Stop NorthPoint Subpoenas Shanahan for Documents
The largely veteran-based grassroots group from Joliet and surrounding areas continues its lawsuit against Joliet, NorthPoint.
Martin Shanahan
JOLIET, Illinois — Stop NorthPoint LLC served former Joliet City Manager Martin Shanahan with a subpoena Friday as part of the group’s lawsuit against the City of Joliet and NorthPoint Development.
The grassroots group, which is comprised of Joliet veterans and their neighbors, is suing to stop the monstrous trucking warehouse planned for across the street and above the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood. Stop NorthPoint plaintiffs include many veterans and veteran families including a Medal of Honor recipient as well as many recipients of the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and other veteran heroes.
The subpoena seeks the productions of documents in Shanahan’s possession or control relating to studies pertaining to water issues, environmental impacts, traffic, noise and vibration, “whether contained in paper or saved electronically in thumb-drives.” Shanahan has until January 21, 2021 at 10 a.m. to produce the documents.
The subpoena is part of Stop NorthPoint’s continuing litigation efforts to expose the procedural flaws, legal deficiencies and the negative community and environmental impacts of the NorthPoint Development. Stop NorthPoint and its attorneys hope to be able to uncover all relevant documents and information that the City of Joliet and NorthPoint Development have thus far refused to make public.
Last month, the Joliet City Council approved, despite overwhelming community objections, the annexation and zoning of lands into Joliet to allow for the construction of NorthPoint’s trucking warehouses which will be five times the size of Midway Airport, located across the street from Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, where bison roam.
In addition, the council’s approval came despite a strong letter of opposition from the Department of Veteran Affairs Cemetery Division that documented past incursions of these haloed grounds, including past incidents of trucks driving over graves, and expressed deep concerns about the future impacts of the proposed bridge and voluminous traffic. Specifically, the letter indicated that the NorthPoint Development would impede planned cemetery expansion of a new entrance where the bridge is slated. Said letter also complained that the sounds of additional trucks in such close proximity would severely intrude upon the experiences of cemetery visitors.
Stop NorthPoint plaintiffs and supporters have experienced semi-trailer trucks interfering with veteran funerals, as well as truck crashes that have blocked funeral processions at the I-80 and Route 53 interchange for hours.
Currently, the cemetery entrance is nearly nine miles from the intermodal. NorthPoint would add to the problem, bringing it closer with more trucks. If not stopped, NorthPoint would be located across the street from the cemetery and Midewin, adding tens of thousands of trucks a day.
“NorthPoint and Joliet intend to inject these atrocities with steroids,” said Erin Gallagher, volunteer spokesperson for Stop NorthPoint. “Our organization is growing because our veterans know this is a fight worth taking up.”
Stop NorthPoint is represented by powerhouse Civil Rights Attorneys Bob Fioretti, of Roth & Fioretti; as well as Richard Linden and Peter Bustamante, of Linden & Bustamonte.
For more information, or join the fight, or to contribute to the legal fund, visit www.StopNorthPoint.com, or join the Facebook group Stop NorthPoint.
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Click here to view the subpoena
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