RESOLUTION
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 power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, 22,000 people have lost their lives to opioid overdose in the United States; and
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WHEREAS, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health, opioid overdose deaths overdose deaths in Chicago increased 74% from 426 deaths in 2015 to 741 deaths in 2016; and
WHEREAS, the National Safety Council is hosting a memorial to recognize those individuals who fell victim to opioid addiction; and
WHEREAS, the memorial will be erected 1714 N. Damen Avenue, in the Wicker Park neighborhood, and will be open from November 10-16, noon to 8:00 p.m. daily; and
WHEREAS, the memorial aims to provide visitors with a sense of urgency and encourage them to take action in their own lives to help stop opioid addiction and overdose; and
WHEREAS, the memorial was created to give visitors an immersive and powerful representation of this growing epidemic; and
WHEREAS, the opioid crisis has been the subject of both local and media attention and the effects of the crisis have become so severe and widespread that they have been felt by citizens across the City; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Chicago does hereby encourage residents to attend the memorial event created by the National Safety Council in an effort to highlight the detrimental effects of the opioid crisis; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Chicago does hereby recognize the National Safety Council in their efforts to combat the growing opioid epidemic by creating this memorial event and bringing attention to this issue.
Edward M. Burke Alderman,...
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