Chicago -
By Jason Rieger
Lincoln Square neighbors will rally Sunday to denounce the latest incident of hate speech graffiti and fight back against the rising specter of white nationalism, both in our country and in our backyard.
Following the rally, over 4,000 “Hate Has No Home Here” and “Black Lives Matter” signs will be distributed throughout the neighborhood, drowning out the hateful rhetoric with messages of inclusiveness.
Posted on September 30, 2017
By Steve Balkin and Phil Hultquist
Panel discussion at Roosevelt University in Chicago, 425 South Wabash, Room 418, Monday October 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
In the spirit of “Think Globally and Act Locally,” this panel will help people understand the causes of the genocide policies of Myanmar (formerly Burma) directed at the Rohingya, a Moslem minority; what the United States and UN are doing to change this trajectory; advocacy to protect and assist the Rohingya, and programs to help Chicago Rohingya refugees improve their adjustment to America.
Posted on September 29, 2017
By The Digital Privacy Alliance
The private online information of Illinoisans took a major hit after Gov. Bruce Rauner rejected House Bill 3449, the Geolocation Privacy Protection Act. Had it been signed into law, this historic piece of legislation would have provided transparency by requiring corporations that collect, use or sell Illinoisans’ geolocation information from their mobile devices to obtain their consent before tracking them.
Instead, Rauner’s veto is a betrayal of consumer trust and total failure to people who value their personal privacy. Rauner’s action is a clear message that he values his Silicon Valley friends more than the people and small businesses in Illinois.
Posted on September 25, 2017
By The Obama Library Community Benefits Agreement Coalition
The Wolfpack is a community football team that plays on the field in Jackson Park where the Obama Library will be located, at 61st and Stony Island.
On Sunday at 2:30 p.m. they will be playing their 20th – and what might be their last – homecoming game there.
Posted on September 22, 2017
By The Obama Library Community Benefits Agreement Coalition
Hundreds of community residents will gather at Hyde Park Academy High School, 6220 S. Stony Island, at 6 p.m. today for a meeting announcing a renewed push for a Community Benefits Agreement with the Obama Library that includes the City, the University of Chicago, and the Obama Foundation.
The Obama Library Community Benefit Agreement Coalition will announce a new push for a City Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance which would ensure benefits around jobs, housing, sustainability, transportation and education.
Che “Rhymefest” Smith, hip-artist and community activist, will keynote the event in support of a Community Benefits Agreement. The Coalition will also announce new ally organizations, which now number over a dozen.
Posted on September 20, 2017
By Andre Perry/The Hechinger Report
Storms will inevitably come; the tragedy is that avoidable manmade disasters will follow.
After Hurricane Katrina, many talked about New Orleans schools as a “clean sheet of paper.” People bandied around phrases like “starting from scratch” and “wipe the slate clean” – anything that treated teachers, students and parents as if they were as easily erased as drawings on an Etch A Sketch. It seems that many considered the people who worked in public schools prior to the storm as collateral damage for the grand New Orleans experiment (another worn-out phrase).
Posted on September 19, 2017
By The Illinois Public Interest Research Group
Consumer advocates praised the introduction of House Bill 4095, legislation to make credit freezes free for all Illinois residents, sponsored by Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and championed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Sen. Dan Biss (D-Evanston) has filed companion legislation in the Senate, Senate Bill 2230.
In response to the Equifax data breach, which has placed over 140 million Americans at risk for various forms of identity theft, consumer advocates and attorney generals have advised consumers to seriously consider placing a credit freeze with all three credit bureaus. A credit freeze is the only real tool consumers have to stop new account identity theft.
Posted on September 14, 2017
By The Obama Library South Side Community Benefits Agreement Coalition
Nine months after Chicagoans lined up overnight for a chance to hear President Barack Obama’s farewell address, Chicagoans are again lining up overnight to engage the officials responsible for the Obama Presidential Center and neighborhood developments.
They want to know: Why don’t officials from the Obama Foundation, as well as the City of Chicago and University of Chicago, commit to a Community Benefits Agreement?
Posted on September 13, 2017
By Gail Ablow/BillMoyers.com
The City of Chicago sued the U.S. Justice Department last month for threatening to deny them public safety grants if they refuse to work closely with federal immigration enforcement.
Instead of waiting for court decisions, however, Gabe Gonzalez and a group of neighbors in Chicago took matters into their own hands.
Posted on September 12, 2017
By The MacArthur Justice Center
The Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center has filed a petition asking the Illinois Supreme Court to hear the civil rights case brought by Alan Beaman, who served 13 years in prison after being falsely convicted of murder.
In 2008, Beaman was more than a dozen years into a 50-year sentence for the 1993 murder of Jennifer Lockmiller when the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously reversed the conviction and the State’s Attorney dropped all charges. Mr. Beaman subsequently received a certificate of innocence and official pardon from the Governor. Beaman is now asking the Illinois Supreme Court for the opportunity to move forward with his civil suit.
Posted on September 10, 2017
