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BILL NO. 26-16
<br /> RESOLUTION NO. 5173-26
<br /> A RESOLUTION OF THE SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL ACKNOWLEDGING THE
<br /> HISTORY OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION,ENVIRONMENTAL HARM,
<br /> DISINVESTMENT,AND INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION IMPACTING THE LASALLE PARK
<br /> NEIGHBORHOOD, AND FORMALLY APOLOGIZING TO THE RESIDENTS AND
<br /> FAMILIES OF THE COMMUNITY
<br /> WHEREAS, the LaSalle Park Neighborhood in the City of South Bend has historically
<br /> been home to a significant Black community that contributed greatly to the social, cultural,
<br /> political and economic life of the city; and
<br /> WHEREAS, residents of the LaSalle Park Neighborhood experienced decades of racial
<br /> discrimination, redlining, unequal public investment, housing segregation, and environmental
<br /> injustice that negatively impacted the health, safety, stability, social and economic opportunities
<br /> of the community; and
<br /> WHEREAS, industrial dumping, contamination, and pollution associated with nearby
<br /> industrial activity caused longstanding concerns regarding environmental quality, public health,
<br /> and neighborhood wellbeing in and around the LaSalle Park and Beck's Lake area; and
<br /> WHEREAS, generations of residents raised concerns regarding environmental
<br /> contamination, neighborhood decline, public disinvestment, and unequal treatment, while often
<br /> feeling unheard or excluded from decision-making processes affecting their community; and
<br /> WHEREAS, redlining, racial covenants, and unfair loan practices relegated Black people
<br /> to certain areas of the city, including LaSalle Park; and
<br /> WHEREAS, other governmental bodies and officials in our region of Indiana have
<br /> formally acknowledged and/or apologized for histories of racial discrimination, including the
<br /> City of Goshen, Indiana's 2015 resolution recognizing its history as a "sundown town," where
<br /> people of color faced threats of harm after sunset, and the unanimous 2020 declaration by the St.
<br /> Joseph County Board of Health recognizing racism as a public health crisis; and
<br /> WHEREAS, by passage of this resolution, the City of South Bend joins similar efforts
<br /> lead by Mayors and local leaders across the United States in cities like Evanston (Illinois),
<br /> Chicago (Illinois), Asheville (North Carolina), Boston (Massachusetts), Kansas City (Missouri),
<br /> San Francisco (California), Tulsa (Oklahoma), among others, in acknowledging harms
<br /> committed against Black communities and seeking forms of repair; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the City of South Bend recognizes the importance of acknowledging
<br /> historical harms and the lasting impacts of environmental racism and systemic inequities on
<br /> Black residents; and
<br /> WHEREAS, acknowledging historical injustice is an important step toward healing,
<br /> accountability,reconciliation,and building a more just and equitable future for all residents.
<br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SOUTH BEND COMMON
<br /> COUNCIL:
<br /> SECTION I. The South Bend Common Council formally acknowledges the history of
<br /> racial discrimination, redlining, environmental harm, disinvestment, and industrial pollution
<br /> impacting the LaSalle Park Neighborhood and its residents.
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