A Group Of Chicago Residents Are Starving Themselves To Save A School
A dozen protestors have been on a hunger strike since August 17
A group of Chicago residents finished the 11th day of a hunger strike Thursday in an attempt to move the Chicago School Board to make a decision over the fate of a local school, Dyett High School.
The group of 12 has been going without solid food since Aug. 17, even after medical professionals expressed concern for their health.
While Dyett was once slated to close, the Chicago School Board is now set to weigh plans to reconstitute the school, although this process has been rife with delays. The protestors -- part of the Coalition to Revitalize Dyett High School -- want the board not only to take immediate action, but also to accept their proposal to reopen the school as a district-run one that focuses on science.
The hunger strike has so far caused two protestors, Jeanette Taylor-Ramann and Irene Robinson, to spend time in the hospital. Both protestors still intend to forgo food for the indefinite future, fellow protestor Jitu Brown told The Huffington Post.
As a result of these health issues, a group of medical professionals urged Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to intervene.
"We consider the current situation to be a deepening health emergency in our city," said a letter from a group of medical professionals delivered to the mayor Thursday, per DNAinfo. "It is one you can abate by reaching out to the strikers, entertaining their grievances and accepting their proposal."
As of Thursday afternoon, the mayor had still not reached out to protestors. A request for comment from his office was not returned.
In 2013, Emanuel closed 49 Chicago schools that were underutilized and academically low-performing -- a move that angered many local residents and advocates for neighborhood A Group Of Chicago Residents Are Starving Themselves To Save A School:
