October 2022
Welcome to the Chicago Alliance newsletter! Here, you get a monthly update on all of the work we have going out in the field with our campaigns, starting with a message from our field organizer, Frank Chapman.
A Message from Frank Chapman
Over the last few weeks, the Alliance has been supporting candidates in getting the required number of petition signatures to get on the District Council ballot for the February 2023 elections. We only have six weeks left to get these petitions signed. About 100 potential candidates have received petitions from the Alliance so far, and we need your help as volunteer canvassers to gather signatures on behalf of candidates. If you want to make a difference in this crucial time, join us!
What do we do? How do we find our way forward in these times when reaction seems so formidable? Here is our answer. We are the people we must turn to.
We must turn to ourselves and our neighbors and organize and fight back. And that is precisely what we are doing here in Chicago at this moment. We have a hundred potential candidates in the field petitioning to get on the ballot for the police district councils created by the Chicago City Council Ordinance Empowering Communities for Public Safety. This progressive, people’s ordinance was enacted July 21, 2021, by a vote of 36 to 13. (There are 50 members of the City Council). It mandates that three people from the community be elected in each of the 22 police districts in Chicago. After being elected in February 2023, these district councilors will nominate people to sit on a city-wide Commission for Public Safety. Fourteen people will be nominated. The mayor will select seven from the fourteen nominations. Two Commissioners each will represent the Northside, Southside, and Westside and one Commissioner will be at large. Their duties and responsibilities will be to oversee and monitor the Chicago Police Department and initiate policies consistent with the public safety needs of the communities being served. The district councilors will be the eyes and ears of the city-wide Commission.
Here is an unprecedented opportunity for us to strike a blow for democracy by doing all that we can do to get people on the ballot. This is a non-partisan process where we as a movement make sure that everyone in our communities who wants to hold the police accountable is given an opportunity to be a candidate in the district council elections in February 2023.
JOIN US! WE NEED CANVASSERS!
GO TO OUR WEBSITE CAARPR.ORG.
CALL OUR OFFICE: (312)939-2750 or Email me: chapmanfrank74@gmail.com, 312-513-3795.
The Campaign to Free the Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST)
September was a month of struggle and resolve for the CFIST campaign. First and foremost, in our last newsletter, we announced that Marcellous Pittman's wrongful conviction was vacated. We're happy to announce that, as of last week, the state took it a step further and dropped ALL charges against Marcellous! This is a huge win for the movement and is a testament to what happens when we fight for our people inside. In addition to the big win for Marcellous, CFIST organized and supported regular court support actions for Tamon Russell, Alexander Villa, Gerald Reed, Douglas Livingston, and more. The State’s Attorney’s Office pressure campaign workgroup continued to call for the States Attorney to vacate convictions for all those framed, tortured, and wrongfully convicted. The Governor pressure campaign workgroup continued to demand the governor pardons all torture survivors. Also, the Growing Membership Base workgroup developed an organizational map to help new families and members easily integrate into the work of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. This is exceedingly important moving forward to ensure new members of CAARPR have a seamless and streamlined process when getting involved for the first time.
One of the best ways you can support survivors is to take part in court support. Here are some upcoming court dates you can attend:
Wednesday, November 9: Douglas Livingston, 9:00 AM
Room 404, Judge Timothy Joyce, Zoom i.d. 99012723236, p.w. 993353
Thursday, November 10: Lester Owens, 9:30 AM
Room 404, Judge Timothy Joyce, Zoom i.d. 99012723236, p.w. 993353
Friday, November 11: Caleb Charleston, 9:00 AM
Room 400, Judge Neera Walsh, Zoom i.d. 96536696130, p.w. 605368
In addition, to get involved with CFIST, please use the contact form at this link.
Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS)
Chicago: Packed house welcomes first Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability meeting
The first meeting of the Interim Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) took place on the evening of Thursday September 29 at Malcolm X College. The meeting was attended by almost 200 people, most of who were members or supporters of the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) coalition. The CCPSA introduced itself to the community, set up committees to do its work, and elected Anthony Driver and Oswaldo Gomez as its president and vice president. The public comments were filled with support for the CCPSA and demands that the mayor and city council give the Interim Commission the staff and budget necessary to transform the city’s public safety system.
“This commission has a lot of work ahead of it,” said newly elected CCPSA president Anthony Driver, “and we plan to be accountable to the community in all that we do.” According to the ECPS legislation passed on July 21, 2021, the Interim CCPSA should have been appointed in January of 2022 and active in February. Due to obstruction of the movement for police accountability by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and some alderpersons, the commission was appointed at the end of August. It now has to review the proposed 2023 Chicago Police Department budget of $1.9 billion, investigate CPD policies, enact alternatives to policing, and increase outreach for the district council elections in February 2023. Read the full article at Fight Back News.
Learn more about ECPS and the fight for community control of the police here.
Anthony Gay
The struggle to free Anthony Gay is ongoing. We invite you to donate to a fundraiser for his legal funds, with a $25,000 goal, at http://www.payit2.com/fundraiser/113580
After being moved to the medical side of the federal prison in North Carolina, the news from Anthony's lawyer is that he's doing better. In addition to donating to his legal fund above, you can always send Anthony a letter of support, encouragement, and well wishes at the address to the right.
Justice for Hadi!
CAARPR stands in solidarity with The Arab American Action Network (AAAN) in the fight for justice for teenager, Hadi Abuatelah, who was brutally beaten by Oak Lawn Police. On Wednesday, October 19, we rallied with AAAN at the Oak Lawn Police Department to demand that Chief Vittorio fire the racist cops who brutalized Hadi.
To support this effort, we ask that you take one minute today to call Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx at 312.603.1880 & 312.603.5896 and ask her to file charges against the racist cops B. Collins, P. O’Donnell, and B.P. Carlson! You can use the script to the right as a guide.