Eighth Ward Accountability Coalition’s Hard Work Spelled Victory For 8th Ward Residents; Medical Marijuana Dispensary Will Not be Coming to 8th Ward

EWAC, South Shore Gardens Betterment Association and 8th Ward Residents formed a strong union to keep the medical marijuana dispensary from setting-up shop in the 8th Ward, and in the end, their untiring efforts paid off.

By Juanita Bratcher

 
Through cheers and loud applause, EWAC officials and 8th Ward residents savored the “Sweetness of Victory” after hearing that a medical marijuana dispensary headed for the 8th Ward had coughed its last breath and run out of steam.
After hearing the decision, diligent EWAC officials Jerry Brown, Linda Hudson and Dedra M. DeLaney – who labored long and worked tirelessly to keep the dispensary out of the ward – called it a victory for the 8th Ward.

 
And indeed it was – it was a sound victory for the people, a prime example of “People Power in Action”, led by EWAC, an organization that worked hard to keep the medical marijuana dispensary out of the neighborhood and remained determined in its efforts to see that 8th Ward residents’ voices be heard. EWAC heard their hue and cry of “We Don’t Want It!” during several raucous meetings where many residents were in attendance.

 
When all’s said and done, EWAC was the catalyst in making the community aware of the proposed dispensary, which had already been approved by the Chicago City Council, and without a public hearing on the part of 8th Ward Alderman Michelle Harris. The community was literally in the dark, they knew nothing about the dispensary being approved or about it coming to the ward. When EWAC officials heard about the proposal in place, they requested a deferral, complaining that there were no public meetings or adequate notices about the proposed dispensary before its approval. They were successful in getting a deferral and moved quickly to inform the overall community about the dispensary, which would be located across the street from a skating rink and next door to a juvenile counseling center.

 
The proposed Medical Marijuana Dispensary, a joint venture of California-based Harborside Health Center and Illinois Grown Medicine (IGM), would be located at 1111 E. 87th Street.

 
At a hearing yesterday (11/20/15) at the Board of Zoning Appeals, where many 8th Ward residents were in attendance, a staffer from the Department of Planning and Development announced Harborside Illinois Grown Medicine’s withdrawal of the application. There were no representatives of applicant Harborside at the meeting; and neither was Alderman Harris.

 
Nonetheless, in an August 14, 2015 letter to Jonathan Swain, Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, Alderman Harris stated that she could not support the dispensary, which she had previously supported:

 
“After very careful consideration, I cannot support the Medical Cannabis Dispensary for the location at 1111 E. 87th Street. Input from the community to my office has been overwhelmingly against bringing the Medical Marijuana Dispensary to this location,” Harris stated.

 
So all in all this was certainly a VICTORY for the people of the 8th Ward, because they didn’t want the dispensary in the ward.
There’s something About the Sweetness Of Victory
(An Exerpt)
By Juanita Bratcher (C) 2005
“There’s something about the sweetness of victory
There’s something about that strong desire to achieve
One can feel it, one can taste it
And when it comes, victory is sweet, indeed!”

Juanita Bratcher is an Award-Winning Journalist, the Editor & Publisher of CopyLine Magazine