Southeast Side Residents Demand Community Investment Over $9B Quantum Campus

Residents gather to discuss their vision for the former U.S. Steel South Works site as developers push forward with a massive tech development project.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Hundreds of Southeast Side residents gathered at the Southeast Side People's Assembly to voice their concerns and demands around the proposed $9 billion quantum computing campus development on the former U.S. Steel South Works site. Residents shared their visions for community-focused investments like grocery stores, youth centers, and affordable housing, rather than the tech-focused development. They expressed fears of displacement, environmental harm, and lack of local job opportunities, and called for the power to decide the future of their neighborhood.

Why it matters

The proposed quantum campus development has sparked concerns among longtime Southeast Side residents about potential displacement, environmental impacts, and lack of community input and benefits. This assembly highlights the growing tension between large-scale tech development projects and the needs and desires of the existing community.

The details

The assembly brought together hundreds of residents and organizers who feel shut out of discussions around the future of the 440-acre former U.S. Steel South Works site. Speakers expressed frustration that Governor Pritzker gave tax breaks to tech companies while residents struggle with high property taxes. Residents demanded the right to decide their own future and called for direct investment in community services like grocery stores and youth programs. Some attendees reported receiving calls asking them to sell their homes, raising fears of displacement. Residents also voiced concerns about the involvement of the U.S. military and potential for increased policing and surveillance in their neighborhoods.

  • The Southeast Side People's Assembly took place on March 7, 2026.
  • In December 2025, Southside Together submitted a petition to place a referendum on the March 2026 ballot to stop the quantum development, but it was ultimately ruled invalid.

The players

Southside Together

A community group that organized the Southeast Side People's Assembly to give residents a platform to share their visions and concerns about the proposed quantum campus development.

Jerry Whirley

A South Shore resident and organizer with Southside Together.

Luna Arielle

A South Chicago resident and business owner who attended the assembly and expressed a desire for investment in revitalizing local businesses and creating safe spaces for children.

Jayna McGruder

A South Shore resident and organizer with Southside Together who expressed concerns about displacement and increased policing due to the involvement of the U.S. military in the development.

Rosario Maynez

An East Side resident who attended the assembly with her daughter Maria out of concern about potential pollution from the development on heavily contaminated land.

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What they’re saying

“What would you want your children to grow up around? What does real investment look like to you?”

— Jerry Whirley, South Shore resident and organizer with Southside Together (Chicago Reader)

“Listen to this room. This is not a community without ideas. This is not a community without leadership. This is not a community without vision. The only thing we've been denied is power.”

— Jerry Whirley, South Shore resident and organizer with Southside Together (Chicago Reader)

“They left us behind when they closed the steel mill, but we fought for ourselves and survived anyway, and they can't just come in 30 years later and expect us to not keep fighting for ourselves.”

— Luna Arielle, South Chicago resident and business owner (Chicago Reader)

“The involvement of the military to develop this asset that doesn't even exist yet will cause our communities to be heavily policed, to be heavily surveilled.”

— Jayna McGruder, South Shore resident and organizer with Southside Together (Chicago Reader)

“You shouldn't have to choose. It should be very easy where, actually, you can get both. You can get the jobs that won't impact your environment, that won't impact your health, that will bring economic benefits to your community, and on top of that, you won't be displaced.”

— Maria Maynez (Chicago Reader)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This assembly highlights the growing tension between large-scale tech development projects and the needs and desires of existing communities. Residents are demanding a greater voice in shaping the future of their neighborhoods and calling for investments that directly benefit local residents, rather than prioritizing the interests of outside developers and corporations.