The board members of the McKinley Park Development Council express solidarity with Neighbors for Environmental Justice (N4EJ) and support their work to protect the air and water our neighborhood shares.

Recently released data illustrates that many neighbors have filed complaints against MAT Asphalt to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. These complaints originate from all over the neighborhood, and we stand by all our neighbors who have filed complaints against MAT Asphalt.

We also believe our neighbors are entitled to their privacy in filing such complaints. A local, for-profit blog - sponsored in part by MAT Asphalt - has seemingly made attempts to identify the individual sources of complaints, particularly seeking to link them to members of N4EJ. Actions like these serve to intimidate community members for voicing their concerns, which we find deeply troubling.

Our mission is to collectively foster economic, cultural, and social development for the benefit of the McKinley Park neighborhood - all of which depends upon the health and safety of the environment and our residents. We stand firmly in support of environmental justice here and everywhere.