Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Wednesday night at 7 PM, the Land Use Commission voted 7 - 0...unanimous...to NOT recommend Popeye’s application at Dempster & Dodge.
The people came out. Not just adults, but our youth, who said plain and simple: they want healthier options they can walk to. Not another fried fast-food chain steps away from ETHS.
The testimony was powerful. Residents spoke about health disparities. Parents spoke about the corner already being flooded with fast food. Practitioners at Heartwood Center warned that their work, and their jobs, would be at risk because their clients won’t come back if their healing spaces reek of grease and exhaust.
But here’s the part that cannot be ignored: the only reason this hearing even happened is because the community fought for it. Councilmember Krissie Harris had committed to sending this to Land Use, then pulled back. Residents had to push and demand their right to be heard. That’s not democracy. That’s gatekeeping.
Meanwhile, some argued Popeye’s should go in because the City wants tax dollars. Let’s be real: the City will get tax revenue from whoever fills that space. The issue is what kind of business Evanston chooses to welcome. With the City’s own reports showing devastating health disparities in the 2nd and 5th wards, piling another fast food chain on top of McDonald’s and Burger King is not just careless...it’s dangerous.
And let’s talk about what we saw in that room. What I observed raised concerns among residents. Some staff appeared to act in ways that seemed to prioritize the franchise applicant over residents’ voices. Why? What do they gain if Popeye’s goes in? And if they don’t even live in Evanston, why should they get to act like our voices matter less than a corporation’s?
As one resident said, Popeye’s wouldn’t even get past the idea stage in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, or 7th wards. So why is the 2nd ward expected to accept what other wards would instantly reject? That’s not equity. That’s exploitation.
Leadership can’t claim to support reparations for Black residents while ignoring the fight for their health. Health is reparations. Humanity is reparations. To separate the two is to betray the very people you say you stand for.
Yes, the Commission said no. But don’t forget: Land Use also said no to rezoning Ryan Field for concerts and Mayor Daniel Biss, along with a bloc of councilmembers, steamrolled the people’s will. Now the 7th ward will have concerts and traffic whether residents want it or not. Thank Daniel Biss and his loyalists for ignoring the Land Use recommendation on that one.
The truth is, we’ll celebrate when 4 Suns Juice and the Food Hall have their ribbon cutting, when children are lined up with joy because their community leaders chose health and humanity over dollar signs. These businesses will also bring in tax revenue...without slowly killing the very people spending their money there. That’s what real investment in a community looks like.
The community deserves leaders who don’t just talk about justice but actually demonstrate it with their actions.
Watch the clip. Ask the questions. See for yourself.
#Evanston #LandUse #CommunityVoice #ForThePeople #4SunsJuice #MeleikaGardner #DanielBiss #KrissieHarris #Popeyes
Wednesday night at 7 PM, the Land Use Commission voted 7 - 0...unanimous...to NOT recommend Popeye’s application at Dempster & Dodge.
The people came out. Not just adults, but our youth, who said plain and simple: they want healthier options they can walk to. Not another fried fast-food chain steps away from ETHS.
The testimony was powerful. Residents spoke about health disparities. Parents spoke about the corner already being flooded with fast food. Practitioners at Heartwood Center warned that their work, and their jobs, would be at risk because their clients won’t come back if their healing spaces reek of grease and exhaust.
But here’s the part that cannot be ignored: the only reason this hearing even happened is because the community fought for it. Councilmember Krissie Harris had committed to sending this to Land Use, then pulled back. Residents had to push and demand their right to be heard. That’s not democracy. That’s gatekeeping.
Meanwhile, some argued Popeye’s should go in because the City wants tax dollars. Let’s be real: the City will get tax revenue from whoever fills that space. The issue is what kind of business Evanston chooses to welcome. With the City’s own reports showing devastating health disparities in the 2nd and 5th wards, piling another fast food chain on top of McDonald’s and Burger King is not just careless...it’s dangerous.
And let’s talk about what we saw in that room. What I observed raised concerns among residents. Some staff appeared to act in ways that seemed to prioritize the franchise applicant over residents’ voices. Why? What do they gain if Popeye’s goes in? And if they don’t even live in Evanston, why should they get to act like our voices matter less than a corporation’s?
As one resident said, Popeye’s wouldn’t even get past the idea stage in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, or 7th wards. So why is the 2nd ward expected to accept what other wards would instantly reject? That’s not equity. That’s exploitation.
Leadership can’t claim to support reparations for Black residents while ignoring the fight for their health. Health is reparations. Humanity is reparations. To separate the two is to betray the very people you say you stand for.
Yes, the Commission said no. But don’t forget: Land Use also said no to rezoning Ryan Field for concerts and Mayor Daniel Biss, along with a bloc of councilmembers, steamrolled the people’s will. Now the 7th ward will have concerts and traffic whether residents want it or not. Thank Daniel Biss and his loyalists for ignoring the Land Use recommendation on that one.
The truth is, we’ll celebrate when 4 Suns Juice and the Food Hall have their ribbon cutting, when children are lined up with joy because their community leaders chose health and humanity over dollar signs. These businesses will also bring in tax revenue...without slowly killing the very people spending their money there. That’s what real investment in a community looks like.
The community deserves leaders who don’t just talk about justice but actually demonstrate it with their actions.
Watch the clip. Ask the questions. See for yourself.
#Evanston #LandUse #CommunityVoice #ForThePeople #4SunsJuice #MeleikaGardner #DanielBiss #KrissieHarris #Popeyes
