip code, 60623, has the 2 nd worst air quality in the 8 county region of Chicago. Our children have the 9 th highest rate of lead poisoning of Chicago’s 77 community areas with asthma rates of 17%. We have 11 acres of open/park space for 95,000 people: the smallest in the city.
Little Village is the most densely populated neighborhood in Chicago and has the 2 nd largest population, 95,000 (2005 census estimate) of the city’s 77 community areas. Our median age is the city’s youngest, 21.5 years old. According to the 2000 U.S. Census we have 4.6 persons per household, the highest number in the city, with a median household income of $32,320 (making it the 23 rd poorest of 77 community areas). 22% of families are below the U.S. 2003 poverty level of $18,400 (U.S. DHHS poverty guidelines) for a family of four, 45% below 200% the poverty level (Illinois Department of Public Aid). When the number of persons (4.6) per household income is factored in the poverty level rises to $21,540, making Little Village among the ten poorest community areas in Chicago. The 2002 unemployment rate was 11.1% according to the Illinois Department of Labor. Our schools are the most overcrowded in Chicago with a high school drop-out rate of 61% (Chicago Public Schools 2002 data). The % of registered voters among our citizens is the lowest in the city. Our bus and train services were severely cut in 1997-1998 resulting in the loss of bus lines and the only train line without night service. As a result we lost jobs, had to add hours each week onto our commutes to work, school, health care appointments and visits to our families. Our only middle school is home to the country’s first military/ROTC program for children under 14 years old and one of our two high schools has the 2 nd largest military/ROTC program in the city.
Clean Air: Worked with 250 residents to get the USEPA to clean-up Chicago’s dirtiest smelter, Winter’s Metal, a Superfund site. In 2000, organized with 200 neighbors to get the City of Chicago and Waste Management, Inc. to spend $1 Million to reduce air pollution & garbage delivery at a waste transfer station in our neighborhood (1 of 4 in city). A founding member of the Chicago Clean Power Coalition (CCPC), formed in 2002 to clean up the city’s 2 coal power plants. In 2006 CCPC has successfully worked as part of the Mercury Free Illinois Campaign to get Governor Rob Blagojevich to introduce the nation’s strictest mercury rule: a 90% reduction at every power plant by 2012.
Public Transportation Justice : Racial Equity in Access to Buses, Trains & Transit Jobs: LVEJO was a founding member of a regional coalition in 1998 that worked with our 3 Congressmen to get $483 Million in federal and state funds to completely rehab Chicago’s oldest public train line through 5 communities of color, saving it from the city’s plan to tear it down. The regional coalition obtained 15% of the construction jobs on the train rehab project for community residents from our African American and Latino neighborhoods
Youth Organization: Youth are Our Future
The LVEJO Youth Organization began producing a bi-monthly newspaper, El Cilantro, in 2004 with distribution in 6 regional high schools and 4 neighborhoods: El Cilantro was produced monthly during the summer of 2005
- LVEJO Youth were trained to organize around the DREAM Education ACT in their schools, neighborhoods, churches and on the street
- Youth Leadership workshops are now held weekly: 10 youth have been trained to give EJ Toxic Tours
- 6 LVEJO Youth were trained as 2005 summer interns for the Growing Power High School Urban Agriculture Program
Urban Agriculture: Little Village has 3 community and 50 family vegetable gardens coordinated by LVEJO. In 2005 we completed a 2 year U.S. Dept. of Agriculture funded survey of 105 adults with agriculture experience and education. These 105 adults are developing a community education and training network for urban agriculture, including links with both education and job opportunities. Since 2003 twenty adults from our area have been certified in the city-wide Building Urban Gardens (BUGS) training program. 6 LVEJO Youth were trained as 2005 summer interns for the Growing Power High School Urban Agriculture Program.
Healthy Latino Schools: Worked with a neighborhood elementary school to become the first school in the state to measure every child for overweight and obesity; has formed 3 parent teams: one to promote healthy food in local stores, our homes and in the school, one to promote more physical fitness in the school and community and one to obtain more open space for community, school and family vegetable gardens. In 2006 became a leading member of a city-wide coalition to get healthy food and recess in Chicago’s schools.
More Parks : Has worked with 2,000 residents to get 3 parks built in schools and Boys & Girls Club. Recently won approval by the city to build a new 24 acre park.
Organizational:
- In January, 2006 a graduate of our youth leadership program became the full-time LVEJO Clean Power organizer to clean-up Chicago’s only 2 coal power plants. In 2005 we added a second youth leader to our board.
- Leadership training for 49 neighborhood adults and youth since 2003
- Began weekly community organizing, leadership and popular education training of staff in 2005
- Held a 2 day Data Center (of Oakland, CA) community based participatory research computer training in 2005 for 24 staff and adult/youth volunteers
- Computerized financial system in 2002 & Completed 4 successful financial audits: For the Years: 2001-2005
Bucket Brigade | Dirty Trucks Campaign | Independent Block Clubs | Phone Victory | Toxic Barrels | Visioning Project
Juarez High School Project | Community Mapping | Healthy Latino Schools | New High School
For general complaints, you can call the Chicago Department of Environment 312-744-7672.
In Cook Co outside Chicago call Cook Co. Dept of Environmental control 312-603-8200.
For dirty trucks, there is a state law that limits how much smoke they can emit, and the State Police are in charge of enforcing it. You can get a ticket for $100s for driving a dirty truck!!!
Cook Co is District 3 for the State Police. call (847) 294-4400 to report dirty trucks, complain and ask them to test trucks where you are seeing dirty ones. Its Illinois Public Act 91-0865 and if you want you can read it at http://www.legis.state.il.us/legislation/legisnet91/sbgroups/sb/910SB1503LV.htm
For general information please email us here
Environmental Research Foundation /
Rachel's News Archive now
housed with LVEJO (En Español)
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) |
La Organización de Justicia Ambiental de la Villita
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