STOP GENERAL IRON is the latest mural to crop up in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood—created by co-artists Sam Kirk and Sergio Maciel, in partnership with Patagonia—with the mission to bring awareness to the environmental harm businesses like General Iron bring to Chicago.
"This piece was inspired by the environmental divide within society and its effects. The artwork depicts two children looking out into their respective environments, evoking the duality within society due to environmental racism and the adaptive actions one will have to take in the future. The surrounding women and children represent those who are affected by and fighting this environmental divide within society,” said Maciel.
Before General Iron—now calling itself RMG—can begin operations on the Southeast Side, the Chicago Department of Public Health will have to issue approvals under the new Large Recycling Facilities Rules that require additional oversight and operating procedures for the city’s metals recyclers, but don’t go far enough to fully protect the Southeast Side if General Iron is allowed to operate there, according to the STOP GENERAL IRON organizers.
