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Earlier this week, our office reported that Mayor Johnson is considering establishing a migrant shelter at the Hotel Chicago Downtown in the Marina City Complex. While our report that the Administration is considering a migrant shelter in the Marina City Complex was factually correct - we were supplied the wrong address from our source in the Mayor’s Office.
Earlier this week, the Johnson Administration stated that the Hotel Chicago will NOT be used to house migrants. That assertion is correct. However, the Mayor’s Office was not entirely truthful with the media, because the Mayor’s Office IS considering a location inside the Marina City Complex at an address less than 100 feet away from the Hotel: the now vacant former Museum of Broadcast Communications located at 360 North State Street.
When a high-ranking member of the Johnson Administration provided our office with the correct address for the potential migrant hotel to be located in the Marina City Complex, Alderman Reilly renewed his strenuous objections to this location.
Not only is the Museum of Broadcast Communications not built to provide residential housing, Alderman Reilly also remains concerned about existing public safety issues in the neighborhood; the lack of amenities and social services for the migrant community; and the dismally poor performance of the migrant hotel located at the Inn of Chicago in Streeterville.
Alderman Reilly is disappointed the Mayor’s Press Office chose not to share this important information with the media earlier this week when they knew, full well, that the address immediately adjacent to the Hotel Chicago was (and remains) in consideration for use as a migrant hotel.
Our office spoke with the new owner of 360 North State Street who confirmed that the Johnson Administration recently toured the space and expressed interest in potentially using the site for migrant housing. We subsequently confirmed with our source in the Mayor’s Office that 360 North State Street is still being considered for migrant housing.
If you agree with Alderman Reilly and oppose the Johnson Administration converting 360 North State Street into a migrant facility for as many as one thousand migrants, please email the following members of the Johnson Administration, with a cc to our office ([email protected]):
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