Little Village activists say semi-trailer trucks on 26th Street are causing health problems
CHICAGO (CBS) -- People who live in Little Village say their streets are packed with trucks – and those trucks are making the air unsafe.
As CBS 2's Marybel González reported Thursday night, neighborhood activists are fighting back.
Activists Baltazar Enriquez and Liliana Medina, of the Little Village Community Council, went out knocking on doors Thursday.
They spread the word about their campaign, called "Fighting for our Lungs."
"Our campaign is for one, to stop semi-trailers driving down 26th Street – similar to Milwaukee Avenue. And we can see the environmental racism, because they don't allow it on Milwaukee Avenue, but they allow the semi-trailers to travel down 26th Street," Enriquez said. "So we've been asking for equal treatment."
The activists say the trailers are leaving behind a trail of diesel, smog, and hazardous materials affecting the health of those who live there.
"It causes cancer, COPD, asthma, and heart failure," said Medina.
For the past week, the activists have gathered around 100 signatures from area residents. One woman we met with the activists said her daughter has asthma.
The activists say they are prepared to file a class-action lawsuit against the City of Chicago to address the issue.
"Because they did not protect our lungs like they're protecting the people on the North Side," said Enriquez.
It is an issue that has long affected the Little Village neighborhood. In 2018, the Natural Resources Defense Council – an environmental advocacy group – published a map that showed pollution disproportionately affects Chicago's Southwest and Southeast Side communities.
"Environmental racism is a real thing," said Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd).
Rodriguez said his office has worked for years to curb the problem – taking actions such as creating no-truck zones in certain parts of his ward. But he says halting semi-trailer traffic on 26th Street altogether could affect the businesses that depend on them to transport their goods.
"If you restrict truck traffic on one block, where does that truck traffic go? Does it create truck traffic on another block?" Rodriguez said. "That's why we need to have a comprehensive plan in the neighborhood."
The activists are holding a series of community meetings on this topic – starting with the first one next Thursday at the Manuel Perez Jr. Memorial Plaza, 4345 W. 26th St.
They are asking anyone who believes their health has been affected by the pollution to attend.