EMERGENCY BLOOD SHORTAGE.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW.

FIRST TONIGHT, BLOCKBUSTER ALLEGATIONS IN A NEW WTW NEWS EXCLUSIVE REPORT.

JOHN CARLOS MARTINEZ RIVERO, A 5 YEAR-OLD MIGRANT DIED AT COMER CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ON DECEMBER 17TH AFTER FALLING ILL AT A CROWDED MIGRANT SHELTER IN PILSEN WHERE HE WAS STAYING WITH HIS FAMILY.

THAT SHELTER HAS COME UNDER REPEATED SCRUTINY FOR ALLEGED UNSAFE CONDITIONS.

NOW WTW NEWS HAS EXCLUSIVE NEW INFORMATION THAT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON KNEW ABOUT CONDITIONS AT THE SHELTER.

AND WHEN WTW NEWS HAS OBTAINED DOCUMENTS THAT SHOW TOP STAFFERS IN THE MAYOR'S ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING THE MAYOR HIMSELF WERE MADE AWARE OF ALLEGATIONS OF UNSANITARY AND UNSAFE CONDITIONS AT THE SHELTER AS EARLY AS LATE OCTOBER.

JUST WEEKS AFTER IT OPENED AND BEFORE THE MARTINEZ RIVERA FAMILY ARRIVED, THE DOCUMENTS RAISE FRESH QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE ADMINISTRATION HAS RESPONDED TO CHICAGO'S MIGRANT CRISIS.

MIGRANT STAND OUTSIDE THE CROWDED SHELTER IN THE 2200 BLOCK OF SOUTH HALSTED AVENUE.

>> ON A RECENT FRIGID DAY ASKING FOR WARM CLOTHING.

>> WE WITNESSED AN AMBULANCE AND FIRETRUCK AT THE SHELTER.

ON THE DAY WE VISITED THE SHELTER HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MEDIA REPORTS, INCLUDING THIS DECEMBER 14TH STORY FROM BORDERLESS MAGAZINE DETAILING UNSANITARY CONDITIONS AROUND THE TIME OF THE DECEMBER 17TH DEATH OF 5 YEAR-OLD MIGRANT SEAN CARLOS MARTINEZ, RIVERO ON DECEMBER 19TH.

THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TOLD MEDIA THAT SEVERAL OTHER INDIVIDUALS HAD BEEN TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WITH RESPIRATORY ILLNESS.

NOW WTW NEWS HAS OBTAINED DOCUMENTS SHOWING MAYOR JOHNSON AND TOP STAFFERS INCLUDING DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND SUPPORT SERVICES.

COMMISSIONER BRANDON, CAN I Z WERE WARNED OF ALLEGED UNSAFE CONDITIONS AT THE SHELTER AS EARLY AS OCTOBER.

28 AROUND THAT TIME, A CONCERNED COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER REACHED OUT TO 11TH WORD ALDERPERSON.

THE COLE LEAVES OFFICE.

LEE PROBABLY SENT AN EMAIL TO THE MAYOR WTW NEWS FILED A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST FOR THE OCTOBER.

28 E-MAIL AND RECEIVED A HEAVILY REDACTED DOCUMENT IN RESPONSE.

QUOTE, GOOD EVENING.

MAYOR JOHNSON COMMISSIONER DEPUTY MAYOR PONCE DE LEON AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF THE EMAIL READS AND THEN 6 PARAGRAPHS ENTIRELY BLACKED OUT.

BUT A NON-PROFIT GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY ORGANIZATION CALLED THE FOIA BAKERY SHARED WITH US IN UNREDACTED VERSION.

THEY SAY THEY OBTAINED.

THE PREVIOUSLY REDACTED PARTS ALLEGE THE SHELTER HAD, QUOTE, INSUFFICIENT BATHROOMS, EXPOSED PIPES WITH RAW SEWAGE, INSECT COCKROACH INFESTATION.

POSSIBLE OUTBREAK OF ILLNESS WITH MANY PEOPLE BEING SICK, INSUFFICIENT PROVISION OF MEALS AND WATER AND POOR IN DISRESPECTFUL TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS HOUSED IN THE SHELTER BY STAFF.

ANOTHER SOURCE SENT US THESE IMAGES THAT ALLEGEDLY SHOW MIGRANTS SLEEPING NEXT TO SEWER COVERS INSIDE THE SHELTER.

A FOLLOW-UP EMAIL OBTAINED BY THE FOIA BAKERY APPEARS TO SHOW THAT COMMISSIONER STAFFERS TO FIND OUT ABOUT THESE COMPLAINTS.

WTW FILED A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST FOR COMMISSIONER CAN AS HIS RESPONSE TO ALDERWOMAN LEE'S CONCERNS SENT ON OCTOBER 29TH ONCE AGAIN, THE DOCUMENT WAS NEARLY COMPLETELY REDACTED.

THE CITY FOR OFFICER CITED EXEMPTIONS UNDER THE LAW THAT ALLOWED THEM TO WITHHOLD, QUOTE, PRE DECISION DELIBERATIVE INFORMATION.

ANY GOMBERG IS A LEAD ORGANIZER WITH THE POLICE STATION RESPONSE TEAM.

SHE SAYS ORGANIZERS HAVE BEEN WARNING ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS ABOUT CONDITIONS AND LACK OF MEDICAL CARE AT THIS SHELTER SINCE IT OPENED IN EARLY OCTOBER, WE HEAR TIME AND AGAIN.

>> THAT MEDICAL CARE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S EASY TO COME BY.

IT IS SOMETHING THAT WHEN IT'S WHEN IT IS FOLKS ARE EITHER TOLD THEY'RE KIND OF ON THEIR OWN OR NOTHING IS AVAILABLE TO THEM.

WE ASKED THE JOHNSON ADMINISTRATION IF THE MAYOR SAW THE OCTOBER 27TH EMAIL.

>> AND WHETHER THE ISSUES WERE ADDRESSED BUT WE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE ON THIS PROVIDE DURING A DECEMBER 20TH INTERVIEW ON CHICAGO TONIGHT, BLACK VOICES.

I ASKED THE MAYOR REPEATEDLY IF THE CONDITIONS AT THE HOMESTEAD SHELTER WERE SAFE EVERYTHING THAT I'VE DONE OVER THE COURSE OF THESE FOR 7 MONTHS IS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY.

>> OF ALL OF THE MIGRANTS THAT ARE ARRIVING HERE.

AND, YOU KNOW, THE CONCERNS THAT PEOPLE HAVE EXPRESSED.

THESE ARE NEW CONCERNS.

REMEMBER, THERE WERE 4,000 PEOPLE LIVING ON FLOORS AND POLICE DISTRICTS.

THERE WERE AMBULATORY RUNS THAT WERE HAPPENING THERE.

GOMBERG SAYS SHE DOESN'T BELIEVE THE CITY IS JUSTIFIED IN KEEPING THE INFORMATION IN THOSE EMAILS REDACTED.

>> IF IT HAS TO BE CONDITION AND THEY DON'T WANT THAT INFORMATION PUBLIC, I WOULD THINK THAT THAT'S GOING PREVENT ANYTHING FROM GETTING BETTER.

>> AND WTW IS PREPARING TO FILE SUIT AGAINST THE CITY AND COURT TO GET THE REMAINING DOCUMENTS UNREDACTED.

WE REACHED OUT TO ALDERWOMAN LEE WHO DECLINED TO COMMENT FOR THIS STORY.

FAVORITE STAFFING IS THE COMPANY THAT STAFF'S WORKERS AT THIS AND OTHER SHELTERS.

IN A STATEMENT FAVORITE VPK AND DRIVER TELLS US, QUOTE, FAVORITE STAFFING TAKES ALL STAFF COMPLAINTS VERY SERIOUSLY, BECAUSE WE'RE CONCERNED NOT ONLY ABOUT THE MIGRANTS BUT AT THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF OUR OWN STAFF.

NOW WE SHOULD MAKE CLEAR THAT MARTINEZ RIVEROS CAUSE OF DEATH HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED BY THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE.

WE DON'T KNOW IF HIS AND OTHER ILLNESSES WERE DIRECTLY TIED TO THE ALLEGED UNSANITARY CONDITIONS AT THE SHELTER.

SOURCES WHO HAVE VISITED THE