Thread by @danorkin

There is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Chicago as hundreds of asylum seekers arrive every day on buses from border states. The city totally lacks the infrastructure to handle the influx, and most of these folks are sleeping on the floors of crowded police stations. 1/

A loose network of mutual aid groups (supported by some non-profits and a few electeds) is shouldering the whole burden of feeding, supplying, and supporting these folks. Many are sick, many are children, and many have been traveling for months through extreme conditions. 2/

The situation began last year but has intensified in numbers over the last month. When a bus arrives, there is no forewarning and no telling where it will drop people off. Some stations reach a point of physical overflow forcing folks to sleep outside. 3/

At the district level, each station has a volunteer group that brings essential supplies like blankets and toiletries, but available materials and volunteer capacity have been pushed to a breaking point. 4/

There is also a huge disparity in the level of support and resources in different areas. In more affluent neighborhoods with more involved alders they are turning away food and clothing donations. In others, people have gone hungry (though inter-ward coordination is improving).5/

Once in the police stations, these folks are entered into a system that was designed for temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness. The system is totally overwhelmed, opaque, and unpredictable. People are moved around at random and sometimes to worse conditions. 6/

I met a little boy with a disability that volunteers were working to help. He was moved without any warning and was unaccounted for for a week. Another child who uses a feeding tube was moved to a place with no volunteer access before a nurse was able to provide supplies. 7/

For a variety of legal and political reasons, the establishment of new emergency shelters to get people out of police stations is slow. Though the DFSS is actively looking for locations and seeking approvals, this will be a long process. 8/

There is one such shelter that has been established in Pilsen and is serving as a model for how this can look throughout the city. The organizers in that district in conjunction with the alder office have done an incredible job basically building the airplane in flight. 9/

Having a shelter outside the police station makes the coordination of food, supplies, medical attention, social support, and just general quality of life infinitely better. Some of the children there have even been able to enroll in CPS. 10/

While this shelter is an encouraging benchmark, it is the exception to the rule. Every night, flares go up in the network of Signal and WhatApp groups with messages like "D1 hasn't been fed all day" or "we just got 50 more people at D10 and need blankets." 11/

The answer to these calls is made by decentralized volunteers driving to different corners of the city and often spending their own money when donations run dry. The system is so ad hoc that needs can change by the time they arrive and food and more go to waste. 12/

Things are improving in some regards, however slowly. In addition to the shelter in Pilsen more and more non-profits are entering the effort and helping with things like providing consistent food service, medical aid, and showers. 13/

The new mayor's team is also far more supportive of the mutual aid effort than the prior administration, but it will still be some time before the full force of city resources can be activated. They essentially need to build a new gov't body from scratch to manage this. /14

More importantly, the volunteer network is growing and improving. My garage is overflowing with donations from my neighborhood that I am working to distribute throughout the city. /15

The people I've met through this effort have inspired me so much, many have been working around the clock to ensure that no one stuck in a police station goes hungry or cold. It's an amazing and ongoing illustration of what mutual aid is all about. /16

If you would like to donate these things that are always in demand:
- unused socks and underwear
- thick yoga mats or sleeping pads
- blankets and sleeping bags
- backpacks and small suitcases (when people are moved to shelter they can only keep what fits under a cot). /17

You can see some places you can drop donations here: /18

If you would like to donate money, here are some links: /19
- opencollective.com/chipolicestati…
- organizedcommunities.org/about
- pilsenfoodpantry.com (highly recommend supporting this group, they are doing amazing work)

If you'd like to volunteer, start by joining the Refugee Community Connection Group on Facebook, or send me a DM here and I can point you in the right direction. The Pilsen Food Pantry needs volunteers to help sort donations right now! /20

For all this talk of logistics and organization, I'd still like to emphasize the humanitarian side of this discussion. I've spoken to cold and hungry children and families this week who have faced impossible decisions in the hope of a better life for their families. /21

These people are our new neighbors and this is our opportunity to show the world our city is all about by shouting "¡bienvenidos a Chicago!" as loudly as possible. /end

Quick addendums:

this article from @AVHndz and @mina_bloom_ is a great illustration of experiences people are having, and also, of the power of what can happen when mutual aid, govt, and other orgs collaborate:

blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/17/as-…

(ht especially to @RossanaFor33's team, @OCAD_CHI, and the whole 17th district crew. Their operation is a benchmark for the whole city to follow).

I also wanted to share this picture of my porch. I've gone outside and found new piles of donations several times a day all week. It's so amazing to see the community rally in this way. The scribbles on the sign are my 1-year-old son's contribution.

PS if anyone has a line on bulk ordering 500 yoga mats or maybe a connection to an executive at a large sock or underwear factory, don't be shy!