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1. All eyes on Bring Chicago Home!

As we approach the April 4 runoff election, Bring Chicago Home has taken a central place in the conversation about how we can respond to our city’s homelessness crisis.

JCUA youth leader Dalya Lessem Elnecave and Chicago Coalition for the Homeless leader April Harris represented our coalition last night at the ABC7 Mayoral Debate, where they asked Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas about their plans and approaches.

Johnson committed to passing Bring Chicago Home and increasing access to affordable housing, while Paul Vallas advocated a solution using TIF funds and the Chicago Housing Authority. You can view the whole debate here, and the housing question at 46:51.

The Thursday debate follows our powerful People’s Hearing for Bring Chicago Home last Sunday, when more than 150 people packed Grace Church in Logan Square to mobilize support for the campaign. Let’s keep up the momentum!

2. Search for CPD Superintendent begins

Yesterday was CPD Superintendent David Brown’s last day on the job. Now, the Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) — our new civilian police oversight board created by ECPS — has 120 days to recommend three potential replacements to the future mayor.

This is the first time the search for a CPD Superintendent will be conducted by a civilian body independent of the mayor’s office.

CCPSA Anthony Driver said, “We need a superintendent who can inspire and lead, who can bring people together, who can foster healing and who can try to move now toward a brighter and more just future for all Chicagoans.”

3. Illinois Supreme Court takes up cash bail

The Illinois Supreme Court began hearing arguments this week on the SAFE-T Act, which eliminates cash bail in Illinois. Contrary to opponents’ argument that the legislation will lead to an increase in crime, studies of jurisdictions that have nearly eliminated cash bail have shown no increase in crime — including by the larger public and specifically defendants awaiting trial.

Governor JB Pritzker doubled down on his support of the Pretrial Fairness Act, saying “It’s a more fair system than to have people sitting in jail for days, weeks or months, when they just don’t happen to have the few hundred dollars or couple thousand dollars,” and believes the court will uphold this reform.

4. Advocate for immigration justice in Springfield

Join JCUA and our ICIRR coalition partners for our annual trips to Springfield to advocate for our immigration justice platform! Traveling to talk to our representatives face-to-face is a powerful way to demonstrate our commitment to the platform.

We’ll carpool down to Springfield in the morning and join our ICIRR partners for a brief training. We’ll split into groups to talk to all our representatives, eat lunch together, and plan to arrive back home in the evening.

Come travel with us on Wednesday, April 19 and Tuesday, May 9.

5. Kol Or Shabbat is next week!

Join our Kol Or Jews of Color Caucus for our quarterly Shabbat dinner, next Friday, March 24th at 6:30 in South Loop, where we’ll practice our shared traditions and to create room in our week for rest, joy, and connection.

We invite all who identify as a Jewish person of color to join us and meet our community. If you have any questions about whether this would be a good space for you, please email maetal@jcua.org or jackie@jcua.org.