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WOODLAWN Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke enthusiastically about supporting South Shore residents in their fight against displacement during a housing summit this weekend.

However, the mayor shared few details on how hell throw his weight behind a set of housing protections proposed for the neighborhood, as supporters push to pass them before the Obama Presidential Center opens.

Several hundred people gathered Saturday for the second annual community benefits agreement summit at Hyde Park Academy High School, 6220 S. Stony Island Ave. in Woodlawn.

The summit was organized by members of the Obama CBA Coalition, who for nearly a decade have organized for anti-displacement policies in neighborhoods surrounding the Obama Center.

Summit attendees rallied in support of passing the South Shore Housing Preservation Ordinance, which has stalled for months in City Councils housing committee after being introduced in October. The ordinance would, among other points:

To read theordinance,click here. A one-page brief is availablehere.

Nearly90 percent of voters across nine 5th Ward precinctsnear the Obama Center site supported an anti-displacement ordinance in a non-binding referendum last February. A similar referendum in 2019 wasoverwhelmingly approved by votersin several 5th and 20th ward precincts.

The CBA Coalition has focused its efforts on South Shore since 2021, following a successful campaign which secured housing protections for Woodlawn in 2020.

The mayor repeatedly encouraged coalition members to grow their movement beyond the voices that are already convinced of the need for affordable housing and other protections, he said.

As much as there are real examples of harm that has been administered to our people by previous [mayoral] administrations, they did have some help from some of our people, Johnson said. Some of those individuals need to be organized.

This fight requires a far more robust, energetic [and] broader coalition, because what we do right for South Shore becomes the model for preventing displacement across the South and West sides, he said.

The Obama Center is expected to open in 2026. When asked whether he would commit to pushing the South Shore ordinance through council by 2025, Johnson took a long way of saying yes, he said. The mayor offered few details as he mostly repeated his points about winning over skeptics.

Of course Im down with the fight, but we need more hands swinging, Johnson said. My commitment to fighting alongside you has to be tethered to growing our fight.

During the summit, Johnson highlighted his push to expand a program offering free legal counsel to low-income Chicagoans in eviction court, which began in 2022 and is funded for three years using $8 million of federal COVID-19 relief.

The South Shore ordinance would create an Office of the Tenant Advocate that would similarly represent tenants in court and administrative cases at its discretion, among other functions. The office would start as a two-year pilot program in South Shore, then expand to a citywide office, according to the proposal.

The mayor also touted the South Shore Condo Preservation Pilot Program, a $15 million pilot program passed in 2022 to support residents of shared-ownership housing in South Shore.

Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th) introduced the South Shore Housing Preservation Ordinance in October with support from Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), the latter of whom was crucial in passing the 2020 Woodlawn housing ordinance.

After several speeches from South Shore residents who shared their experiences of being priced out of the neighborhood in recent years, the alderpeople called on City Council to quickly pass the ordinance. The neighbors stories show how gentrification and displacement are already taking place while the Obama Center is built, they said.

Yancy echoed Johnsons points on the need for continued community work, as the mayors commitment is not enough to pass the ordinance, Yancy said. We need 26 [City Council] votes, he said.

The alderperson also referenced his alleged unprovoked assault by housing committee vice chair and fellow South Shore Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th) in February. The conflict was sparked by a disagreement over the ordinance proposal, which would affect 10 precincts in Mitchells ward, Yancy told the Sun-Times.

Frankly, there are Black aldermen who dont believe that we need affordable housing in our community, Yancy said Saturday. There are Black aldermen who dont believe that we need pathways to homeownership in our community. There are Black aldermen who dont believe that Black people should be in South Shore.

Yancy urged the council to pass the ordinance by September. If its not passed before budget season kicks into full gear, its a wrap for this year, he said.

The pressure is on now, Yancy said.

Coalition members vowed during the summit to continue their fight against displacement in South Shore and beyond. They asked supporters to attend upcoming council meetings and demand their alderpeople back the ordinance.

We wont stop until everyone is able to afford to stay, who wants to stay, until there are no more evictions by greedy landlords, [and] until our continued existence on the South Side right next to the Obama Center is a public right and no longer in danger, coalition member and Woodlawn resident Margaret Brewer said.

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Mayor Vows To Support South Shore Housing Protections Near Obama Center, But Is Light On Details - Block Club Chicago

Auma Obama, the half-sister of former President Barack Obama, was hit with tear gas during a live interview amid the protests in Nairobi, Kenya.

On June 25, CNN International correspondent Larry Madowo spoke with Auma during violent protests in Kenya, which included police firing live rounds and tear gas on protesters attempting to storm Parliament to protest legislation known as Finance Bill 2024.

The bill would raise an additional $2.7 billion in taxes at a time when many Kenyan citizens are struggling with poverty.

At least five people were killed in clashes with police, and dozens more had been injured.

Im here because look at whats happening, Auma told Madowo. Young Kenyans, who are demonstrating for their rights, theyre demonstrating with flags and banners.

I cant even see anymore! she added. Theyre being tear-gassed!

She started coughing along with the other activists around her while tear gas filled the air.

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Barack Obamas Sister, Auma Obama, Hit With Tear Gas During Live Interview Amid Protests In Kenya - imdb

Auma Obama (half-sister of former US president Barack Obama) attends the Goldene Bild der Frau award at Hamburg Cruise Center on October 21, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. Photo: Isa Foltin/WireImage ( Getty Images )

As the 7 Days of Rage in Kenya continues to go on in response to a recently passed tax hike as a part of the Finance Bill 2024 that prompted outrage from Kenyans, former President Barack Obamas half-sister and activist Auma Obama was unfortunately caught in the crossfire.

Susan Heyward on Season Four of The Boys

In live footage aired on Tuesday on CNN, Auma was seen being teargassed alongside a group of protestors out in the streets. When initially approached for an interview by anchor Larry Madowo live on the ground, Auma and the group were immediately imbued with tear gas, causing them to seek respite elsewhere in order to finish the rest of their conversation.

I am here because look at whats happening, young Kenyans are demonstrating for their rights. Theyre demonstrating with flags and banners, I cant even see anymore. We are being tear gassed, she said in between a coughing fit before she, the anchor, and the group moved away to try to escape the gas.

After a short break to somewhat regain her composure, Auma continued:

I cant believe that these young people are trying to demonstrate for their rights, I came to join them...to tell them that we understand that they need to use their voices and were being tear gassed. Were being tear gassed, we have flags and banners. Nothing else! Nothing else! These young people have nothing else! Just flags and banners, the Kenyan flag. How can you tear gas your own people? Listen to them! Listen to the children, theyre 80 percent of our population. 80percent! If they decided to turn against us, they can! And that is what theyre doing now so please listen to these young people.

As previously reported by the AP, thousands of protestors took to Kenyas parliament to object to the passing of the finance bill, burning part of the building and prompting police involvement. As of Tuesday, five people were reported dead while more than 30 were injured. The Kenya Human Rights Commission has called on Kenyan President William Ruto to put an end to the violence against protestors. The passing of this bill comes amid nationwide frustrations over inflation and high cost of living.

Later on Tuesday, Auma seemed to be fairing OK, telling a user who asked about her well-being on X/Twitter: Thank you for asking, Am good[sic]. She also noted that her half-brother checked in on her to make sure she was good.

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Barack Obama's Half Sister Tear-Gassed at Protest in Kenya - The Root

As protests over an impending tax hike sparked a deadly military response in Kenya, President Barack Obamas half-sister, Auma Obama, was teargassed live on air in the capital.

It happened during an interview with CNN on Tuesday, as she was speaking with correspondent Larry Madowo about the need to listen to the concerns of the mostly young protesters.

Im here because, look at whats happening, Obama told Madowo when asked what had brought her to the streets of Nairobi. Young Kenyans are demonstrating for their rights. They are demonstrating with flags and banners.

Her words were interspersed with bangs in the distance. She then started coughing.

We are being teargassed. We are being teargassed, the Kenyan-British activist gasped as a misty gray cloud enveloped her and the group of protesters she was with.

I cant believe that these are people just trying to demonstrate for their rights, Obama said when she could speak again. Listen to them! Listen to those children! They are 80% of our population!

The protesters, whom Madowo described as mostly Gen Z, are pushing back against strict financial measures being imposed even as prices soar for basic necessities such as food and fuel. They are largely the same base who voted President William Ruto into power on promises of economic relief but who feel betrayed, especially given the backdrop of state corruption and growing inequality.

Elsewhere in the capital, that rage boiled over as some demonstrators set fire to the Parliament building after legislators passed the financial bill. The lawmakers fled through a tunnel, and the flames were put out.

Police opened fire, shooting at least five people dead, according to the Kenya Medical Association and other groups. More than 30 people were wounded, with live bullets striking 13 of them, the groups said in a joint statement.

Ruto, who was not in the country on Tuesday, has two weeks to sign the bill into law.

President Barack Obama had not commented about the incident as of Tuesday afternoon.

With News Wire Services

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Barack Obama's half-sister teargassed live on air during Kenya protests - New York Daily News

Marian Robinson, a homemaker from the South Side of Chicago who became the first presidential in-law in generations to live in the White House after her daughter, Michelle Obama, became first lady of the United States, died May 31 in Chicago. She was 86.

The family announced the death in a statement but did not provide a cause.

Mrs. Robinson, who often was called Mrs. R or the First Grandma, was the daughter of a painter and a stay-at-home mother and became a stay-at-home mother herself at a time when few African American women could afford not to work.

In a small but comfortable home, she raised her daughter, who pursued a career as a lawyer and health-care executive before becoming first lady, and her son, Craig Robinson, who grew up to become a college basketball coach. In later years, Mrs. Robinson also worked as a bank secretary.

Mrs. Robinsons husband, Fraser, was a pump worker at the City of Chicago water plant who suffered from multiple sclerosis and died in 1991. He had been a Democratic Party precinct captain, but his wife had little interest in national politics until her son-in-law, Barack Obama, ran for the White House in 2008.

On election night, Obama described his mother-in-law as having been uncharacteristically emotional as she witnessed his historic election as the first Black president of the United States.

She was sitting next to me, actually, as we were watching returns. And shes like my grandmother was, sort of a no-fuss type of person. And suddenly, she just kind of reached out and she started holding my hand, you know, kind of squeezing it, he said in an interview with CBSs 60 Minutes shortly after Barack Obamas victory over the Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), in November 2008.

And you had this sense of, Well, whats she thinking? For a Black woman who grew up in the 50s, in a segregated Chicago, to watch her daughter become first lady of the United States I think there was that sense across the country. And not unique to African Americans.

Mrs. Robinsons children often described her as a woman who spoke her mind and cherished her privacy. She sought to maintain those traits after agreeing to move with her daughters family into the White House.

Theyre dragging me with them, and Im not that comfortable, she told an interviewer when she left home, but Im doing exactly what you do. You do what has to be done.

The decision drew widespread attention. Mrs. Robinson was the first presidential mother-in-law to live in the White House since Elvira Minnie Doud, Mamie Eisenhowers mother.

Mrs. Robinsons role was helping granddaughters Malia and Sasha Obama adjust to life in the Washington bubble and maintain normalcy.

She rode to school with the girls in Secret Service SUVs and tucked them in at night when their parents schedules kept them from home.

One of my biggest blessings is getting to see my granddaughters grow up before my eyes. My job here is the easiest one of all: I just get to be Grandma, Mrs. Robinson wrote in a 2012 essay published in Essence magazine.

During the time that she lived in the White House, Mrs. Robinson rarely gave interviews and appeared publicly with the Obamas only on holidays and at some cultural events, often when her granddaughters were present.

If somebodys going to be with these kids other than their parents, she once said, it better be me.

Marian Lois Shields, one of seven siblings, was born in Chicago on July 30, 1937. After all their children were born, her parents separated.

Marian attended two years at a teachers college but did not complete the program for financial reasons, her son wrote in a memoir. In her early 20s, she married Fraser Robinson and stressed the importance of education to her children, both of whom graduated from Ivy League schools.

She taught us that you can be open and honest about your own shortcomings and it doesnt necessarily mean your kids are going to adopt them, Michelle Obama once said.

The Robinson family was skeptical when Michelle brought Barack Obama home to introduce him; they had met at the Chicago law office of Sidley Austin and began dating in 1989.

Michelle had been career-focused and showed little interest in settling down. But after their marriage in 1992, the large Chicago-based family brought him into its fold. Barack had few relatives nearby, and the Robinsons threw his birthday parties and became the family with whom he celebrated holidays.

Barack Obama said Mrs. Robinson was an unsung hero in his political trajectory. Had she not quit her job to help care for her granddaughters, Michelle Obama might not have felt comfortable taking on the travel required to support her husbands presidential campaign.

Mrs. Robinson continued to live in the Chicago walk-up that she and Fraser had shared until moving to the White House. There, she lived on the third floor one level up from where Michelles family lived.

Mrs. Robinson described herself as being like most grandmothers. She teased her daughter about her strict rules for Malia and Sasha, including limited television-watching and early bed times.

Ive heard [Michelle] say, Mom, what are you rolling your eyes at? You made us do the same thing, Mrs. Robinson once told the Boston Globe. I dont remember being that bad. It seems like shes just going overboard.

Mrs. Robinson described her approach to grandmothering as: I do everything that grandmothers do that theyre not supposed to.

I have candy, they stay up late they watch TV as long as they want to, well play games until the wee hours, she said.

In addition to her daughter and son, survivors include six grandchildren.

Along with her deep involvement with her family, Mrs. Robinson maintained varied interests. She was in her 50s when she took up running and won gold in the 50-meter and 100-meter races at the 1997 Illinois Senior Olympics. She stopped running after an injury.

If I cant do it fast, Im not doing it, she told Oprah Winfreys magazine in 2007. You dont run just to be running you run to win.

She had not traveled abroad before her son-in-law was elected president and seemed to like tagging along on the first familys official overseas visits. When asked once whether she was enjoying her life in Washington, Mrs. Robinson told Essence, I really am. You want to know why? Because my children are good parents. It makes it very easy to be a grandmother when your children are good parents.

Mrs. Robinson built a busy social calendar that included trips to casinos in Las Vegas and concerts in Washington. At the same time, her low profile gave her a level of anonymity that allowed her to travel without a security detail. If someone recognized her as the mother-in-law of the president, she would often say, I get that a lot.

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Marian Robinson, mother of first lady Michelle Obama, dies at 86 - The Washington Post