MAYFAIR — Plans to connect residents of the Gompers Park homeless encampment with stable housing have been delayed – and a sports league for kids may now leave the park due to safety concerns.
Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th), whose ward includes Gompers Park, said she was originally told the city would be conducting an Accelerated Moving Event, or AME, at the Far Northwest Side park starting the week of Feb. 24. Now, she’s being told by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office that the move will be delayed due to President Donald Trump’s attempts to freeze federal funding, Nugent said.
Since Jan. 30, there have been three fires at the park, 4222 W. Foster Ave., including one that destroyed a portion of the fence along Foster Avenue, Nugent said. A neighbor’s dog was also recently attacked by an off-leash pit bull in the park. The incident was the second time a dog matching that description has attacked another dog at Gompers in recent months, Nugent said…