Chicago Center Hosts Olympic Bid Panel

Panelists: Denise Dixon, Action Now Executive Director; Glenn Reedus, Chicago Media Money Monetizer; Dr. Stephen Alexander, Sr. Research Fellow Depaul Univeristy; Tom Tresser, No Games Chicago

Scott Chesebro, Chicago Center Executive Director introduces 2016 Chicago Olympic Bid Panel to Chicago Center students and community members.

As the International Olympics Committee leaves Chicago and heads to Tokyo (Japan), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Madrid (Spain), Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture congregated a panel of Community leaders and activists to discuss the impact of Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics on neighborhoods and communities.

Action Now Executive Director, Denise Dixon has fought for a community benefits agreement (CBA) to be passed by City Hall. This legally binding agreement would insure that a portion of jobs, housing, and minority contracts for neighborhood residents would be allocated. Currently, City Council has decided against approving this legal agreement.

Panelist: Dr. Stephen Alexander, Sr. Research Fellow Olympic Study Group DePaul University

Dixon is not opposed to the 2016 Olympics being held in Chicago but asks, “Is he [Mayor Daley] going to sell out the people of Chicago in the communities where the venues are to be held?”

Chicago Center Executive Director, Scott Chesebro states “these issues are exactly why there is need for a community based forum where an assortment of voices can be heard and a discussion can take place on the benefits and the drawbacks that Chicago faces if granted the 2016 Olympic bid.”

Chicago Center is an Urban Education program which provides college students from across the country with internships and seminars designed to broaden their understanding of complex issues and increase their effectiveness as citizens. For forty years Chicago Center has prided themselves on a ‘first-voice’ pedagogy that encourages their students to hear the diverse voices that are represented in Chicago.

This event was for Chicago Center students and was also open to the public and the media.