Pfleger backs Rep. Rush’s prayer/protest march for jobs, contracts

 

Tells METRA ‘You’re not tearing down our houses in Englewood’

 

By Chinta Strausberg 

 

On the eve of the annual National Day of Prayer, Father Michael L. Pfleger late Tuesday night announced he is 100 percent behind Rep. Bobby L. Rush’s (D-1^st) Thursday, May 3, 2012, 10 a.m. protest march for jobs and contracts being held being held outside of the METRA Headquarters, 547 W. Jackson Blvd. on the corner of Jackson and Clinton Streets.

 

Speaking before fiscal expert Deena Marie Carr’s last free financial workshop began, Pfleger asked the class to join Rep. Rush at Thursday’s protest march.

 

Pfleger explained that the march is being held to ask METRA to rebid its $86 million Englewood “Flyover” contract that currently has the participation of only one African American who received a $112,000 security contract. Pfleger said, “That’s unacceptable.”

 

“A major part of this contract takes place in Englewood,” Pfleger said. “We are demanding that they rebid the contract and supply more jobs. We have in Englewood and Auburn Gresham about 34 percent unemployment. You cannot transform communities or continue to talk about stopping violence when you don’t offer jobs. You got to offer jobs to people.”

 

Pfleger, who like Rush, has engaged in Civil Rights actions and stopped construction at sites that had no black workers, said, “We have to make sure we have representation from the African American and Hispanic communities.” Pfleger said when he goes around and checks on construction sites and sees there are no African American workers there “that is not acceptable.”

 

METRA, Pfleger said, does not have a good track record in the black community. For years, Pfleger said METRA “is still fight us to reopen the station at 79^th and Fielding where it used to be for years…. They told us we don’t need any more METRA stations in the community, but there are six METRA stations in Beverly and there is a little pretend station on 87^th….“

 

METRA, Pfleger added, “has a long record of disrespect; so we are going to demand that METRA gives jobs in the black and Latino communities.”

 

Referring to METRA, Pfleger said, “They are going to be tearing down houses in Englewood. They are crazy. I told METRA two-months ago that you are absolutely out of your mind if you think you’re going to tear down houses in Englewood yet not put a station on 79^th Street and hire black people,” he said as the members applauded him.

 

Pfleger added, “We warned them. I’ve stood in front of tractors many times. I’ve never stood in front of a METRA train….” He asked them to join him at Thursday’s prayer/protest march against METRA.

 

Pfleger and Rep. Rush are both strong supporters of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his non-violent peace philosophy. In 1987, Rush, then alderman of the 2^nd Ward, single handedly stopped the CTA from demolishing the 40^th Street El Station on the Green Line. Rush, who Tuesday met with about 25 supporters including Pfleger and a number of Civil Rights and community leaders, have vowed to stop METRA’s Englewood “Flyover” project if METRA doesn’t hire more blacks and let more contracts from this $86 million mostly federally funded project.

 

Rush said he has several congressmen who are willing to pull METRA’s projects if it is not more inclusive of the community in which this project lies.

 

On other issues, Pfleger also reminded his members that this Sunday, May 6^th at 10 a.m. is “Unity Youth Sunday” where Rev. Will Hall and other youth will conduct the entire worship service.

 

Also, he asked everyone to join him on Friday, June 15, 2012, for his annual “Peace in the Streets” anti-violence march being held at 7 p.m. at Saint Sabina Church, 1210 W. 78^th Place, where he is hoping to double last year’s participation to 2,000 people.  Pfleger is calling on all ‘peacemakers” to share in the responsibility of reaching out to the youth to stop the violence.

 

Having invited, the mayor, the Chicago Public School superintendent, the police superintendent and many others, Pfleger said, “We want to send a message for the summer and for our city that everybody will be responsible for our young people. “ Pfleger said, “no one gets a pass” on helping to make Chicago safe and a call for more police is not the answer.

 

Explaining, Pfleger said, “We obviously can’t just say more police because there are 1,000 more police on the street than there were a year ago and yet murders are 52 percent.  That lets us know that police are not the answer alone. It’s the community and the churches” that are playing a vital role in “being the voices in the communities.”

 

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.