NoGames Goes to Switzerland

Members of the NoGames coalition were in Switzerland last week, presenting their case to the IOC that Chicago is not ready to host the 2016 Olympics. They got a brief mention on the BBC website, and according to the delegation themselves, they're the first group ever to travel to IOC headquarters to ask them NOT to host the games in their home city. They'll be hosting a reception to talk about their trip this evening at 7pm in Carmichaels, 1052 W Monroe.

While we're on the subject, this is as good a time as any to link to Ben Joravsky's excellent open letter to the IOC in the Chicago Reader. SSN supported both the NoGames campaign and the Communities for an Equitable Olympics coalition this year, and although the latter scored a significant victory in getting a memorandum of understanding with Chicago 2016 (including commitments on affordable housing and jobs) , Joravsky's piece makes an excellent case for why it would be better for everyone if the Olympics just didn't come to Chicago at all.

The New Grove Parc?

The first campaign that SSN was ever involved in was the campaign to save Grove Parc Plaza, the Section 8 housing development between 61st and 63rd St on Cottage Grove Avenue. After a long fight concluding in a sit-in at the offices of HUD, the tenants' association successfully lobbied for the complex to be taken over by POAH (Preservation of Affordable Housing), a non-profit based in Boston. Since then, plans have been drawn up to redevelop Grove Parc whilst preserving all of the affordable units.

In this interview with Chicago Public Radio, the architect for the new Grove Parc discusses the plans.