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No Justice, No Peace Photo Credit: Glen Ford, Globalresearch.ca On Saturday, August 15, 2020, Chicagoans protested in the downtown area for police accountability and changes to our CIty’s policing practices. A group of six youth activist organizations gathered young people from all over our city to demand the removal of police from schools, the defunding of the police department and for the Mayor and other City leaders to take action to keep them safe. Those youth were protesting just a week after another rash of coordinated burglaries and thefts of downtown and loop area stores. In response to the downtown mayhem, the Mayor and Superintendent of Police announced efforts to protect the downtown and loop area from any further criminal activity in this area. Tactical decisions made in response to the protests resulted in an unwarranted crackdown by the City of Chicago against young activists who were peacefully exercising their first amendment rights. While a couple of protestors responded violently to the police actions, video shows us clearly that the vast majority of protestors fled, attempting to leave the downtown area and then were prevented from doing so. The Mayor and the Superintendent have made statements defending the police response, assuring us that it was just and in proportion to the actions of protestors. We were shown video of one protester hitting an officer repeatedly with a skateboard on the head during a standoff. They explained to us that the tactics employed against our youth were necessary in order to, “protect peaceful protestors.” Protest organizers and participants have accused the police of unwarranted violence. They say that the police were the instigators and the only violence from protestors was in self defense. People shared stories with me of being herded and corralled by police and beaten with batons with no way to escape. They shared videos that showed unarmed, terrified young people being beaten and chased through the streets of downtown by our police officers. Is this what safety looks like for our youth, our police officers, and the rest of our city? Is this the way we believe we’re going to restore peace to the city? One thing is clear: if we keep going this way things are only going to continue to escalate. Which is something no one wants. “Without justice, there can be no lasting peace.” Kofi Anan spoke these words in 2003 during his address to the International Criminal Court on the occasion of the first swearing in of their judges. I’ve come back to these words often over the last few months as our city has seen upticks in gun violence, clashes between protestors and police, burglary, destruction of property and mass dissent. The idea that, as a city, we won’t achieve the peace many seek without first delivering justice to those who have been denied it because of government policies, practices or representatives rings painfully true to me. And it must ring true to others as it’s a frequent chant at protests, including many I have attended myself over the years, “No justice, no peace!” Chicago has been in a state of conflict for decades. What we call uprisings or civil unrest are the spontaneous eruptions of this conflict that happen when the build up of injustice, racism and systemic oppression can no longer be contained by social and political constraints. We will not achieve peace in our city until we reconcile our conflict. Right now, we are in great conflict about what public safety should look like and how to achieve it for all of our residents. Some are demanding we defund the police and reimagine public safety. Some are demanding more police presence and action to make the city safer. And most everyone is calling for peace, an end to police violence and impunity, and an end to gun violence in our city. We know we need to invest in the people and the neighborhoods in our city that have been starved and pushed to the brink — some of this is already in progress — but I fear it won’t be enough. We are stuck in a loop; a cycle of uprising and repression that is killing our people and our city. We need to reconcile our past harms and current traumas before we can progress. Reconciliation is a process where the City and our residents could build trust through dialogue, acknowledge wrong-doing and harm, and come to terms on how we can restore our City and our people. From one Mayoral administration to the next, Alderman to Alderman, Chicago seems to grudgingly recognize our most protracted conflicts only when they become impossible to ignore and then addresses them by avoiding the underlying causes, seeking to find the quickest path to ameliorating the symptoms. But before we can fully realize the benefits of any reforms, changes or reimagining of public safety, we have to come to terms with what our past and current policing practices have done to our people, particularly our youth. We didn’t get to this place overnight and we’re not going to get past it quickly either, but I am certain that any solutions proposed that don’t include a reconciliation process to address decades of conflict between the Chicago Police Department and the residents of Chicago will fail to achieve justice and therefore not result in any lasting peace. To begin, we need a process to recognize and acknowledge the harm that has been done to our residents. I’m working on a resolution to address this for consideration by the City Council. The residents of our city are looking to their leaders to repair the deeply damaged relationships between our police and our residents and to reimagine public safety. The time for action is now.

PB49: Policy & Programs Committee Apply for the community cash program! The City of Chicago's 2022 approved budget included a unique opportunity for each ward to receive $100,000 in funds for microgrant opportunities. This funding is for registered non-profit organizations with the Secretary of State to provide programming and services to each ward. In 2020, the 49th Ward posed an open-ended question during its participatory budgeting process: "If you could change one thing about our community that would make life better for you, what would it be?" This open-ended question led to a range of responses, from traditional capital infrastructure ideas to broader policy and programs recommendations. Born out of that was the 49th Wards first-ever Policy and Programs Committee. This committee spent months weeding through the responses and identifying priority areas for the community. In the 2020 cycle, voters then took to the participatory ballot to vote on which policy and program areas they felt were the most important and that should shape Alderwoman Hadden's legislative agenda at City Council. With this unique microgrant opportunity, we now are able to put our money where our values are. Learn more about the scope of the grant, eligibility requirements, and how to apply by clicking the button below. Learn More! About the Committee At the beginning of the 2020 PB49 process, the Alderwoman asked residents: “If you could change one thing about the Rogers Park community, what would it be?” The PB49 Policy & Programs Committee was created to review the submitted PB49 survey entries that do not qualify for infrastructure money under PB guidelines. Instead of discarding these policy and program ideas, Alderwoman Hadden, after a decade of hands-on experience administrating community-led participatory budgeting programs nationwide, added a community-led committee to address the vital policy and programming interests of her constituents. The volunteer PB49 Policy & Programs Committee put in 15 hours of group meeting time and over 100 hours of research and collaboration distilling the essence of the community-at-large input into five (5) specific ballot measures for community consideration. The members of the 2020 PB49 Policy and Programs Committee coalesced as a group because of a shared commitment to transparency, community-centered change, and democracy. We spent our time narrowing down a list of 150 ideas, first to a dozen themes, and then to these five ballot measures. To demonstrate our commitment to transparency we decided to make available the entire list of ideas with which we started. We also wanted to expand below on the ideas that led to the ballot measures themselves. We believe this transparency, endorsed by Alderwoman Hadden, will encourage more community members to step up and volunteer to make your ideas a reality! Policy & Programs Presentation Key Issues Affordable Housing & Zoning Ward residents would like to see a dedicated focus on providing more affordable housing. This could be achieved through a combination of: (1) a zoning committee that focuses on maintaining and developing the unique character of the ward, 2) direct rental assistance and eviction prevention, and 3) exploration of broader policies that affect housing costs and stability of W49 residents. Affordable Housing: Families and individuals whose incomes fall below the median income level deserve to raise their children and live their lives in Rogers Park. In Rogers Park, housing insecurity is rising at an alarming rate. Rents are increasingly unaffordable and pathways to home-ownership for families are disappearing. Increasingly undemocratic trends continue to homogenize the community, making Rogers Park unlivable for immigrant and non-immigrant families and individuals struggling in uncertain times. Realistic paths to home ownership and co-operative shared-equity property ownership will keep Rogers Park a diverse community, increase housing security, and improve community value. We recommend zoning changes/binding policies, government-backed programs that make housing co-operatives, rent-to-own programs, and community land trusts possible. Equitable and Fair Zoning: As a Committee, we support a representative, equitable, and fair zoning committee for guiding 49th Ward building, business and housing development. A comprehensive Equitable and Fair Zoning Policy and Process for the 49th Ward is needed for responsible development in Rogers Park. As a Committee, we believe all 49th Ward residents and business owners deserve a voice in shaping development to continue to breathe new life into 49th Ward democracy. Business Development Ward residents are interested in supporting and sustaining new and existing businesses that are community-driven, community-owned, and community- operated, including a proactive review of commercial spaces and vacant properties. Our committee can develop democratic policies and programs with Alderwoman Hadden, local businesses, business chambers, alliances, associations, and ward residents that will support a diverse, eclectic, and thriving business community in the 49th Ward. Ward 49 consumers, local businesses, local business chambers, alliances, and associations are vital to maintaining and supporting a business community that can rival other high-tax revenue business districts. Policing/Restorative Justice Ward residents called for divesting from the current police budget in order to redirect those funds to much-needed social, health, and housing programs. Examples included: (1) a committee to further explore what community support and alternative resources to calling the police can or should exist and (2) investing in increased use of restorative justice and other alternative forms of dispute resolution and justice-seeking. Research best practices & build community support for non-law enforcement services and transformative justice programs, including through direct outreach and media campaigns. Boost awareness of programs and policies that secure restorative justice for all in the community. Uplift resources and policies that support formerly incarcerated individuals in the 49th Ward. Youth Engagement Ward residents support creating and sustaining programs that uplift and empower our young residents. Recognizing that our young residents are community stakeholders, engage them to create more awareness of, and support for, youth focused entities such as the 49th Ward Youth Committee. Identify and support any other ward and city-wide programs that empower youth. Developing a Community Hub Ward residents expressed a desire for a physical space (post-COVID) to serve as a community "hub” including recreation and resources. This could be achieved through either: (1) lifting up and coordinating existing community spaces and resources, (2) enhancing coordination and utilization of previous PB49 projects that are underutilized, and/or (3) exploring the development of a new space. Create more awareness of existing programs, resources, and physical spaces for the 49th Ward residents. Coordinate with the 49th Ward Youth Committee and other stakeholders to identify alternate programs and safe spaces specifically for teens. Aide the growth of Block Clubs by working with existing programs and volunteers in the 49th Ward. Research the call for a physical community center for the 49th Ward.

Street Light Pole Banners Streetlight pole banners are a great way to show neighborhood pride. The Department of Transportation does require a completed application in order to display pole banners. You can find the requirements and the application linked below. If you have any questions about the process, feel free to contact my office at Office@49thWard.org . Application

File a Complaint Against USPS The United States Postal Service now requires that customers complete a Privacy Act form under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 in order to register any complaint. Congresswoman Schakowsky has made this form available on her website. Once you complete the online Privacy Act form, you may register a complaint. Her office will submit the Privacy Act form and complaint directly to USPS. Complete the Form