(CHICAGO) — Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) is slamming Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointed Public Health Commissioner’s decision to restrict 2025 PlayStreets grants to only traditionally known African American communities.
“This is an egregious decision that reeks of discrimination against Latino communities,” Lopez said. “For over a decade, PlayStreets served over twenty diverse community areas in the west region and twenty-one diverse community areas in the south region. The decision to focus solely on eight African American community areas sends a clear message that the lives our youth in other volatile communities do not matter to this administration.”
In 2025, the only communities to access PlayStreets programming are West Garfield Park, Englewood, North Lawndale, West Pullman, Roseland, West Englewood, East Garfield Park, and Austin.
According to their website, “the Chicago Department of Public Health has issued summer implementation grants and offered technical support to various community-based organizations for the development of PlayStreets in prioritized community areas. … Implementing community-based organizations will help organize residents to create safe, accessible environments where youth and families can be physically active, learn, create, come together, and have fun.”
CPDH generally provides funding for 150 street events annually.
“PlayStreets has become a vehicle for communities facing many health & public safety challenges to create safe spaces in the neighborhoods for our youth and families to play, exercise and enjoy themselves,” Lopez said. “At a time when Mayor Johnson says we wants more safe spaces for our youth, we should be expanding PlayStreets not shrinking it. This policy decision excluding Latino communities says our youth are not part of his Chicago.”
