Pilsen Students Say No to the TIF Expansion

Dear Mayor Johnson, Alderpersons Dowell and Conway,

We are students who live or attend school in Pilsen, and we’re writing to let you know that we do
not support the proposed TIF expansion in our neighborhood.

What we care about are fully staffed schools, not things like cameras in our buildings or
playgrounds that probably won’t be used. We already have beautiful parks near our
schools—let’s focus on using and properly staffing those instead.

New lockers don’t keep kids from dropping out of school but a good teacher and counselor will. A new pool might make a student reconsider what school they attend but a teacher creating a new extracurricular activity will make a student reconsider life choices.

We want our schools to be places where we can learn and grow, and our friends in other neighborhoods across the city deserve that too. We don’t need parents or other adults speaking for us. This is about our future, and if you’re talking about us, we should be part of that conversation.

We are asking you to stop this proposal and stop using us as sad stories. We have our own voices, and we’re using them to say no.

Sincerely,
The Students of Pilsen
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Chicago, IL