IC-SS Weekly News
Write Letters at the Nile: Wed., March 20
Indivisible Chicago-South Side is now writing Vote Forward letters to people in nearby states of Michigan and Wisconsin — both critical to this year’s election. Thanks to everyone who came out to write letters last week — 10 of us wrote 200! Ready to do it again on March 20?
Join us for our next letter-writing party on Wednesday, March 20th, 6:00-8:00 pm at the Nile Restaurant (1162 E. 55th). RSVP here.
Note: We’ll get appetizers for the table, and you can purchase your own meal. Steve will provide the letters, envelopes, and pens. We encourage you to bring first-class stamps to donate, and you’re welcome to bring wine or beer to share. But the most important thing is to be there!
Thank Senator Durbin: Ceasefire Call!
Last week, Senator Dick Durbin hosted Dr. Zaher Sahloul as his guest at President Biden’s State of the Union address (SOTU). Illinoisan Dr. Sahloul, as president of MedGlobal, has recently helped coordinate humanitarian and medical relief services in Gaza. Senator Durbin’s invitation to Dr. Sahloul sends a powerful message.
Senator Durbin has called for a ceasefire in Gaza. After his initial statement in favor of a ceasefire some months ago, the senator seemed to walk it back. Now, however, Senator Durbin seems emboldened, posting on Twitter and Threads: “I’ve called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza… The killing of innocent people has to stop.”
Senator Durbin’s press release explains his stance more fully; he calls for a ceasefire to protect the lives of people in Gaza and continues to advocate for the release of Israeli hostages. In response to his statements in support of a ceasefire, Senator Durbin has received many hateful comments on social media.
We must show Senator Durbin we want him to continue to speak out boldly for a ceasefire. We need to show Senator Durbin we have his back!
ACT
1. Phone & email Senator Durbin, thanking him for calling for a ceasefire.
- Call Senator Durbin. His phone numbers are at the bottom of this contact page. If you can’t reach a person in his DC office, try his Chicago or other district offices.
- Email Senator Durbin: Use this online form.
2. On social media, like & re-post:
- Senator Durbin posts on Twitter and Threads
- Indivisible Chicago-South Side posts on Twitter and Threads
- Indivisible Chicago Alliance posts on Twitter and Threads
Bring Chicago Home: Successful Appeal!
When we go to the polls for the March primary, we’ll be voting in the Bring Chicago Home (BCH) referendum.
Act: Tell Voters About Bring Chicago Home
In these last days leading to March 19, step up and inform Chicago voters about the important Bring Chicago Home referendum (Ballot Question 1). Get on Zoom in the comfort of your home and phone Chicago voters together. Knock doors in or near your neighborhood and talk face to face with voters. Either way, you get friendly training and support – both veterans & newbies are welcome!
Good News for Bring Chicago Home!
You probably heard the good news — appellate court judges have ruled that Ballot Question 1 for Bring Chicago Home is indeed valid, and our votes will be counted. See this WTTW story with the details. Below is the statement from Bring Chicago Home.
Thus, it is extremely important that we all cast our YES vote on Ballot Question 1.
Vote YES on Ballot Question 1
On your ballot, you won’t see the words “Bring Chicago Home”; instead look for Ballot Question 1, which asks if you want to support affordable housing and supportive services, to be funded by adjusting the one-time Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) so most people will pay less, while buyers of properties over $1million will pay more.
Find the actual wording for Ballot Question 1 in this WBEZ story.
Bring Chicago Home Resources
- Bring Chicago Home Coalition resource webpage
- Indivisible Chicago Alliance’s BCH fact sheet
Illinois Primary: Info & Resources
Illinois’s primary is March 19, but voting has already begun and mail ballots are being sent out. Here is Chicago voting info plus voter guides on judicial candidates.
Go Vote – Here’s Info
Have you voted yet?
Mail in or drop off that mail ballot. Vote early at your convenience at any of the dozens of early voting sites across the city. Or you can wait until official Election Day, if you must! In any case, Tuesday, March 19th is the LAST day you can vote.
Get ALL the voting info you need at the Chicago Board of Elections website.
What’s On Your Ballot?
To find out what’s on YOUR ballot, you can use one of these guides:
- League of Women Voters of Illinois: IllinoisVoterGuide.org
- Ballotpedia: Ballotpedia sample ballot tool
- Sun-Times/WBEZ voter guide: Voter Guide tool
- Blue Voter Guide: Build Your Guide
Voting Guides – Judicial Candidates
Indivisible Chicago-South Side is not making endorsements for the primary, though we encourage everyone to vote YES on Ballot Question 1 (for the RETT adjustment to support housing/services for homeless).
Here are some judicial voting guides put out by other organizations.
- From Injustice Watch: Check Your Judges 2024
- From Vote for Judges.org: Judicial Election Guide 2024
Plan Your Actions: March 2024
It really is 2024. In this vital election year, Indivisible Chicago Alliance will be focusing on races in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, as well as on Chicago’s Ballot Question 1. For ways to get involved, check ALL the March 2024 options on the Indivisible Chicago Alliance action calendar!
The calendar is a project of the citywide Indivisible Chicago Alliance and is curated by Wendy Posner.
Organizations & Opportunities
No Public Money for Stadiums!
From The CivicLab and Tom Tresser: We demand that NO public dollars and no public land be given to any billionaire owner of a sports team – be it the owners of the Chicago White Sox or the Chicago Bears.
The news is full of reports of greedy local major league sports teams making aggressive pitches for billions of public dollars for new stadiums. We have the McCaskey Family who own the Bears – estimated net worth of $2 billion and Jerry Reinsdorf who owns the White Sox – estimated net worth of $2.4 billion, looking for a combined $2 billion (at least) in public subsidies.
You have to ask, what is the need for spending public dollars on sports stadiums in light of all the pressing needs Chicago faces? There is none that can stand serious scrutiny. If you want to review the vast literature on why public subsidies for sports stadiums are a terrible deal for the public take a look at these web sites:
- The Center for Economic Accountability and their “Pay For Your Own Damn Stadium” campaign
- Field of Schemes – the web site by investigative reporter Neil deMause, who has been covering stadium scams for decades
So – NO public dollars for new stadiums, for a dome for an existing stadium, for practice facilities for sports teams or any other mega-project owned by billionaires.
ACT: Let Mayor Johnson know how you feel:
- Contact the Mayor’s office directly: 312-744-5000 – @chicagosmayor – communityengagement@cityofchicago.org
- Or go to CivicLab’s Action Network page to sign a petition to the Mayor and the City Council.