IC-SS Weekly News: July 24, 2023
See You This Wednesday at the Nile!
This Wednesday, July 26th, defend democracy with your pen. Join our Vote Forward leader Steve Kagan and IC-SS friends to write letters to Ohio voters about their state’s anti-democracy measure (Issue 1) on the summer ballot. Sign up!
Will you write with us? We’ll meet Wednesday this week (July 26), 6:00-8:00 pm at the Nile Restaurant – 1162 E 55th St – on the outdoor patio (indoors if weather is bad). Sign up!
- We’ll provide a few appetizers for the table and encourage everyone to support the Nile by purchasing their own meals and soft drinks.
- The Nile is BYOB, so feel free to bring wine or beer.
- If you can, bring along first-class stamps for the letters.
- Most important, bring yourself!
Use your laptop and phone too! To reach even more people, join the Indivisible Chicago Alliance from your home tomorrow, Tuesday, July 25th, or Tuesday, August 1st, 5:00-7:00 pm – and phone Ohio voters. Info/Sign-up.
You’ll get on Zoom, where friendly organizers like Sarah Lincoln will give you all the training you need. Then… phone voters!
Treatment Not Trauma
“Chicago suffers from high rates of concentrated poverty, unemployment, violence, incarceration, overdose, and health inequality exacerbated by the progressive withdrawal of public support systems over the last three decades….”Treatment Not Trauma is intended to revitalize public health systems in Chicago by shifting [the Chicago Department of Public Health] toward a model of public health focused on direct service delivery, public jobs, and trust-building community care systems.
“[Treatment Not Trauma] is rooted in a community care worker corps as part of a coordinated response to the overlapping problems of gun violence, mass incarceration, mental illness, homelessness, overdose, distrust, and growing racial health inequalities in Chicago.”~ Treatment Not Trauma policy paper 2023
Treatment Not Trauma Summit
Over the weekend, the Collaborative for Community Wellness,STOP Chicago. and Brighton Park Neighborhood Council held a Treatment Not Trauma Summit at First Presbyterian in Woodlawn.
Speakers included Mayor Brandon Johnson; Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez; Kennedy Bartley, Executive Director of United Working Families; Dr. Arturo Carrillo, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council; Eric Reinhart, Northwestern University; and others. Activists and community members also spoke and shared input.
“People talk about how much it will cost to reopen Chicago’s mental health clinics, but think of the cost of not opening them,” said Mayor Johnson. The mayor said he strongly supports Treatment Not Trauma.
READ THE POLICY PAPER: Treatment Not Trauma: A Community Care Infrastructure for Crisis Response, Mental Health, and Shared Safety
Roundup: Readings & Recordings
Here’s a roundup of recordings and readings on recent political and judicial new
5th Ward Ald. Desmon Yancy’s 1st Town Hall
On July 11th at Bryn Mawr Community Church, 5th ward Alderman Desmon Yancy held his first town hall. The event included a brief update on the Obama Center from Ashley Munson of the Obama Foundation. We missed the town hall – and if you missed it too, you can:
- Read the Hyde Park Herald story about the town hall here.
- Watch a recording of Ald. Yancy’s town hall here.
Ald. Desmon Yancy’s first town hall – July 11
IL’s Pretrial Fairness Act Upheld
The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that the Pretrial Fairness Act, part of the larger SAFE-T Act, is constitutional. As a result, cash bond will soon be eliminated in the state of Illinois, meaning that no one can be held in jail simply for being poor. If you’d like to catch up on this news, here are some links:
- Illinois could be a national model for eliminating cash bail, but implementation is another test: WBEZ
- Cash bail will be eliminated in Illinois – IL Supreme Court rules SAFE-T Act provisions constitutional: Hyde Park Herald story
- IL Supreme Court Affirms Constitutionality of the Pretrial Fairness Act: Chicago Appleseed press release
- IL Supreme Court’s Decision on Money Bond Supports Survivors: CAASE statement
- Elected leaders’ statements: State Sen Robert Peters statement + Gov Pritzker statement
We thank State Senator Robert Peters, Coalition to End Money Bond, Chicago Appleseed, and other leaders and organizations for their tireless advocacy for the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Netroots Nation 2023
Netroots Nation is a non-profit organization that provides trainings, resources and connection opportunities to help progressive activists create a more progressive and just world. The Netroots Nation conference was held in Chicago earlier this month.
Via the Netroots Nation Facebook page, here are recordings of some sessions you might find inspiring:
- TN State Rep. Justin Jones and Alicia Garza, principal of Black Futures Lab, in conversation
- IL State Sen. Robert Peters and Emma Tai, senior advisor at Chicago for the People, keynotes
- Expanding Justice: Organizing to Reform SCOTUS – panel
- First They Came For CRT … Why Saving Democracy Means Defending Racial Justice – panel
- And find additional recorded sessions, including with speakers such as Mayor Brandon Johnson, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep Delia Ramirez, Rep Summer Lee, and more – video listings
PS We spotted a few South Siders at the 3-day event: State Sen. Robert Peters; Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, 5th Ward Ald. Desmon Yancy; Robert Emmons, Jr.; Kelly Pollock; Sarah Lincoln; Betsy Rubin. Let us know if you were there, too!
Organizations and Opportunities
Indivisible Chicago-South Side shares information and actions from other organizations on issues important in our country, state, city, and communities.
Your Opinion on Environmental Justice
From Chicago Dept. of Public Health (CDPH): You’re sharing, we’re listening. CDPH is committed to environmental justice, and we want to hear from you!
Check out our new Environmental Justice Action Plan, latest Cumulative Impact Assessment progress, and upcoming community events. AND you can fill in a survey to provide your input by July 31. Get all the above information on this webpage.
