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WOODLAWN Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke enthusiastically about supporting South Shore residents in their fight against displacement during a housing summit this weekend.

However, the mayor shared few details on how hell throw his weight behind a set of housing protections proposed for the neighborhood, as supporters push to pass them before the Obama Presidential Center opens.

Several hundred people gathered Saturday for the second annual community benefits agreement summit at Hyde Park Academy High School, 6220 S. Stony Island Ave. in Woodlawn.

The summit was organized by members of the Obama CBA Coalition, who for nearly a decade have organized for anti-displacement policies in neighborhoods surrounding the Obama Center.

Summit attendees rallied in support of passing the South Shore Housing Preservation Ordinance, which has stalled for months in City Councils housing committee after being introduced in October. The ordinance would, among other points:

To read theordinance,click here. A one-page brief is availablehere.

Nearly90 percent of voters across nine 5th Ward precinctsnear the Obama Center site supported an anti-displacement ordinance in a non-binding referendum last February. A similar referendum in 2019 wasoverwhelmingly approved by votersin several 5th and 20th ward precincts.

The CBA Coalition has focused its efforts on South Shore since 2021, following a successful campaign which secured housing protections for Woodlawn in 2020.

The mayor repeatedly encouraged coalition members to grow their movement beyond the voices that are already convinced of the need for affordable housing and other protections, he said.

As much as there are real examples of harm that has been administered to our people by previous [mayoral] administrations, they did have some help from some of our people, Johnson said. Some of those individuals need to be organized.

This fight requires a far more robust, energetic [and] broader coalition, because what we do right for South Shore becomes the model for preventing displacement across the South and West sides, he said.

The Obama Center is expected to open in 2026. When asked whether he would commit to pushing the South Shore ordinance through council by 2025, Johnson took a long way of saying yes, he said. The mayor offered few details as he mostly repeated his points about winning over skeptics.

Of course Im down with the fight, but we need more hands swinging, Johnson said. My commitment to fighting alongside you has to be tethered to growing our fight.

During the summit, Johnson highlighted his push to expand a program offering free legal counsel to low-income Chicagoans in eviction court, which began in 2022 and is funded for three years using $8 million of federal COVID-19 relief.

The South Shore ordinance would create an Office of the Tenant Advocate that would similarly represent tenants in court and administrative cases at its discretion, among other functions. The office would start as a two-year pilot program in South Shore, then expand to a citywide office, according to the proposal.

The mayor also touted the South Shore Condo Preservation Pilot Program, a $15 million pilot program passed in 2022 to support residents of shared-ownership housing in South Shore.

Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th) introduced the South Shore Housing Preservation Ordinance in October with support from Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), the latter of whom was crucial in passing the 2020 Woodlawn housing ordinance.

After several speeches from South Shore residents who shared their experiences of being priced out of the neighborhood in recent years, the alderpeople called on City Council to quickly pass the ordinance. The neighbors stories show how gentrification and displacement are already taking place while the Obama Center is built, they said.

Yancy echoed Johnsons points on the need for continued community work, as the mayors commitment is not enough to pass the ordinance, Yancy said. We need 26 [City Council] votes, he said.

The alderperson also referenced his alleged unprovoked assault by housing committee vice chair and fellow South Shore Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th) in February. The conflict was sparked by a disagreement over the ordinance proposal, which would affect 10 precincts in Mitchells ward, Yancy told the Sun-Times.

Frankly, there are Black aldermen who dont believe that we need affordable housing in our community, Yancy said Saturday. There are Black aldermen who dont believe that we need pathways to homeownership in our community. There are Black aldermen who dont believe that Black people should be in South Shore.

Yancy urged the council to pass the ordinance by September. If its not passed before budget season kicks into full gear, its a wrap for this year, he said.

The pressure is on now, Yancy said.

Coalition members vowed during the summit to continue their fight against displacement in South Shore and beyond. They asked supporters to attend upcoming council meetings and demand their alderpeople back the ordinance.

We wont stop until everyone is able to afford to stay, who wants to stay, until there are no more evictions by greedy landlords, [and] until our continued existence on the South Side right next to the Obama Center is a public right and no longer in danger, coalition member and Woodlawn resident Margaret Brewer said.

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Mayor Vows To Support South Shore Housing Protections Near Obama Center, But Is Light On Details - Block Club Chicago