Residents of Chicago are blasting Mayor Brandon Johnson over the city spending more than half a billion dollars on sheltering migrants, with one telling the Democrat to his face during a City Council meeting that he’s the “worst mayor in America.”
The criticism surrounding Johnson and Chicago’s New Arrivals Mission – which so far has cost the city $574.5 million since its inception in August 2022 – comes as the mayor is trying to overcome a $1 billion budget shortfall by the end of the year. The City Council held a meeting Monday during which residents voiced their opposition to an approximately $60 million property tax increase floated as one way to help close the gap.
“I got a great way what we can do with this budget. First, let’s start with cutting off illegals getting free everything, free housing, free schooling, free food. Yeah, let’s start with that. That’ll save us a lot of money,” one woman told Johnson.
“Let’s start there. Then, let’s start with you. Your salary. You are going down in history as the worst mayor in America. Let’s start with cutting yours. You making too much money,” she continued.
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Chicago residents on Monday criticized Mayor Brandon Johnson for the city’s spending when it comes to supporting migrants. (City of Chicago)
Another resident told Johnson that she is an immigrant who came to the U.S. legally and that she is “very, very embarrassed for what my other fellow Latin American citizens are doing in this city on behalf of the people that work, on behalf of the people that pay taxes, on behalf of the people that contribute to the city.
“I like to make clear that not everyone is the same. These people came with a wide door open, and they feel entitled to many things that nobody has. There are U.S. citizens suffering from poverty,” she said. “There are U.S. citizens on public aid, and these people are here just enjoying the benefits, becoming delinquents, and they have no consequences.”
At one point in the meeting, a resident asked Johnson for his “undivided attention.”
“So this just proves to you the lack of leadership that you show in this city. You can’t even give me straight eye contact,” he said. “Now I’m going to let you know now, the people of Chicago, we’re done with you.
Johnson’s office said in April that the goal of the New Arrivals Mission is to “provide short-term, emergency shelter to manage this humanitarian crisis, while making long-term investments in the City’s capacity to handle future challenges related to displacement and emerging migration patterns.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson gives an update on migrant issues at City Hall on Jan. 29, 2024, in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Since August 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has bussed hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers across the United States. The City of Chicago has received the third-most asylum seekers of all major cities in the country, behind New York City and Denver, with nearly 39,000 new arrivals arriving in the City,” it added at the time.
“The City of Chicago, in partnership with the State of Illinois and Cook County, has worked to support new arrivals on the path to self-sufficiency by providing basic necessities including food, temporary emergency shelter, urgent medical care, education, vaccines, and case management and resettlement supports,” the city also said.
As of the end of this year, the New Arrivals Mission shelter system will be phased out.
“This transition is in line with the sharp decline in migration to Chicago and our current budget realities,” Johnson said in October. “We are shifting to a more cost-effective, equitable, and strategic approach that addresses homelessness for all who need support in the City of Chicago.”
People walk outside a migrant shelter in Chicago in March. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday by Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
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MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Recreation held its Partnership for the Arts and Humanities Showcase Friday at North Division High School, bringing together students and community organizations to celebrate arts education in Milwaukee.
The event featured performances, visual art, and cultural programming from a range of partner organizations that work with Milwaukee students before and after school, on weekends, and during the summer.
Ariana Holmes, a recreation supervisor with Milwaukee Recreation, said the showcase highlights the breadth of arts and humanities programming available to young people across the city.
Watch: Milwaukee Recreation hosts youth arts and humanities showcase
Youth Arts and Humanities showcase underway
“This is one of our programs out of many, many at Milwaukee Recreation, but it centers a celebration of arts and humanities in our before and after school programming,” Holmes said. “All of the partners that you see here today, they run programs with Milwaukee students after school, on the weekends, during the summer, making sure that every kid in Milwaukee has access to really wonderful arts and humanities education.”
Organizations represented at the event included Bembe Drum and Dance, Woodland Pattern, All Hands Boat Works, and Running Rebels, among others.
“We have such a wonderful range that really celebrates the diversity that is the arts and humanities,” Holmes said. “We have Bembe Drum and Dance, they’re drumming for us and dancing on stage right now. We have Woodland Pattern, who does poetry with young people in Milwaukee. We have organizations that help build boats with young people, All Hands Boat Works, really just an incredible range.”
Students can sign up for the programs through Milwaukee Recreation, which connects them with partner organizations that run programming both in schools and at their own locations. Holmes said an arts internship for high schoolers is planned for the summer.
“This summer, we’ll be doing an arts internship for older kids, high schoolers to be engaged in arts, so it really is just like a really wonderful diversity of experiences,” Holmes said.
Information about Milwaukee Recreation programs is available through the organization’s printed guides, which are mailed to Milwaukee residents. Residents are encouraged to pick up the guides and explore opportunities for their children to get involved.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Quincy Street isn’t just at the center of Art-A-Whirl, it’s at the heart of the Arts District in northeast Minneapolis. The road itself, however, is falling apart. And the only thing bumpier than the exposed brick is the reaction to the city’s plans to fix it.
“It’s known as like the most quirky, cobblestoney, potholey street,” said Kristin Olson, owner of Studio Q.
She and others working along the street have come to appreciate its crumbling characteristics. It forces cars to drive slowly, which is helpful given the amount of foot traffic in the area.
It’s also the very reason city leaders want to remake it.
Recent project renderings include adding sidewalks and trails to improve accessibility. Putting in a new road will help fix drainage issues. The city even wants to use bricks instead of asphalt to retain the area’s image.
“Totally hear that and understand it and we also want that, but the rest of the street is working as is,” said Olson.
Her studio has three private parking spots that her clients rely on.
The road project would convert private parking along Quincy Street into public parking, a major sticking point for artists needing direct access to their vehicles outside their studios.
“We save those for people who have mobility needs or people who are bringing in a lot of equipment,” said Olson.
Many of her clients have multiple vehicles for photoshoots at her studio.
“If we as a studio don’t have access to these three spots for our teams, those clients are going somewhere else,” she said.
The fight to keep Quincy Street’s character has been going on for a few years, with the pushback ramping up as the 2027 construction date nears. The latest renderings include loading zones for the businesses along the street, but artists like Charlie Haumersen don’t feel it’s enough.
“Just having access to the building is really important,” Haumerson said.
He, and many of the tenants on the block, also worry the city’s desire for change will have ramifications beyond just the road.
“We think of it as sort of a form of cultural erasure. Even though we’re just building a street, it might pave the way artists to have to leave,” he said.
Olson is hopeful that the city will slow down its plans and continue to come up with solutions that find a middle ground with the neighbors. It’s unclear if the city plans to make further changes to its latest redesign.
Tonight, on Beyond the Bricks with Jake Query and Mike Thomsen, they look back at the 1972 Indy 500, featuring record speeds and Jim Malloy.
In the second segment, they continue to look back at the 1972 Indy 500 with the Mystery Eagle and the misfortunes of Wally Dallenbach.
Then to wrap up another edition of the show, they continue to look back at the 1972 Indy 500 with Mark Donohue taking the win.
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