Chicago mayor eliminates all funding for urban Indian center

Tuesday, August 14, 2012  

The once-thriving American Indian Center of Chicago has lost all of its city funding.

The center received $45,000 last year. But Mayor Rahm Emanuel eliminated all funds this year for failing to meet performance goals, a spokesperson said.

"We're not asking for a half-million dollars or even what other agencies get," executive director Joe Podlasek told The Chicago Tribune. "But you can't just eliminate a race of people."

Nearly 50,000 people who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native live in the Chicago area. Their numbers have rapidly increased over the last decade even as services for urban Indians have been eliminated due to local, state and federal budget cuts.

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