Anti-Olympics, Pro-Clinics Protest Tomorrow

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Feb 9, 2009 10:40PM

STOP (Southside Together Organizing for Power) is holding a protest tomorrow morning to protest the closing of several mental health facilities and the city's 2016 Olympics bid. The organization is calling for the protest to begin at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the mayor's office (121 N. LaSalle - 5th Floor). According to STOP's website:

Mayor Daley is violating a 2006 City Council Resolution by trying to close a third of the City's mental health clinics, all of which are in black and latino communities on the south side. The Mayor points his finger at the State, who deserves part of the blame for under-funding mental health, but with $50 million to be spent just advertising the Olympic Bid and millions available from the recent parking meter sales, the Mayor has the power to keep these clinics open while we fight for a more permanent and comprehensive solution to funding mental health services in Chicago.

This latest example of anti-Olympics sentiment comes as a new Trib poll found that support for the games is beginning to weaken, but only ever-so-slightly. According to the poll, the approval rate for hosting the games stands at 64 percent while the no-games contingent is at 28 percent. More telling is this: "An overwhelming 75 percent of those surveyed said they would disapprove of using tax dollars to cover Olympic costs. More than half, 54 percent, said they don't believe Mayor Daley's pledge that private money will cover expenses."