Chicago‘s Ward remapping process has been getting a great deal of publicity lately, as African-American Aldermen and Hispanic Aldermen fight over how the wards can be remapped in order to provide for more representation for their respective groups.
One fact that is being neglected, is that factors such as a common language can be taken into account in order to define a certain unified group of people, but among Hispanics, there is only unity in language, because Puerto Ricans and Mexicans (not to mention other Central and South American groups) are culturally different people.
In early November, Alderman Richard Mell, Chairman of the Chicago City Council Rules Committee, discussed the ward remapping process, and in discussing the groups of people who would be arguing their cases, he specifically mentioned the Chinese-American Community: The initial hearings, Mell said, allow community groups, block clubs and even parishes to make it clear they don’t want to be divided by ward boundaries. “Chinatown’s going to come, that one I guarantee ya, and say ‘we all wanna be in one ward,’ ” he said. (City Council schedules ward remap hearings, Nov. 1, 2011, by Hal Dardick, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-01/news/chi-city-council-schedules-ward-remap-hearings-20111101_1_majority-black-wards-ward-boundaries-remap)
Mell was referring to the fact that the Chinese-American Community is very vociferous in standing up for the rights of its citizens in matters concerning their representation. It is most unfortunate that we Poles do not similarly stand up for ourselves, and this trend must be reversed. We must stand up for what’s ours.
The issue of ward remapping has not yet been resolved at the City Council, but there has been no interest on the part of those involved to see that we Poles are represented. As a matter of fact, the maps of both the African-American and Hispanic Aldermen are the same in regard to the division of the northwest side Polish-American Community. If this situation persists, we must, and we will, take whatever action is necessary to fight it.
Those interested in joining in this fight should call me, Walter Zarnecki,
at 773-772-0194.
Sincerely,
Walter Zarnecki
35th Ward Republican Committeeman
www.ward35gop.com
2707 N. Drake Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647-1234
1-773-772-0194