Please give a warm welcome to Pastor Hatch who has generously opened his home to us tonight
And welcome to West Garfield Park. You can't get anymore grass roots than to be in West Garfield Park. Saw some of our friends from action now and I thought I'd remind us that this is the Home Church of the late Betty Jones. Martyr from the west side who was a worker in the community and killed by the police. Then this also is the same community that Al Raby organized. When he organized Triple C, and invited Dr. Martin Luther King to Chicago in 1966. You can't get any more glassroots than West Garfield Park.
this was also the same west side, the same streets, where our hero and brother Chairman Fred Hampton organized and was a visionary. You can kill the revolutionary but you can't kill the revolution
You can't get any more glassroots than West Garfield Park.
And of course everybody knows that the west side is the blessed side. So we welcome you here tonight. And of course we appreciate you being here. As we continue our work in West Garfield Park. Thank you for coming and giving us a boost and we do want to announce for those that don't already know that the West Garfield Park wellness collaborative is the 2022 winner of the Chicago prize. Our Community Center is going up; the Art Center is going up. And so the formula is simple. If we want to end the tale of two cities, if we want to create one Chicago because we realize that nobody is safe until everybody's safe but all of the disparities and the pathologies that they create cannot be contained.
So the truth
as a preacher, I gotta give you this as I take my seat
when we bring
those who are in the margins who are the most vulnerable, when we bring the margins to the center of public policy, that is when the kingdom of God arrives. That is when God is pleased. That is when everybody flourishes welcome to new mt. pilgrim; Welcome to West Garfield Park.
Thank you Pastor hatch for the very warm welcome to this beautiful sanctuary. My name is Carlos Fernandez. I'm the Executive Director of grassroots collaborative. Welcome. Welcome, everyone, to the people's Unity platform mayoral forum. Tonight we will hear from five candidates who are seeking the highest office in Chicago about where they stand on the issues that are important to us. But just as important, they will hear from us. Our stories, our struggles, our vision for Chicago. Four years ago, in this very church, mayoral candidates made commitments that have now passed into the long history of betrayal and neglect. And we're still living with the impacts of that history, segregation and affordable housing, close schools close clinics to repair that harm. We need more from our leaders. We need leaders to collaborate with us on solutions. We need leaders to boldly stand with us and we need leaders to keep their covenant with our communities. So there is much at stake right now. But there's also so much possible. We are here today because we believe in tomorrow. We can make Chicago the city we all deserve. That we all want. We have the ideas we have the resources to do it but above all else we have the people to make it possible. So I want to introduce you to two co chairs for tonight's forum. Our first co chair is there a mother of five and an honestly a mom to all of Chicago's kids a dynamic parent organizer with raise your hand Illinois Rosemary Vega.
And our second coat chair is a model of the power that young people bring to bear in this city. A fearless leader with good kids maad city Miracle Boyd
miracle get us started.
Thank you. I'm
feeling the energy tonight. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Miracle; I'm a youth organizer, with good kids Maad City and one of your co chairs for tonight. The format for tonight's forum will be straightforward and powerful. Each candidate will give an opening statement then there will be two rounds of questions. During the first round. We will hear powerful testimonies from people directly impacted by the issue at hand. The candidates will each have one minute to answer the question. The second round will be a lightning round where the candidates will need to respond with a simple yes or no. Following the lightning round we will ask each candidate to sign a pledge to ensure that they keep the commitments that they make to us tonight because our communities need a plan not promises.
Hi, I'm Rosemary Vega, a parent organizer with raise your hand IL and your other co chair for tonight. We're going to have some fun. To make sure tonight's forum is successful. We'd like to make some group agreements with you. We have a packed house tonight and a full program agreeing to some basic guidelines will help us stay on time. Number one, we will listen actively to the community leaders and candidates were speaking. Please please hold your applause until each person has finished speaking. Number two, we asked you to keep your reactions and responses, respectful and brief. If you agree with what you hear applied and waive your green card. Let me see your green cards. If you disagree with something you hear, let us know but please keep it respectful and waive your red cards. Let me see your red cards. We will send a stronger message with our green cards and our red cars than with boos and applause. Let's remember that we're here to send a message. We're here to make a strong statement. We're here to flex our muscle. Number three. When you see a fist in the air, like this, that's the sign that we need to get quiet and move on to the next item. If you see miracle or I put our hand up like this please join us.
Let let
us see those fists in the air and help us keep the program moving. Tonight's forum is about respect, respect for ourselves, our organizations, our community and the candidates. And finally, we want to respect this space we are in an honor that we are in someone else's house. If you can agree to these community agreements for tonight, let me hear you say I can do that.
Your program for tonight
can be found using the QR codes at the end of each aisle or you can scan it on the screen behind me. We have a small number of printed programs for folks who are unavailable to access it with their phone please raise your hand if you need a physical program and one of our Ushers will bring it to you.
The Peoples unity platform is proud to be made up of over 30 organizations and campaigns represented tonight at the People's Unity platform mayoral forum. This was truly a collaborative effort and we thank you all we also want to give a special thank you to the wonderful new mount pilgrim church family to the childcare providers and interpreters and to the volunteers make it tonight possible. Give it up give it up
well with 500 people strong so who's in the room tonight? Let's do our Roll Call. Grassroots collaborative action center on race and economy. Action Now Institute Black Lives Matter Chicago. Brighton Park neighborhood council
Chicago coalition for the homeless
Chicago Environmental Justice Network
Chicago Teachers Union
Chicago torture Justice Center.
Collaborative for community wellness.
CPD
erased the gang database good kids Man City.
Guys, we want to make sure we feel the love. We are here to support one another. So scream for one another like we support one another because we also have Illinois Green New Deal coalition. Jewish council on Urban Affairs live free Illinois neighbors for environmental justice. One north side organized community against deportations people for community recovery Palenque LSNA
SEIU healthcare SEIU Local 73 south east environmental Task Force south side organize the unity and liberation Southsiders together organizing for Power
Stop shotspotter
Sunrise movement Chicago hub
The people's lobby
tonight is to hear directly from the candidates about where they stand on the campaigns and issues and so let me slow down yeah. I'm Puerto Rican and I speak like lalalala. the purpose of tonight is to hear directly from the candidates about where they stand on the campaign and issues that we have been fighting for in our communities. This is an important election for the future of our city of our city of our city for the future of our city, let that register: our city. And we are committed to making sure our communities are informed and engaged.
We also are here because we have a message for the next mayor of Chicago. What the next mayor to understand that we have had enough of the devastation to our communities and our future. We are here because we are all committed to transforming the city. We are both young and old in between from neighborhoods and working class families across Chicago and are ready to take back our jobs. Our schools, our housing, and our streets.
If you are ready to unite Chicago with us, raise your fists in the air let me hear you say for all the people for all of chicago
For all the people for all of chicago
For all of Chicago Okay, now it's time to hear from the candidates. Candidates will each have one minute to give your opening statement. When you see Kennedy.
It means you have 15 seconds. When you see the red card. It means you are out of time. Please be respectful and stopping when your time is up. Otherwise you'd have to cut the mic to make sure you stay on time to determine the order of candidates names were been drawn from a basket right before the start of the forum. Candidates will you please stand. We will begin with Jamal Green
They told us to come right here. First of all, thank you guys, everybody for being here tonight. You know it brings back so many memories looking at so many of your faces here today. As a teenager, Rousemary as we fought each and every day for Laquan McDonald and Betty Jones and all of the different families that were affected by gun violence. I'm running for mayor because I have fought so many years against the systems that have been oppressing our communities over half my life. My childhood was spent on the streets, on the streets in front of the mayor's house on the streets downtown fight and protest and getting arrested and framed by police. This is my childhood and how I spent alongside many of you. I'm running for mayor because we need somebody that understands the struggle to understand what a growing up in our neighborhoods look like and how the systems have affected us; but also have a vision for our kids our future in the next generation of Chicagoans so we can create a future we can all believe in. Dang that one minute quick
Thank you.
We'll now hear from Kam Buckner. Give it up give it up
good evening everybody.
First off, I want to thank the tribal chieftain of this marine America was Brenton Zion, the Reverend Marshal Elijah Hatch he is he just does so much for all of us. And so thank you very much for all you do. My name is Kam Elijah Buckner, but you can call me Kam. I'm a state representative to 26th district which is the lakefront from the Southside of Chicago to the Gold Coast. I just finished my first term as the chair of Illinois house Legislative Black Caucus, we have done tremendous work to bring justice and peace and safety to our people and our communities and our neighborhoods. Tonight. You're gonna hear a lot about our plans for the city but I want you guys to take pay attention to one thing, pay attention to who is not here
empty seats,
empty promises, empty plans for our people. Let's talk about the real issues and let's find a way to get done for our Chicago
next up, we'll be hearing from Paul Vallas. Give it up, give
it up. Thank you, good evening.
It's great to be here. My salute to reverend Hatch, with whom I've had a long association with thank God and thank God for your leadership. Let's give him another round of applause. We are all here because we are dissatisfied with the leadership on the fifth floor. Every problem the community is facing is a product of bad decisions on the fifth floor. That is why we are challenging that leadership. My pledge to you is as follows that I will listen to the community and this will not be a one off I will be back I will listen to you but more importantly I will learn from you. But my second pledge is to support any of these candidates on the stage because if they win; I guarantee you each and every one of them whoever it is, will make the city better God bless him
Thank you
Next up, Brandon Johnson.
Thank you. Thank you.
My name is Brandon Johnson. I'm proud to be the Cook County Commissioner representing the mighty west side of Chicago and the western suburbs. But the best job that I've ever had is that of a public school teacher teaching in Cabrini Green USA. Cabrini Green really captures the essence of the city of Chicago, because the wealthiest community is just outside the back door of my former students. While in the front windows they had bulldozers staring them down. For too long in this city. Families have been chasing down in the economy that's behind them while everything in front of them is crumbling. That's why I'm running for mayor of the city of Chicago to finally put it in to this tale of two cities and usher in a better more united Chicago. Listen, my wife and I are on the west side of Chicago raising our family. There's no one who better understands this moment than someone who is black with a black wife with black children on the west side of Chicago and I'm looking forward to being your Mayor. Thank you
all right. All right. Our last opening statement will be from Roderick Sawyer
Good evening, everyone. Thank you for allowing me to be here today. Reverend Hatch. I appreciate your leadership. My name is Roderick Sawyer, and I serve as out in the sixth ward. A lot of the groups that are here today I have worked with in the past. And let me just say this as we're going through this and I wanted to work and that's it. I look forward to working with the mayor when she first got elected. You know, having a black woman up there, you know, going through the tribulations that she talked about going through I thought it was going to be an exciting time. I was severely disappointed. And working there on the inside my disappointment rose because you know I thought that you know being a black woman and going through her experiences that she wouldn't want to help all of us, the least of us ones that have been distant, marginalized and disinvested and it was not the case. So I either was going to leave or to fight back so I decided to fight back.
...And we knew people that is going to bringus justice. There are many other people that are languishing. In these corroded prisons, which most people are ignoring that torture by police. So in closing we need another round of reparations another round! this was not a must be what I will say this: women taken into police stations, being thrown up against the wall, losing their children. Enough is enough.
... and every one of you in this room. We. need. accountability, starting with reparations that we need it now. Thank you
Thank you, Mark.
My name is Arsenio Costa. And I'm a leader with good kids maad city. Reyes raise your green sheet of paper if you've experienced or know someone who has experienced violence or trauma these last four years and raise your red sheet of paper if you have a negative interaction with the Chicago Police Department. Wow, that's a lot of us in this church. The Chicago Police Department has spent millions of dollars on surveillance technology app ShotSpotter and allowed a so called gang database that the Office of the Inspector General confirmed contains contradictory data and has and failed to reduce violence. Research from Operation Peacemaker and ceasefire shows that community-led violence prevention measures like those proposed in the Peace book are effective at reducing violence through holistic, restorative justice interventions. If elected, what policies will you adopt to create true safety in our communities and how we ensure that funds for public safety are spent wisely?
We will start with Jamal Green
Sorry, I missed a second second part
The question was, if elected, what policies would you adopt to create true safety in our communities? And how would you ensure that possible public safety are spent wisely?
Oh, there you go. All right. Well, we talk about public safety you must talk about investment into people and to young people and into communities. So we talk about public safety, the first thing that we will not be talking about is police. Police do not; cannot solve violence on our streets so it does not begin and end with the police department. We got to invest in communities invest in young people, young people should have apprenticeships year round. We should have trade and tech hubs back into our schools, young people should be invested in so that they have a pipeline of middle class jobs. Our kids are smarter than Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. And the problem is that we do not have institutions that are investing in them all throughout our communities. We're gonna put our money where our mouth is and it's not going to be on police is going to be on young people. It's going to be on people. It's going to be on rebuilding communities. It's going to be on building homeowners, building community centers. It's going to be on creating jobs. That's first and that's how you have a safer city in the city of Chicago.
Thank you. Now we'll hear from cam Buckner.
So first I want to live with that right public safety is not CPD, public safety or CPS, public safety, Chicago Housing Authority, public safety is the Park District Public Safety. These are libraries and our community organizations doing the work on the ground every single day to make us safe and to keep us safe in the city and our communities. Right So number one, we have to start there. Number two, we have some very clear legislative solutions that we need to address. Good kids maad city and shout out to y'all the peace book will become the first term when our mayor of Chicago. we've also got to pass the anjanette young ordinance to make sure that we can not keep aggressively pursuing these ??? on our community, especially on our women in the black community. We've also talked about is the work that we've done in Springfield, sweeping criminal justice reform the Safety Act - making sure that we have we are pretrial services; not keep putting people in jail just because they're poor. We are going to take that same work that we did in Springfield that we've fought tooth and nail for and bring it to the voice of Chicago because that's what the city needs. And that's what the people of Chicago need
Thank you.
We'll now hear from Paul vallas
before we hear from pa Hold on I'm not on purpose, but listen, we have a car blocking outside that we need moved immediately of your plate number is d l 13 445. I need you to move your car immediately. Please see I mean d l 13 445.
Thank you. Well, let me start off by saying there is no substitution for investing in long neglected communities. That means we need the fair share allocation of resources, whether they're TIF dollars, casino dollars, gaming dollars, the money needs to be dedicated. Secondly, there's no substitution for having a high school system that provides work study, paid work study for students so we can connect them to jobs that can be done in every high school where there is no substitution for having a program for returning citizens. And I'm talking about individuals returning from the correctional systems because there's no pathway for them to return to the community. And finally, there's no substitution for having police officers who you know, on the police beats that you can identify and whose numbers you know and who know you and are properly supervised because community policing properly supervised can be effective, Lucien thank you
Next up we'll hear from Brandon Johnson.
The first thing we have to do is end our addiction on jails and incarceration, criminalizing black and brown people and poor people. It's the politics of old. That's why on the county board, I removed the gang database, and I'll do it when I'm Mayor of the City of Chicago. We also have to make sure that not only are we making critical investments, but we're also providing real reparations to those who are tortured by John Burge. We got to do that. And listen, we absolutely have to pass the peace book, but I'm actually going to open up the new Office of Violence, gun violence prevention, and here's why we have to do that. Because anything absent that we're missing the moment. The last thing is this. The safest cities in America have all one thing in common: they invest in people. under my administration, that way we actually have safe communities is by investing in our public schools, our parks and recreations youth summer, year round long jobs, transportation, housing, and environment and of course good paying jobs. Thank you.
Last but not least, we're here for Roderick sawyer.
Public safety is you. Like my colleagues just stated and when you have particularly when you have a youth led violence, you want to look at youth led solutions. So I was proud to sponsor the peace book ordinance that you wrote it you all wrote, all I did was sponsored and presented to council. Also have sponsored the office of gun violence prevention was just me. These are things that we're putting forth right now that we're working on. Towards the center- I was one of the lead sponsor that was proud to do it and working with you and continuing to work with you. So we want to make sure that we put money into people, make sure we work on these resources, work on ... treatment, not trauma. That's something I think I saw the sponsor here a few minutes ago, something that I go to meetings with constantly making sure that they have enough votes, and ultimately, we can pass all of these things, but these things are there right now because I introduced them all. And also not including that we can go back to voice we had cops in school. That was something that was brought to me I didn't do it. They did it. I presented it on their behalf and proud to do it again. Thank you.
All right, what a go round y'all. Thank you. Our next topic is housing. Please give a warm welcome to Marketta a leader with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
Hello, everyone. My name is Marketta Sims and I am grassroots leader with Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. When people think about people experiencing homelessness, they often think of people that are lazy and don't want to do better for them. Where often to check that I am living proof that that is simply not true. I will be graduating with a 4.0 GPA
all the things in my hood got shot and everything, yall. And I still lie above everything that now it was time for the ... So I'm just gonna give you a piece of me tonight. Well, when I was reentering from incarceration, I had nowhere to go. so I was forced to live Doubled up - meaning that I'm not on the lease. Any chance if a person is mad or whatever you that don't go that way. They can put me right back on the streets and I don't have no sustenance. So I end up in domestic violence with my family, which I had to flee from right. Now I'm homeless shelter, yall, with nowhere to go. Don't know which way to go.
This resulted
in that stress battles. every day was a huge stress of my life. I was in survival survival mode at all times. That in a hall was literally the key for me. It saved my life in there to my emotional mental, physical and spiritual well being. Let me say that again for your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well being. Because I was finally safe and free of judgement; I was no longer stressed that what I had to do to survive. I didn't have to worry about where my next meal will be or where I was sleep that night. That way was live. We need Bring Home Chicago in order to bring in new resources for affordable housing for people experiencing all facets of homelessness, including doubled up and to connect people with the services that they need. If we truly want to stay city, we need to invest in housing as solution is key. Be a part of the solution is key and will lead you to be a part of the solution. All the 65,000 Chicagoans are experiencing homelessness and are counting on you to take action
stay the course.
Thank you very much. Markita. Let's hear it for so my brother Mike Eldridge. I'm a member of the Jewish Council on urban affairs and I'm a staunch supporter of the bring Chicago home coalition. I'm up here tonight to ask two questions will be for the audience and want to be for the candidates to the audience. If any of you have experienced homelessness, or know someone in your family or friends that has experienced homelessness, please raise up that Green sheet. That looks like the whole room. I bet if we get the candidate some cards they want to raise them up to so this question is for you. For all of you I should say as rents and mortgages continue to rise and wages remain stagnant families are increasingly at risk of sudden housing loss. Given these forces, what is your vision to ensure that everyone in Chicago has stable and affordable housing.
You will each have one minute, you will start with Jamal Green
let me first say housing is a human right. And it will be in the city of Chicago. We must bring Chicago home as I've been fighting alongside you and I will support it as mayor. We must make sure that we address this crisis in our city. I was one of those folks. When I was a teenager my house burned down and we all had to move into my grandmother's two bedroom apartment. Yeah 10s of 1000s of people who are homeless that may not be on the streets, but they aren't in someone else's home bumped up and don't have their own spaces desperately wants to. And we must address it. So a few of the things we would do. We need to create a public bank in the city of Chicago, the public bank if we create a public bank and we invest into income-based housing, all of the profit from mortgages and small businesses they don't go to private prisons like the big school. It goes right back to city services and making sure there's adequate housing for everybody in the city of Chicago Housing is a human right and we must increase our affordable housing supply in record time and we're gonna do so under our administration
All right, tell us he was live was there on time of one minute. We'll now hear from Kam Buckner.
So I think we all need to start our answers by saying that housing is a human right, right. 65,000 people in Chicago are facing facing housing insecurity. 65,000. We said we don't have the money to figure it out. But tomorrow morning, I don't have to get up and argue with people and explain to them why I'm against spending hundreds of millions of dollars to keep a football team in Chicago. Our priorities are out of whack. Listen, when the mayor came to Springfield trying to raise real estate tax for tax without guaranteeing where it would go for people were having housing insecurity issues I fought her tooth and nail and we won. Listen, we have to not only bring Chicago home, we have to make sure that we have affordable housing for peop le in every sector of the city we need to refund the ?? building initiative. We need to make sure that the new home for Chicago program was replied to we need to make sure that we are putting grant money for people who want to be single family we have to make sure that people can live in this city and Lipper without being priced out because Chicago is home. Let's bring Chicago home together. Next up,
we'll be hearing from Paul vallas.
There's no reason why we can't use tax increment financing dollars to support the bring home Chicago ordinance no reason for it. We had a billion dollars in TIF revenues the last three years from surplus revenues. How were they allocated? They didn't go to the homeless. Secondly, we need to enforce the affordable housing ordinances they're on the books. Third, we need to allow apartment owners to dwell to add to convert unimproved space to garden units you could create 100,000 affordable units fourth, we need to take the 15,000 residential facilities residential homes that are out there and abandoned are in scavenger court, turn them to community based organizations and allow them to use it for local housing for whatever they need. And so we need to cap property taxes on homeowners and renters which are driving your costs up and driving you out of your homes.
Next we'll hear from Brandon Johnson.
One of the first things that I did as Cook County Commissioner I passed the just housing ordinance which ended housing discrimination for those who are seeking housing or formerly incarcerated. It's not enough to support bring Chicago home is because I do in a real real estate transfer tax and make sure that the resources are there before wraparound services but we need just cause for eviction to protect families. We also need to expand. We really have to expand the affordable housing ordinance right? and create a pathway to homeownership, just like my wife and I experienced - downpayment assistance so that families who want to set up shop in the city of Chicago that they have an opportunity to do that. I'm the only person in this race who was presented a budget plan to make sure that we're making critical investments, reducing our deficit and doing what is most important: a real plan to fund the programs that's going to make sure that Chicagoans get to live in the city of Chicago. Thank you.
Last but not least, we'll be hearing from
Roderick sawyer
This would be a prime opportunity for us to start looking at rebuilding our disadvantaged communities, the ones that people have left aside, bases right now like right here in Garfield Park, in Inglewood, and all the areas that we think that we know that we need additional housing resources. We do that by expanding the affordable housing ordinance. We want to make sure that we have more money in the hands of those that our unhoused make sure they have a real opportunity for investment and investing in a new home and also creating communities again, where we have vacant lots and no investment right now. We do that by making this investment using the money that we have. We're sitting on money right now. And using that additional money that we can get from these other sources. We can do this and recreate communities help the unhoused make sure that we do all this necessary to make sure that people have this opportunity in addition to all of the other wraparound services that we all talk about constantly, but they're all a both and approach. None of it is an either or we need to do this right now. Thank you
we're getting ready to go to our third question, but I just want to find out how you guys are doing
why you guys let me down like how you guys are
doing
I just want to I just want to lay back what what we're fighting for as people. Do you hear these testimonies? Homelessness, education. Right. So we're fighting for housing education, to survive to live. We're fighting gentrification. So my question to you tonight is, what else are you willing to give up? What else are you willing? To give up Chicago? This is our home. And we fight today so that tomorrow is promised, right? Because they tell you tomorrow's not promised but we still gotta wake up and live here in the city of Chicago. So let's make sure that we keep this energy and we march ourselves and we use our vote. Because my vote. I change my vote. I change my vote. I change. Why? Because when I vote alone is my vote. But when we are vote, we are the change. Right? So our next topic is public health and safety. Please give it up for miss Diane Adams, a leader with STOP and a resident of the sixth ward.
Yes. Hello, my name is MS DIANE adams. I'm with southsiders together organizing for power, all right. In 96 My son was murdered and I fell into a deep depression. in 97 I went to Auburn Gresham mental health center and in 98 the pain and loss overwhelmed me and I took to suicide. I got the help I needed from 98 until 2005 where I fell into a coma. I had to relearn to walk and talk again. I went back to Auburn Gresham to get the help I need. I still need only I know I still need help because any parent who lost a child can tell you that. That grief stay with you. You have to learn to live with it. I receive psychosocial rehab. It taught me how to find my place in society and joy out in the world. My dad taught me about my illness and about my medicine and helped me stay home and make plans to really be up again. During the closing is seeking give out a lot of influence about clothes. People with mental illness were meant to move out to have coverage. People were terrified of losing our centers and our therapists. And that is not right. So I became an activist because I knew how much help the mental health centers and my therapist helped me and I know that the city needs more public clinics, not less. So - in 2012 when they were closing half the city mental health clinis. I and other members from STOP ... under the Woodlawn clinic. We stuck a chain... And me and 23 others like ourselves. With a wall of people got together outside help to barricade the scheme. All 23 of us was arrested. What we need now: since the clinic in 2012 - well this city hasn't gotten any more peaceful, any less stressful, or any less depressing. So I know we still need all the centers that were closed. We need to stop using the County Jail and... provide people with access to quality mental health care in their community. People like me deserve a voice in the kind of clinic we need. That kind of clinic that work for us. In my community they voted overwhelmingly to reopen the closed mental health centers. Over 97%+ voted to support - if it was on the ballot. The need the need is clear. The support it's clear. Chicago needs Treatment Not Trauma. My name is Ms. Diane Adams.
Thank you miss Diane. My name is Cheryl Miller. And an organizer with STOP and CCW
I would like you to raise your green sheet and if you don't have one raise your hand. If you or someone you know has struggled with mental health issues. This just says at all. So I see a lot of green cards. Candidates over the past several decades, the city of Chicago has disinvested in the public mental health care system and the last remaining public mental health care centers have been under resourced as a result. two questions for you. What is your vision for investing in public mental health care systems? And what is your stance on the city subcontracting services out to private or nonprofit agencies?
That's a great question. We'll start with Jamal Green. Remember you each have one minute
first of all, we will pass treatment not trauma in the city of Chicago. That's number one. My grandfather whose birthday is in a few days suffers from many different mental health crises and he went missing and years later we found out that he died and they never told us because one letter was missing in his name. It is very important to me that we solve this crisis and that we support our mothers who are affected by gun violence. That's why we're going to have a victim trauma fund. If we can spend $170 million on a police academy then we can make sure that we we open up the mental health facilities in the city of Chicago. We can make sure that we stand on the side of the mothers who lose their kids to gun violence in the city of Chicago and give them housing and mental health care. We're going to reopen those centers and it's going to be public health centers. And so we can have control over public health in the city of Chicago, Chicago, we're going to have your back.
All right, next up. We'll hear from cam Buckner.
First of all, Miss Diane, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for your strength. This is a big deal. I repeat, we will pass Treatment not trauma the first year of our administration. A shout out to alderwoman Rosanna Rodriguez Sanchez. I know it's her today doing the hard work. This has been a problem we've been dealing with for a long time Chicago and I've said this before Rahm Emanuel wrote the original song and Lori Lightfoot performed the remix, right? And she continues to do this to our community, making us choose between having public options for mental health care and private options for mental health care, just like telling us that we can't have both libraries and bookstores at the same time. It's a false choice, and we'll pass it on day when we opened up in 20 clinics. We'll put four of them in sit in places where they can be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a week. We will invest into the mobile units so we can meet people where they are and we do not have a co-responder model with CPD we will have a pure responder model ...
Next up, we'll hear from Paul Vallas.
Look if we can have 22 police districts we can have 22 mental health centers, because if you're billing properly, there's no reason why those centers can't pay for themselves. But we need more than that. We need to restore the social service infrastructure in the communities. That means we need opioid and drug addiction centers. That means we need family and crisis counselors and intervention centers. I lost my son to long term drug abuse; to the effects of long term drug abuse. I had another son who went through post traumatic stress as a military veteran. So I know firsthand the experiences and I'm for it. Fortunately for us, we have the resources so at the end of the day, we need to restore the social service infrastructure in the communities and if we are billing right for Medicaid and Medicare... if we're billing through the insurance companies, and if we're doing TIF fair share, so we're allocating the money that's needed to sustain the centers. These centers need to be public and they need to be owned and operated by the community. Thank you.
Next up, we'll hear from Roderick Sawyer.
Oh, I'm sorry, I
messed up the order save me I'll say me Brendan Johnson.
So I really believe that if there were other besides guns being on the scene when Antonio was having a mental health crisis. And when EMT came to his defense, I believe they would be alive today. If we would have had treatment, not trauma, and I'm gonna pass that. And I'm glad that the sponsor is endorsing my candidacy because you trust I'm going to get it done. We also have to not just reopen our mental health clinics, they do have to be publicly funded with good union paying jobs and no to privatization. How would a privatization. Listen - I had an older brother who was my hero who had untreated trauma, an he died addicted and unhoused. I believe he would be alive today and he would be able to see his grandchildren - If we actually have an administration that is prepared to invest in people and under my vision for the city of Chicago along with you. We're going to invest in equal. Treatment, that trauma gets done, mental health centers are reopened. They're publicly funded, we're not putting it into privatization. Thank you.
And now we'll hear from Roderick Sawyer.
I have something to tell my good friends behind me. They're not going to get a chance to pass treatment, not trauma, because it would be passed in this term, you know, under my leadership it's going to be passed before the end of this term. Now, this gives you I want to give you some quick information since I'm there I'm chairman of the health committee and I'm the only one I believe that has visited all the health clinics. This is the situation I support opening additional health clinics. What our challenge is now is finding talent to house these places. We're having the biggest problem right now getting therapists and psychologists which are key to opening these centers. We're going to continue to work on that because we don't have them fully in the six centers that we have now. They're sharing spaces, they're going space to space. I just want people to understand the nuts and bolts of how it operates. I fully support opening additional clinics, public health clinics, but we have to make sure we get the talent there. So make sure your children are going to schools getting licenses and therapy, licenses and psychology because we need them. We need them to be employees in these places. Thank you
all right.
I love that topic. All right, guys. The next question is on environment. Please give it up for Alfredo Romo, Executive Director of neighbors for environmental justice.
Buenas noches a todos, good evening, everyone. My name is Alfredo Romo. And I have a story to tell you Chicago. I am the Executive Director of neighbors for environmental justice. We educate, advocate in environmental organizing with our community to accomplish environmental justice across the city, particularly in communities of color. We believe environmental justice cannot be separated from racial justice. So we align and advocate to support larger struggles for justice and not born syntax. I was born in Mexico and came to this country at a very young age. I am very proud to say that I was raised in one of the most resilient communities of the city of Chicago. The Little Village community. This community raised me with tough love, where I learned to wake up every day with a grid and desire to make the best of whatever opportunities will come my way. At the same time. Every day, it seemed that those opportunities were hard to come by, as they often found myself box didn't go to economic education and language barriers are over the last 20 years. I've lived in McKinley Park. I love my neighborhood. I love my community, and I love my park. However, like many Chicago neighborhoods, McKinley Park has challenges with no small number of them directly connected to City Hall. What do you tell a person when they lose their job because they get sick? Then right after that they lose their home and are are now forced to go into bankruptcy, adding additional economic duress to their loved ones. But above all, they lose their health. I am that person. I am a cancer survivor and also a gun victim multiple times that overcame these harsh realities of being exposed to sacrifice zones. I had seen the ways our elected officials abused our immigrant community and I'm sorry our immigrant in low income communities and I have seen the results of industrial pollution. Or most importantly, I have seen the power of communities to fight against. These are systemic issues. In the cold winter months of 2018 MAT asphalt was constructed seemingly overnight and without the knowledge of the McKinley Park residents in causing all sorts of environmental problems to the community. Once again, there was no notification to the community by Chicago authorities or the Illinois protection the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Up to 9698 community residents had no clue, no clue whatsoever as to what this heavy industrial facility will produce in how it managed to be constructed in such close proximity toward a beautiful park next door to schools in 1000 people from residential homes. I remember during that time back in 2018 I stepped out to my early morning routine walks around McKinley Park I came around the corner of 37 and Damen when I first noticed that asphalt silos when I saw these silos blowing up. I knew that our communities environmental health and well being of our families were in danger. I know firsthand because I used to work for a chemical company where I got to see how these operators in companies have a hard time containing the pollution within the premises. So I brought this information back home to my family, friends, neighbors and nearby schools. As other community residents around the labor started to connect to one another about the heavy pollution that asphalt brought from both initial meetings, neighbors or environmental justice was formed. And eventually through our community organizing we were able to get MAT Asphalt's operating permit rejected by the states and half a billion dollar bid to the city rejected this past year. During this time, we kept coming back to this question of how this happened. Many of us couldn't understand the magnitude of this of this heavy industrial activity across the street from the park and into a residential community. Many neighborhood residents don't know what the process the processes are around zoning and permitting, development, implementation and enforcement. I mean, what is an air pollution permit? The truth is the way that we do zoning and permitting has a huge impact on our communities in our health, especially from low income black and brown communities that the city uses as a dumping grounds for polluting heavy industry. So we're going to continue to identify and address neighborhood environmental impacts and we're seeking to increase transparency in order to have meaningful community involvement in the planning processes around zoning and land use. For many of us, this is a moral and environmental and illegal argument, but it is also a political and policy argument that should be fully recognized and rectified by our elected representatives and city officials to address address the community of impacts from heavy industry that may result in disproportionately high and Evers human health or environmental effects to our vulnerable communities. To this, I'd say no more sacrifice zones. We all deserve plein air and water. Thank you.
Thank you Alfredo. My name is Kendrick I'm an organizer with people for community recovery rates. Thank you raise your green sheet of paper if you are concerned about how pollution and climate change is impacting you and your family. Just about all of us. The city of Chicago has a long legacy of discriminatory discriminatory practices. around land use and permitting something that was recently acknowledged by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. If elected, how do you plan to address environmental racism to protect the health of all Chicagoans?
We will start with green
go green, y'all. Listen, I want to say that the city of Chicago needs to have a fully funded and fully staffed Department of Environment and that's one of the things that we must do. We must have a Chicago level Green New Deal in the city of Chicago and I think that we're gonna do it. It is so important to make sure that these neighborhoods have clean air when you look at the west side of Chicago and you look at the data and you see how the majority of people in the city of Chicago that have asthma live on the west side, you know that there's a real problem, you know, that we have been allowing pollutants to go into these neighborhoods are going to prohibit them in our administration for setting up shop and neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago. We're going to change our lead pipes. We have 380,000 service lines that the city mandated us to have. We got to take responsibility and change them and have a massive jobs program for young people all throughout the city of Chicago. We got to make sure that we build Public grocery stores so we have access to fresh produce. We will have a green New Deal and have a healthier Chicago under a green administration.
One minute, don't make me bring out my ruler up in hereQ!
were many go Okay, listen, y'all. The seats are still with the people of South Chicago when general iron was moved there because it was not good enough to Lincoln Park or Lakeview. Enough for us. I still with the people have many dealers when they hear call imposing started. Because if you remember your backyard, don't do it in ours. I wasn't cheap negotiator on the most comprehensive and consequential clean energy legislation in the history of this country that we passed this week but a year and a half ago, which is important. We have to pay back the Department of Environment. But we need to have a commissioner level person running not just the director. So it has to be institutionalized so that no matter who the mayor is, that department will be working for the people of Chicago no matter what. We also got to make sure that we're doing the actual work to make sure that we get out of our schools, all of our daycare, daycare going to all of the places that our people are gathering with under a button administration. This will be the most green, friendly administration in history of the city. And not just because my brother Jamal has been busy.
Paul Vallas
Environmental Protection Department but it also needs to be overseen by an advisory group made up of the community activists who can actually select the commissioner for that department. And it needs a city council committee that can monitor and pick up EPA issues. But that department while focusing on climate change needs to focus on three other issues. First, environmental justice - I think you've articulated far better than me, but we need real environmental justice. Need to empower an EPA to do that in the city of Chicago. Second, we got to get lead out of the water but it's gonna take us two years to replace those pipes. We need to provide water filters for every home in the city of Chicago because it's not just let us poisoning us it's also the other cancer causing agents that are in the water that had been well documented in the summer is we got to have our environmental department focus on eliminating the food deserts. And the way you do that is by funding and creating community owned food coops.
...
Johnson
so I was um, that child that grew up with asthma. And thank God for the fantus clinic that was available for me. And look, first of all, we need a cumulative impact study so that we can actually see the full scope of actually what's happening within our city. Obviously, I am definitely committed to fully funding and staffing the Department of of the environment. We also have to make sure that we're very clear, especially for our movement. People who claim to be progressive, who are not just absent tonight, but they were absent for the families, the brown families on the southeast side of Chicago and the families on the southwest side of Chicago. Shame on them. I stood with you then under my administration we're gonna have a better healthier environment.
So yeah.
That's time
... Pretty much right because I join pretty much everybody, but you know, serious teasing but... I joined in the responses but one thing I will say today, I was proud to vote against the McKinley Park housing development that they had the audacity to build right next to the MAT asphalt plants, which was ridiculous. Appreciate you standing up against that because that was just unconscionable. When I talked to the aldermen at the time. He said, Why would you do that? He just told me and he was chairman of the Environment Committee. I just didn't understand it. But he thought there was a good economic engine for his community. I thought he was putting people down to kill them. And it's horrible and that can't stop. I do support having a commission level department environment. Also about the lead pipes. I know my time is short. But when you last, and we have one of these issues that I think we all can wrap our arms around. There's no sense of me telling you the same thing. over again, I support these initiatives. Thank you.
Our next question will be on workers right on give it up for JC Muhammed.
My name is JC Muhammad and I have been a part time rideshare driver for the last five years two main rideshare companies, Uber and Lyft now dominate about 40% of the transportation network here in the city. And they make up a huge share of what's called the new gig economy. In 2021, Uber came out of the pandemic with an 83% Jump in revenue to $5.4 billion. This wasn't far behind $3.2 billion. In the meantime, drivers for these companies, the people who are referred to as essential workers during the pandemic, many of them have not found the ladder out of debt or even out of poverty since the pandemic. What has become clear to most seasoned drivers is that the business model of these companies have shifted to one that is much more exploitative of its workers. Just a few years ago, a regular Joe like myself, could work part time for Uber and Lyft. Make some pretty good money on our own time and on our own schedule. But this has quickly turned into a low income as it is an occupation with absolutely no job security. This is something that I have personally experienced. indeed, in addition to the low wages, many five star drivers are being deactivated for reasons that are not at all clear and typically based on unsubstantiated claims made by passengers. In other words, there's no due process or no due diligence by these companies. When riders are the platform, so we believe that low wages, deactivations is an attempt to eliminate many drivers who've been around long enough to recognize the steadily downward spiral of wages paid by these companies. Furthermore, the level of dangerousness has increased over the last several years. In this city, most of us as rideshare drivers have been forced to become very careful about where we drive when we drive, and how long we drive. So although the city has come to rely on us gig workers, our spouses, our significant others, and family members are constantly on edge thinking that we made the next video. As a member of the Chicago gig alliance is both my personal and professional feeling that this is definitely an issue that needs to be tackled by any candidate seeking to become mayor of the city.
Thank you, JC Thank you. Hello. My name is Saul; I've been a driver for seven years for Uber and Lyft. Okay audience, raise your green sheet. If you have ever been mistreated by a company or your boss
many of us here's a question for the candidates. Workers in the gig economy have suffered innumerable pay cuts; livelihoods as they drive all over the city. Providing safe transportation to 1000s of people every day. Drivers have not seen a raise since 2018 Despite rampant inflation and soaring gas prices, if elected, how will you ensure workers at corporations like uber, Lyft, DoorDash receive good wages and safe working conditions?
Thank you. Well first of all with jamal green
first of all, can we just clap it up all about Uber workers. I Lyft drivers, especially during a pandemic.
A couple of them took my
Uber Eats some time but again they brought it back. It is so important that in this next administration we hold accountable these monopolies. It makes no sense. We are living in a time where they are continuing their greed and our workers are not getting their fair share. I was proud to stand on the front lines with Uber workers with a lot of unions out here in the in the in the crowd today to stand up for workers rights in our administration. You will have a seat at the table we will make sure that we bring those folks Uber and Lyft to the table and say have you will not treat your workers right you cannot do business in the city. of Chicago. We must have fair wages. Chicago is a city where workers will have the right away
You too Miracle, we got you too
Thank you Next up cam Buckner.
This is a classic case of bait and switch. We're told one thing and another thing happened we were told that this was supposed to give people the independence and the freedom to make their own schedules and make their own money. But that has not happened. We have transformed and changed the freedom a rideshare could have kept up captivity of sharecropping. That's exactly what it is. Listen under a Buckner administration, we will do what the city should have done for a long time. This is the home of the American labor movement. And it is asinine that we don't have a Department of Labor within City Hall. We have a very similar office that does some labor standard practice stuff, but we have to have a robust department of labor that can be able to issue fines and fees and fight the fights of big corporations who are trying their hardest, to disenfranchise our people who are doing the work on the ground that will happen on the administration.
Next up, we'll hear from Paul Vallas
Rob is going to be the last again. I should defer to rod but look the bottom line is there's collusion among these companies. And what they're doing is they're not only colluding when it comes to pricing, but they're also colluding when it comes to denying profit sharing and they're colluding when it comes to the activating drivers. There's got to be a system set up to allow those drivers to appeal. I remember when the old Department of Consumer Services used to have a stranglehold over the cabs and over the cab drivers there's no reason why the city cannot come in and regulate the Uber and Lyft industry and that's what they have to do. They have to promote competition number one. Number two, they have to allow for profit sharing and number three, they've got to set up a process so that drivers cannot be simply deactivated by one company and through collusion. They're deactivated by the other companies that will change under a Vallas Administration. Thank You
Next up we'll hear from Brandon Johnson.
All workers should have dignity. I'm a worker, a proud member of the labor movement. Look, here's here's how you actually hold corporations accountable. Under my administration, we're going to pass law. We're going to make sure that there is a rideshare living wage and safety ordinance for all gig workers. Look up these corporations on purpose have run them up. And the best thing we do that we do as well as the labor movement, we've organized and we pass a law under my administration. We're going to pass ride share living wage safety worker ordinance for all gig workers
last but not least, we'll hear from Roderick Sawyer.
I have been proud for the last several months to work with Brother Muhammad. He's also one resident on this very issue. I work with them on introducing something that is in city council right now. We are working on it right now it's there. I'm proud to see some of the other workers. I see you all there, but I'm proud to see you all here because this is something that's important to me. When he talked to Mohammed talked about his, you know, illegal deactivation. We wanted to make sure that... I want to make sure that we can do something about this. So I was proud to introduce this ordinance with them. I was proud to continue to work I'm sorry, I haven't been to a meeting last couple of weeks. We meet every week, guys. This is something I don't just say yes, I'm going to vote for we meet and talk and figure out strategy and how are we going to win this dose saying and doing it. We're doing it every day. We're meeting every week. We're fighting the fight with the gig workers. We're going to make this happen. We just need more colleagues like myself to get on board so that we can pass the workers right and pass the gig worker ordinance, which is in city council right now. Thank you very much.
Thank you. We're running a little bit behind but we're gonna try to wrap it up. Last but not least, our sixth question will be on education. I don't know. I don't know if you guys know but let me tell you a little secret. The secret to the community will always be education. They could promise everything. Just remember, the seed of the community starts in the schools. Education, educate our children, so that our city can see less violence and more productivity. Let's see more plans, less promises. So I'm going to give it up for a parent leader with raise your hand says Cecilia Acevedo.
I'm a proud parent of three ages 27 and five as well as the parent mentor to 28 first grade students and vice president of the bilingual Advisory Committee. I'm one of five members advocating for 75 English learning students and parents. I began this work last year as a way to connect the school community and meet persons I'm trusting to care for and provide an education to my kids. I honor my roots through my involvement and back and heal the wounds created by the pressure of assimilation and presidents. Language support may be more common in a city as diverse as Chicago but there is still a lot of misinformation around bilingual education, and quite frankly, a lack of resources and awareness around programs. See the Open Letter from CTU from this past November. Many parents fear that their students might get a lower quality education and educators know even in only English speaking home students can fail and access tests and some educators bilingual and or ESL endorsed in two languages in early childhood is confusing. My oldest was born in Puerto Rico, but when he turned three we moved back to the mainland. Spanish was his first language but not long after he started school. It was lost. Though he was not a CPS student. My older siblings were and they also experienced language loss despite our mother speaking mostly Spanish all our lives. Translating emails and communications is not enough to make families feel supported. It's not enough to help them keep that part of their identity and enable them to interact with their native speaking elders. Or to further develop the language and expand their future opportunities. Make some space of the table where decisions are made and listen to parents experiences so that we can truly make our schools great for more families. Not the few and well to do schools are only those that never have to wonder what the principal teacher or LSE is saying. families deserve language and resource accessibility, transparency and discipline policy transparency in discipline policies and special education advocacy. That is why I stand with raise your hand. Too often our parents made to feel like our experiences are unvalidated and our opinions are a waste of time. I could share a few anecdotes of dismiss emails microaggressions and chronic discredit to those that they're expected better generational traumas weaponized against us at this as if these social systems aren't a leading cause despite efforts to protect my child from repeated repeated verbal, emotional and physical harm at school. I was stereotyped and ostracized because I raised the question of racial bias and avoidance after weeks of asking for resolution. My child cried a lot lost a lot of sleep and complained of stomach pain. I prayed with her and for the student who caused harm and told her he wishes he was dead. See, my family has suffered losses by suicide. So mental health and social emotional learning aren't just buzzwords. Even resources like those provided by face cannot be effective. If most parents don't know about them. I'm joined at least 15 and never have I seen more than two or three parents join in a district with 1000s of parents, some of which Tech is a luxury they cannot afford. I'm often the only parent at the LSE meetings and recall only ones translation being offered. In a community that is 50% Latino and diversity and inclusion are so proudly claimed, stop the gatekeeping and covering up a bad policies and practices. Teachers teach histories about parents fighting for better conditions and resources. But first our kids are branded and parents are ignored. Time to stop relying on the few that are going above and beyond attempting to make up for all the damage. People across the district are running on fumes to create a better future. Accountability is overdue. Parents register and stay up to date with new CPS accountability redesigned because parent and student experience says a lot about the quality of a school. Fill out the surveys and join the town halls our kids need you.
Thank you, Cecilia. Cecilia, my name is Mary and I'm a student at Brighton Park Elementary and a leader with Brighton Park neighborhood council.
Raise your green sheet of paper if you or your family member has gone to a Chicago Public School.
It has been 10 years since Rahm Emanuel closed the Chicago Public Schools in black and brown neighborhoods. The funding formula put new money into CPS but this should still be 5% of what's needed. What would you do to improve funding SCPs how how would representative collections they into your CPS funding approach? What actions would you take at the state level to address CPS funding?
One minute we'll start with Green
as a student from public schools as a father of public school children, we are finally going to have a mayor that really care about public schools in the city of Chicago. This is important to me because young people each and every day are being held when they walk into school buildings all across our city. They're going to school buildings that are under resourced don't have the wraparound services teachers on the Bayou looks outdated. Eating God knows what. we have to address what's going on in our public schools and now will be our top priority. One of the things that we must do is we got to go to the state and we got to change enrollment-based formula to needs-based formula. We have to stop making you got to stop investing. We have to invest our time to make sure that schools have the resources that they need and we will do so under our administration so that we're not basing it off the wrong one and then they shut down schools that are still in our neighborhoods all throughout our city. We will invest in institutions where every family in the city of Chicago can send their kid to a neighborhood school with a high quality education as good as ..
I'm messing up yeah, I'm falling asleep up here. Sorry.
All right. Listen. I told you guys earlier that Rahm Emanuel wrote a lot of songs and Lori Lightfoot wrote the remixes. The only reason that we didn't have more schools closed down is because we fought in Springfield, but I have authored a school closing moratorium and many of you I hear helped us push it out to make sure that our young people were not left behind again by another administration. I also have carried the legislation to make sure that the evidence based school from funding formula comes to our young people in our communities the same way that the state dishes out the money. We got to continue to do that and push it so that our young people get the resources that they deserve. Listen to work that many people out here worked on on your elected representative school board is going to be the difference maker for our young people because they will once and for all have the same thing that every young person in this state had which is: an elected accountable representation so that we do not go back. Not go back to the days where our people are left behind our children are picked over like their garbage you need to do better and we will under my administration.
Vallas
Well, thank you. Thank you.
Having presided over a school district where I actually built 78 schools and never closed a single school district that had more than 125,000. More students use me under 25,000 more students than half today. I think my record speaks for itself. But let me point out that number one, we have to find the state formula. It's as simple as that. Number two, we got to make sure that the money is going to the local schools spending $30,000 per kid, as to teachers if they're getting $30,000 per kid in their classroom. Number three, we got to open the campuses to the community. So community based organizations partners with programs that can be brought to the schools till our schools are open on the weekends over the summer and the holidays, safe workplaces. Number four, we've got to provide work-study in all of our high schools, paid internship opportunities for our kids to keep them engaged. And number five, we've got to open alternative schools for those who have been lost and bring them back into the system. Thank you very much.
We're almost done. We're almost done.
Well, listen, we've all stood together to make sure that democracy actually gets exists in the city of Chicago, we did that together. But here's the thing that's most important. We need someone who actually has a real vision. And so the tariffs that have been used as slush funds that have simply gone to corporations that ends under my administration. We're going to use the TIF dollars to invest in our neighborhood schools. But here's what we're also going to do. We're going to expand Sustainable Community Schools right here on the west side of Chicago. Beiler Elementary: One of the schools that was set to close is now a model. But here's the most important thing, having a mayor who fully believes in public education is important. But the best thing that we can do is and we can do it collectively together. It's not just about making sure that there's more funding, the funding that we have now the mayor of Chicago is sitting on $1 billion right now, that could be in our public schools. I'm going to release those dollars on day one. We're going to expand sustainable community schools and those that have stood alongside with you went on hunger strikes, we're going to make sure that public education is fully funded, and we're not going to go back to the old days of privatization.
Sawyer
we're almost done.
Thank you. We do have to do more to make sure that we're focusing all of our efforts and directives towards improving education towards our students, in addition to giving them the services that they deserve. My ward has primarily elementary schools, and you could not believe the things that we talk about when I have my principals' meetings: murderers, drug dealing, prostitution, and this is an elementary school guys. We need more services that are directly focused on improving the education of children. We're not doing it we're spending $30,000 As someone else said, her child but where is it going? We want to make sure that we do it properly. Did you know that you when you pay taxes, whatever taxes you pay, not only for your school district here, you paying for the State School District pensions as well. We have to do better with combining our pension systems or doing something that makes financial sense so that we can direct all of our money towards what's important to all of us. Our Future, which is our children. Thank you.
Thank you, can we give it up for the grassroots leaders who will share their personal stories and prepare these questions? Thank you all so much for sharing.
Thank you candidates for listening and responding. Next we will be doing a lightning round round of six question following each question. Each candidate must answer with a yes or no nothing more. Nothing less. Yes or no. Are we ready?
Candidates will you please stand by.
Pending legislation known as Bring Chicago Home seeks to create a dedicated city revenue stream for permanent housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness by increasing the real estate transfer tax on properties over $1M. Do you commit to passing the Bring Chicago Home resolution]? Yes or no
Jamal Green?
Yes
Buckner?
Absolutely.
Will you commit to pass the branch Chicago
home resolution yes or no?
Vallas?
No
Will you commit to passing the bridge check out the whole resolution? Yes or no? (Brandon Johnson) Yes.
Will you commit to pass and green check out the whole resolution? Yes or no? Miracle: Sawyer? Sawyer: NO. Miracle: And there you have it!
Hey, y'all, my name is Alyx Goodwin. I work with the Action Center our race for the economy and I volunteer with the Defund campaign, erase the gang database and stop ShotSpotter in 2015, the Chicago City Council passed a reparations for birds torture victims ordinance for survivors of police torture at the hands of John Berge. We know police torture did not start with Jon Burge, the city of Chicago and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office failed to conduct a comprehensive review of all the criminal investigations and prosecutions stemming from the coerced confessed confessions extracted by Burge and the detectives working under him. There are hundreds of people who were tortured after Burge was fired. Do you commit to legislating reparations for survivors of police torture? Who were tortured after 1991 by Burge's disciples? Miracle: Buckner? Buckner: YES
Do you commit to legislating reparations for survivors of police torture who were tortured after 1991 by Burgess disciples green? Oh, yes. Do you commit to legislating reparations for survivors of police torture who were tortured after 1991 by Burgess disciples? Miracle: Johnson? Brandon Johnson: Yes.
Do you commit to legislating reparations for survivors of police torture who were tortured after 1991 by Burgess disciples? Miracle: Sawyer? Sawyer: YES.
Do you commit to legislating reparations for survivors of police torture who were tortured after 1991 by Burgess disciples Miracle: Vallas? Vallas: YES
All right. And there you have it. I accidentally forgot Jamal Green - my first round to ask do you commit to pass Bring Chicago home resolution? Green: YES
Hi, my name is Carlos. Pending legislation known as Treatment Not Trauma seeks to build a public city wide Crisis Response Program that reopens the closed mental health centers as well as mental health professionals entered EMT to mental health emergency calls instead of police officers and funding and moving. CPD vacant vacancies to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Will you pass Treatment Not Trauma. Buckner? Yes. Will you pass Treatment Not Trauma? Green: You have to. Will you pass Treatment Not Trauma?
Johnson? Yes.
Will you pass Treatment Not Trauma? Sawyer? yes. Will you pass Treatment Not Trauma?
Vallas. Yes. All right. There you have it. It's getting real, y'all. It's getting real.
Hi I'm Isobel Duncan with the sunrise movement Chicago hub. And I'm here to ask a question about environmental justice. There are 24 Industrial corridors and black and brown communities across Chicago, also known as sacrifice zones. The cumulative impact ordinance would provide healthy and safe areas of safety to these areas by mandating a comprehensive assessment of polluting industries impacted impact on neighborhoods disproportionately affected by heavy industrial operations and implement meaningful oversight and enforcement of environmental regulations by the city, including changes to zoning and Development Law and sacrifice zone. Do you commit to passing a cumulative impact ordinance to end sacrifice zone? Buckner? Yes. Do you? Do you commit to passing a cumulative impact ordinance to end sacrifice zone? GREEN?
Yes.
Do you commit to passing a cumulative impact ordinance and sacrifice? Johnson? Yes. You you commit to passing a cumulative impact ordinance to pass a to end sacrifice zone? Sawyer? YES. do You commit to passing a cumulative impact ordinance to end sacrifice zones? Vallas?
Yes.
All right. There you have it people.
My name is Nina heights, and I'm a chemistry teacher at George Westinghouse College. Prep. And I'm here to represent - I'm here to represent the Chicago Teachers Union. If elected, will you transition away from student-based budget into a needs-based formula so that every school has the necessary staff such as social workers, nurses, by various special education staff?
Buckner? Yes.
Will you ensure every school has a social worker nurse and a librarian by the end of your term? Green? Yes. Will you ensure every school has a social worker, nurse and Librarian by the end of your term? Johnson? Yes. Will you ensure every school has a social worker nurse and Liberian by the end of your term?
Sawyer? Yes.
Will you ensure every school has a social worker, nurse and librarian by the end of your term, Vallas? Yes. Alrighty.
All right, team. One second.
Hello, again, my name is Saul Garcia. I'm with the gig alliance, part time driver. Okay, gig workers, like all workers deserve dignity and respect. The ratio of living wage and safety ordinance would increase the income of rideshare drivers and improve safety conditions. The question is will you vote to pass the rideshare living wage and safety the ordinance? Buckner? Yes. Will you vote to pass the rideshare living wage and safety ordinance
Green? Yes.
Will you vote to pass the ideshare living wage and safety ordinance? Johnson? Yes. Will you vote to pass the rideshare living wage and safety ordinance? Sawyer? Yes. Will you vote to pass the rideshare living wage and safety ordinance? Vallas? Yes.
All right. There you have it. Give it up for the lightning round guys.
Now for the last part of tonight's forum. We have one last set of questions for the candidates. I like to bring up Don Washington Executive Director of the Chicago Housing initiative
are y'all doing
my name is Don
Washington. I'm the executive director in Chicago housing initiative. And we only have three questions for y'all the end of the night. We have three commitments that we need each and every one of you to agree to make not just to the people in this room. But to every soul in the city of Chicago to the pin. Well the policy to solve our problem. There are three commitments. Listen, all three you gotta agree to all three, not one out of three. All three will you meet with the peoples unity platform coalition before your inauguration? Will you include a representative from the People's Unity platform coalition on your transition team. And last but not least, we you keep the commitments and uphold leadership positions that you took yes or no? Vallas. Yes, Sawyer?
Yes. Johnson? Yes.
Green? Yes. Buckner? Yes
right now, now we know politicians don't always keep their promises Well, we keep an eye on these. We're coming in we're coming hard no matter who takes office right? Right?! So tonight, we are asking you to put it in writing and they did right they did. If you are willing to make , oh wit... sorry... Reading is fundamental. Before we leave tonight, we want to take a moment to remember why we are here. We want to remind each other and ourselves that Chicago belongs to
the people. Chicago belongs to
young does not want this city because they're not even hearing you
Yay.
So when I say I am the vote, you say we are the change. I am the vote! We Are the change!
all right. Tonight we have told our stories. We have built our power this exercise is powered by choosing our own leaders and voting on February 28. At the end of your programs, and on the screen behind me, you'll find a QR code to register to vote and find your polling location. Thank you all for coming out. Tonight for the people's Unity platform mayoral forum
