SUBSTITUTE ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6 (a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including the powers to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety and welfare of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City of Chicago to take proactive measures in addressing the growing number of sulfuric acid attacks; and
WHEREAS, these attacks damage our families and hinder the progress of our neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, acid attacks are common occurrences in Cambodia, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and are on the rise in the United States; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, there have been at least five assaults with caustic substances across the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, when human flesh comes into contact with sulfuric acid, it causes the skin tissue to melt, often exposing the bones below the flesh, sometimes even dissolving the bone; and
WHEREAS, acid attacks of the eye can cause permanent damage; and
WHEREAS, scars left by sulfuric acid cause much more than just skin problems; victims can suffer psychological trauma or social isolation; and
WHEREAS, Esperanza Medina was attacked by sulfuric acid when leaving her Logan Square apartment one morning in July 2008; and
WHEREAS, sulfuric acid, thrown at her by teenagers burned her arms, back, neck, and face; and
WHEREAS, within minutes the acid had destroyed about a quarter of her skin, turning it into a dry, hard leather; and
WHEREAS, Ofelia Garcia and Maria Olvera-Garcia hired the three teenagers to throw sulfuric acid at Ms. Medina because she was dating their ex-boyfriend, the teens have plead guilty; and
WHEREAS, on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, Garcia and Olvera-Garcia were found guilty of heinous battery; and
WHEREAS, on May 25, 2006, Karli Butler...
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