By Irene Romulo

As of April 30th, the Town of Cicero has 1029 confirmed COVID-19 cases, ranking our Town as the Cook County suburb with the highest number of confirmed cases.

Latinx, Black and native people are disproportionately impacted and on the frontlines of this pandemic. We have the highest number of infection rates and casualties, not because we are careless but because of longstanding inequalities that increase our chances of contracting COVID-19 and because we compose a large number of the “essential” workers who receive little to no protections, benefits, or social safety nets.

My dad is one of the “essential workers” that contracted COVID-19 and I am distraught at Cicero officials who have blamed the Latinx community for these high numbers instead of addressing the systematic, institutional injustices that have contributed to such high infection rates.

Lack of Access to Spanish Language Resources

Spanish language mailer from the Town of Cicero with several misspellings.

Susan Grazzini, Cicero Public Health Director told WTTW Chicago, “There are certain areas where we have more COVID-19 (cases). It's more places that are overcrowded, language is part of the problem, we have a lot of Spanish-speaking (residents).”

It’s not that we speak Spanish. It’s that Spanish-language resources and news have always been a second thought. No local board meetings offer any interpretation services so that people can be adequately informed and engaged not just about the coronavirus pandemic but about the well-being of our community in general.

Grazzini also said that all the COVID-19 information “goes out in Spanish.” But letters the Town sent to families impacted by COVID-19 were in English. The letters had some information on programs run by the Laramie Salvation Army, but none of that was available in Spanish.

Still, it’s going to take a lot more than one translated flyer to address the years of disenfranchisement Spanish-speaking communities have experienced.

We are Living with Poverty Wages

Another Town of Cicero official, Dominick Buscemi of the Town’s Emergency Operations Center, said, “I think it’s due to the demographics of the town, so many people in such a close proximity, so many people living in a three-flat and things like that.”

Low-paying jobs mean that people often have to live in overcrowded places just to be able to afford rent. With 20 percent of Cicero residents living below the poverty line, it is not uncommon that people have to pool their money together to afford housing and survive.

When Cook County raised its minimum wage in 2017, the Town of Cicero opted out of the ordinance, allowing Cicero businesses to keep paying workers $8.25 an hour. The Town blames us for living with multiple people but allows companies to keep exploiting our labor.

Our Jobs are Not Safe

My dad is one of those essential workers who continued going to his job for fear of losing the very job he obtained after struggling for years to find permanent employment.

He did not contract COVID-19 because we live in a three-flat household or because we only speak Spanish at home. He contracted it because his workplace did not give him proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), decrease the production levels he had to meet, or enforce physical distancing.

There are approximately 36,000 people in Cicero like my dad who are employed in essential jobs like manufacturing, retail and food service industry. They often do not have a choice but to go to work despite the dangers.

Bimbo Bakery for example, is not the only workplace in Cicero where workers have alleged safety violations.

On April 28th, workers at the United Scrap Metal factory on 16th St. and Cicero Ave., a consistent donor to President Larry Dominick’s political organization, walked out because of lack of protective equipment. They claim that one of their co-workers recently died from COVID-19 and others have tested positive. In response, United Scrap offered them one mask.

No Access to Public Safety Net

The Town’s statements have also ignored that at least 18,000 people in Cicero are undocumented immigrants who don’t qualify for government aid and health insurance. Fear of deportation leads many to not enroll in health coverage for their U.S. citizen children who are eligible.

Places where uninsured people can receive health care, like community health centers, are often limited in services they offer. To make matters worse, the Town does not offer, nor have they announced seeking, COVID-19 testing or screening services at its health center.

Many of us received federal stimulus checks that granted us the financial security to stay home from work but undocumented immigrants didn’t get this check, even if they had U.S. citizen children. Nor are they able to get unemployment benefits from the state. This forces many people in Cicero to continue working in unsafe conditions and take public transit to work. Instead of offering cash assistance to people regardless of citizenship, like the City of Chicago did, the Town has done nothing to help us feel more financially secure and prioritize our health.

Environmental Risk Factors

People living in Cicero are at high risk for cancer, lung disease and other health problems linked to toxic chemicals pouring from the industries that make up much of our Town including the rail yards. Local groups, like Ixchel, have for years struggled to bring these environmental issues to the forefront.

Particulate matter from these places can cause people who breathe them in to suffer from asthma and other respiratory and cardiac diseases. New studies are finding that this particulate matter could be a reason why the coronavirus is spreading in communities with high pollution levels and why people who live in these areas are more likely to die if they contract COVID-19.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Cicero is an environmental justice community with high risk of pollutants that disproportionately target poor communities of color. Our water and air quality are significantly compromised making us all more susceptible to illnesses including COVID-19.

What We Need

Screenshot of a since deleted Facebook post shared on April 28th, by Frank J Aguilar, Cicero’s new representative on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

At this time we need leadership that will address the systematic inequalities that have led our communities to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. We do not need elected officials who rely on thinly veiled racial attacks or who will spread misinformation.

Frank Aguilar Jr., who was recently appointed to be Cicero’s representative on the Cook County Board, shared an article on Facebook that falsely said COVID-19 was created in a laboratory.

This article was published by the Dr. Rath Health Foundation, run by Matthias Rath whose research and treatments have been criticized by health organizations all over the world for running illegal trials and advocating fake treatments for HIV/AIDS. The paper that originally advanced the theory that COVID-19 was created in a Chinese lab has since been retracted.

Promoting this theory at a time when Asian Americans in the U.S. are facing racist attacks is irresponsible and we should expect more of our government officials.

The Town of Cicero should provide immediate financial assistance to all residents impacted by COVID-19 regardless of immigration status, ensure that all employers are following proper safety procedures and informing workers of their right to paid sick leave, increase the minimum wage, address industrial pollution, work with elected officials to bring free testing to our area and ensure that translation is available for all services.

We cannot return to a normal where our lives have so easily been devalued. Now is the chance for Town of Cicero officials to show true leadership and follow the community members who have been demanding better living conditions for years.

Irene Romulo is a contributing reporter and editor at Cicero Independiente. An editorial gives an opinion on a timely issue.