CHICAGO, IL — The plan was to express anger and occupy the former parking lot at Weiss Hospital in Uptown, Chicago for three days. A community of neighbors, activists, and homeless residents agreed that a 314-unit luxury high-rise development was an egregious misuse of community resources. SROs and vacant land developed into luxury housing, under the tutelage of Alderman James Cappleman and his zoning committee of white supremacists. The community remained until they were forcibly removed after 11 days of occupation.
Their message was clear: Stop luxury development in our community.
“Uptown doesn’t need more luxury housing. We need truly affordable housing,” said Tom Gordon, Vice President of the Chicago Union of the Homeless.
“We’d like to see the property utilized for community needs, not another luxury high rise,” said Ronald Schupp, of Uptown. “Poor, elderly and homeless people are being pushed out systemically.”
The occupation began almost two years after the development was announced to the community. A campaign to stop luxury development in Uptown will not end. Many historic buildings have been razed to make room for a community of empty luxury high-rises built of glass and steel. The community has decided that Uptown is not for sale.
The occupation consisted of tents, mutual aid tables, music, art, poetry and workshops on solidarity. A clothing-mending workshop held at the occupation helped people fix clothes or pick up new items. Also held were discussions of other housing struggles across the city, a “social housing workshop” and a poetry and music session.
“People are pushed into homelessness by gentrification, by luxury developments like this, by rising rents,” said Adam Gottlieb, organizer with Chicago Union of the Homeless. “We’re talking about human beings here. Everyone deserves a place to live.”
Besides the lack of affordable housing, another serious concern is the survivorship of Weiss Hospital, the only community hospital in the area.
Pipeline Health Systems LLC (Pipeline), the owner of Weiss Hospital, West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, and the shuttered Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection throughout the U.S. on October 3, 2022. Pipeline sold the parking lot to Lincoln Properties and promised that the $8 million profit would be used for hospital upgrades and new services.
“This is a community hospital, and that shall remain,” said Manoj Prasad, CEO of Resilience Healthcare, the prospective buyer of Weiss. “We are going to be here to serve the needs of the community passionately.”
“As previously reported, proceeds of the parking lot sale will be reinvested in Weiss Hospital,” said Jane Brust, vice president for marketing and communications for Pipeline in a statement. Pipeline leaders stated that it invested more than $35 million to Weiss that included the $12 million parking garage renovation, a $13 million medical records upgrade, and a $5 million new orthopedic center.
With the bankruptcy proceeding in the works, one wonders whether another luxury high-rise will replace the hospital.
Kathy Powers is a lifetime Chicagoan. At 50, Kathy speaks out as the voice of the people. She became a revolutionary activist whose lifelong fight raises unheard voices. She is the Health Care Desk on the People’s Tribune Editorial Board.
