Chicago’s Gompers Park/ Image: Video screenshot via FOX 32 Chicago
Not satisfied with destroying Chicago, Democrats in the state want to make sure all Illinoisans suffer. A new bill would override local laws and force access for homeless encampments in all public parks.
Wirepoints notes that under House Bill 1429, the Local Regulation of Unsheltered Homelessness Act, local towns, park districts, cities, forest preserves, and all other municipalities of any kind “would have their home rule authority on the matter stripped away.”
Per Wirepoints:
It’s House Bill 1429, the Local Regulation of Unsheltered Homelessness Act, which says local governments wouldn’t be able to establish or enforce a rule fining or criminally punishing homeless people for participating in “life sustaining activities.”
But “life sustaining activities,” under the bill’s definition, means most anything people routinely do. It would include, but not be limited to, “moving, resting, sitting, standing, lying down, sleeping, protecting oneself from the elements, eating, drinking 5(excluding alcohol), and storing personal property as needed to shelter oneself.”
The bill has 31 sponsors, and they all have one thing in common…they are all Democrats.
The Restore Gompers Park Coalition, which opposes the bill, notes, “Public parks are not a permanent place to live. They do not have the infrastructure to support basic human needs. Gompers Park became a permanent place to live for over two years to an encampment of unhoused individuals. It limited the public’s access, caused public safety risks with illegal activity, and destruction to the environment.”
“There was illegal drug use, with used needles discarded throughout the park, prostitution, battery, fires, hidden weapons and knives found in trees and bushes, extensive shoplifting at nearby stores, threatening behavior, lewd conduct and indecent exposure, excessive garbage, debris and human waste, and a pit bull kept off leash by someone in the encampment that viscously attacked 3 dogs.”
“There were over 21 fires at Gompers Park during this time which required Chicago Fire Department to extinguish. The public safety risk posed around the little league baseball diamond threatened to have all games moved to surrounding parks.
When public spaces are allowed to become permanent places to live these images demonstrate what can be the result. Once the Accelerated Moving Event occurred and the unhoused were paired with housing and support services, the work to restore Gompers Park began.”
The group also shared a gallery of photos showing the reality residents are facing.
Local radio host Jeanne Ives lays out the reality of the bill.
“If HB 1429 becomes law, it would turn public spaces in Illinois into homeless encampments. The bill allows the homeless to occupy playgrounds, parkways, forest preserves, your neighborhood park, or other public places indefinitely. The homeless would be allowed to eat, drink, relax, sleep, and do other life-sustaining activity in the parks.”
“They are even allowed to store their personal property there. The bill says authorities are allowed to request that homeless move in order to allow access to others, or if there’s a scheduled event, but could only be removed if, in cases of emergencies, the homeless were a problem. That would be imminent death or severe injury or destruction of property.”
“If that were to occur, then a homeless person could be removed. But before removal, authorities would have to give a 3-day notice and offer them transportation, social services, and other resources to solve their housing needs. But let’s be clear, the homeless are already offered help through multiple nonprofits and social service agencies. Just one grant in this year’s state budget will spend $27 million on homeless prevention.”
“Another grant, the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program, will spend over $90 million. And that’s just two of the many homeless and housing grant programs.”
“Maybe the Democrats should assess the effectiveness of those grants before letting the homeless take over parks. Most homelessness is the result of people with deep mental health or drug problems. Allowing them to overrun public parks doesn’t help them, and it destroys any goodwill between the community and those in need.”
“HB 1429 is opposed by mayors and managers across the state, the chiefs of police, the sheriffs’ association, and various local governments, including park districts and forest preserves.”
“The bill defies common sense.”
Contact your state legislator and tell them to vote no on HB 1429. I’m Jeanne Ives. Check out breakthrough-ideas.com for more information.”
Another stupid bill – the IL Democrats want to turn your public park into a homeless encampment. Meanwhile they spend hundreds of millions on homeless prevention. pic.twitter.com/fwol9ERzCF
— Jeanne Ives (@JeanneIves) April 18, 2026
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