Woodlawn Mental Health Center Protests Continue
By aaroncynic in News on Apr 24, 2012 6:20PM
Police once again moved in on another encampment made in front of the Woodlawn Mental Health Clinic to clear it, arresting 10 more people last night. Supporters and several religious leaders gathered in the vacant lot across from the clinic in the afternoon to hold a vigil where some activists have been keeping a round the clock presence for nearly two weeks. Protesters also set up some new tents, had live music and a barbeque during the early evening.
Soon after, the fire department moved in to put out the grill demonstrators had been using and around 11 p.m., police moved in to once again clear the camp, making ten more arrests which included at least two more patients of the clinic on grounds that demonstrators were trespassing on city property. Pastor Anthony Willims of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in south suburban Robbins however, asserted that the lot is legally the property of a church in the area he used to lead and demonstrators could stay, according to the Chicago Maroon.
Protesters have been demanding the city amend the budget to keep open the clinic in Woodlawn along with 5 others already closed or slated for closure. Shortly before he was arrested for a second time, Horace Howard, a senior citizen and patient said via press release “Where are our priorities? The clinic closings are already a disaster. We tried to become a part of the process, but the city refuses to give us access.” Activists from the Mental Health Movement, who have been leading the protests, have said the repercussions from the closures are already being felt. Already, 18 patients who can no longer access neighborhood care have been hospitalized or admitted to psychiatric wards.